• The cancellation of Byron Bay’s Bluesfest music festival was “another hit to confidence” for Australia’s struggling live performance industry, a peak industry body says.
• NSW Health yesterday cancelled the event one day before it was scheduled to begin, citing fears of COVID-19 community transmission in the surrounding area.
• The cancellation has bolstered calls for a dedicated pandemic insurance fund to protect music promoters.
• Visit Business Insider Australia’s homepage for more stories.

It was billed as Australia’s first major music festival in a year, and a long-awaited sign of the touring industry’s recovery from pandemic shutdowns.

But yesterday’s cancellation of the Byron Bay Bluesfest will likely deter promoters from holding live events through 2021, a peak industry body says, as the end of JobKeeper and a lack of pandemic insurance weigh heavily on Australia’s promoters.

The five-day Bluesfest, scheduled to begin Thursday, was cancelled Wednesday afternoon after state health authorities detected an active COVID-19 case in the Byron Bay region.

NSW Health said its decision to cancel the event was “disappointing for ticket holders and event organisers,” but was necessary “while urgent investigations and contact tracing are ongoing”.

“It is another hit to confidence across the industry,” Craig Spann, executive general manager of the Australian Live Music Business Council (ALMBC), told Business Insider Australia.

“There is already deep concern about touring and festivals and this is yet another blow.”

Beyond the financial blow to artists and crew members, who may have seen Bluesfest as the “first real pay cheque in a year,” Spann said it’s “probably inevitable” the last-minute cancellation will deter other promoters from attempting their own festivals.

“A huge amount of time and resources went into getting this event across the line in terms of approvals – specifically around COVID safety,” Spann said.

“For it to fall over just 24 hours out and as a result of one case of local community transmission will have others promoters increasingly tentative about taking the risk.”

The Bluesfest cancellation came days after JobKeeper, the $90 billion wage subsidy scheme which supported thousands of music industry workers, drew to a close.

In its place, the Federal Government last week announced a further $135 million in live event funding, designed to bolster the live event sector through continual uncertainty.

Beyond the “devastating” loss of JobKeeper, Spann fears the new funding won’t be administered fast enough.

“Unless that money starts to flow urgently, we may not have venues left in the coming months and we certainly will not have the many businesses that sit behind venues – agents, production, crews – that actually make the magic happen.”

Other industry heavyweights have called for further protections.

Live Performance Australia yesterday said the creation of a ‘business interruption fund’, to shield large-scale events from the costs of last-minute cancellation, is “now a matter of urgency.”

The move is supported by the Australian Festival Association, and APRA AMCOS, the industry body representing Australian songwriters and publishers.

“Pandemic insurance does not exist and our industry is not the only one impacted by that,” Spann said, adding that ALMBC “will continue to push the cause”.

NSW Treasurer Dom Perrottet has reportedly backed the idea, but a festival insurance scheme is yet to be confirmed by the state or federal government.

ALMBC has previously advocated for venue capacity limits to be lifted, and the installation of an “essential live music industry worker permit,” allowing relevant workers to travel interstate through border closures.

As Australia’s vaccine rollout lags behind schedule and lockdowns continue to shutter venues, Spann said new solutions are required.

“Government just needs to come to the table, if for no other reason than to understand the impact of their decisions,” he said.

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