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Jessica Ducrou, co-founder of iconic Australian music festival Splendour in the Grass and co-CEO of one of the country's biggest music groups Secret Sounds, has announced her departure from the company she helped create eight years ago.
Secret Sounds Group, a division of Live Nation, is the company behind Splendour but also long-running New Year's Eve staple Falls Festival, new Adelaide festival Harvest Rock, as well as Secret Sounds Touring, Village Sounds booking agency, Brisbane venue The Triffid, Secret Sounds Connect commercial rights and creative agency, and more.
It's been a rough trot for Secret Sounds lately. This year's Splendour In The Grass was cancelled just six days after tickets went on sale, and Falls Festival is on hiatus to "rest, recover and recalibrate".
"So many memorable moments over the last almost decade with Secret Sounds, what a wild ride it's been," Ducrou said in a statement announcing her departure.
"I'm well due for an overseas summer holiday so it's a good time to take a break before I embark on my next chapter.
"It has been an epic journey that has been truly inspiring, and an opportunity to collaborate with the best in the business. It would not have been as rewarding, possible or enjoyable if it weren't for the people I have worked alongside of."
One of the most powerful figures in the Australian music industry, Ducrou also name-checked her long-term business partner, Paul Piticco, with whom she launched Splendour In The Grass in 2001.
The pair merged their companies to co-found Secret Sounds in 2016 but Ducrou and Piticco's partnership dates back to the late 90s, when Ducrou became the booking agent for the band Piticco was managing — some Brisbane up-and-comers called Powderfinger.
"Paul Piticco has been a great business partner for more than 30 years and we will no doubt continue our friendship well into the future," Ducrou said.
"I wish all at Secret Sounds and Live Nation the very best success in their future endeavours," Ducrou concluded.
The statement notes she plans to "take a break from the hectic nature of working music… and plans to read a book from start to finish before embarking on the next step of her journey."
Ducrou will continue her roles as Chair of music body SoundNSW and Deputy Chair of the Australian Festivals Association.
Earlier this year, a new report into the music festival sector found more than one-third of Australian music festivals are losing money as they face skyrocketing operational costs and dwindling younger audiences.
The report, from arts investment and advisory body Creative Australia, found that only 56 per cent of music festivals in 2022–23 were profitable, and that young audiences are no longer the sector's primary market.