00:00Splendour, Falls, Groove in the Moo and now Blues Fest, all among a wave of high-profile
00:10and long-running Australian festivals faltering or failing completely.
00:14Well, it's always going to be about the money.
00:17Our biggest problems we face trying to mount anything major is the cost of travelling,
00:24the cost of insurance, all those sort of things which have gone through the roof since
00:30COVID.
00:31The industry is going through a bit of a cultural change.
00:34It's almost like the perfect storm at the moment.
00:36Facing pressures on all fronts.
00:39Ticket sales are down as the cost of living bites, but insurance costs are up.
00:45And that can directly be linked to extreme weather events and climate situation.
00:50As these extreme weather events get more frequent and more severe, we're not going
00:55to be able to make these shows happen.
00:57Everyone in the industry is looking for the way forward at events like the Regional and
01:02Remote Music Summit in Darwin this month.
01:05Back in the 60s and 70s, we used to play a lot of regional events and shows.
01:10There's not that many of them anymore.
01:12Many in the business say that needs to change.
01:15And the NT specifically, you've got these crazy high prices for flights and accommodation
01:20and costs.
01:21So that just adds to artists aren't able to tour here.
01:26There's one festival that appears to be holding strong.
01:30Darwin's Bass in the Grass event held every dry season, thanks in large part due to government
01:35funding.
01:37With $9 million in federal grants now on offer across the country, it's a lifeline many venues
01:43and events are counting on.
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