‘Cheap tickets for a select group of Aussies won’t fix this country’s festival problem’

Opinion: Australia has had a festival problem for years, and many music lovers have watched in horror as their favourite annual events cancel and collapse under the weight of rising operating costs and low ticket sales.

But cheaper tickets won’t fix it, especially when they’re only being offered to a limited number of Aussies in a very specific age bracket.

Field Day is attempting to win over Gen Z festival-goers by running a ballot in which 18 to 25-year-olds can win the chance to pay $99 for a ticket (plus fees, of course) instead of the standard $159.90 ticket price.

The cheaper tickets will make up about 20 per cent of the Sydney festival’s total capacity, according to reports.

At first glance, it seems like a clever ploy to get disengaged Gen Zs with limited disposable income to buy back into the festival industry, and that’s definitely how organisers wanted the ballot to come across.

“Fuzzy is setting aside $99.90 plus fees tickets for 18-25 year olds who lost their formative years to Covid – the gigs, festivals and messy nights out that are a part of growing up – to get a new generation back in the field where they belong,” the 2027 lineup announcement read.

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Somehow, I don’t think the 18-25 age range will go over well with loyal festival-goers who have been buying tickets year after year, even while struggling with the cost of living crisis.

At 30, I’m not eligible to even try for a discounted ticket, even though I have many more financial responsibilities than my 19-year-old sister, who can bid for one.

Instead, I and everyone else over the age of 25, have to hand over the full $159.90 (plus fees – don’t forget the fees), as do any 18 to 25-year-olds who miss out on a discounted ticket in the ballot.

I suspect that may breed a bit of resentment among festival-goers, especially those who would be able to afford a $99.90 ticket but don’t even have the chance to try for one.

If Field Day want to draw crowds in with discounted tickets, the ballot should be open to all attendees, rather than only a select group of young Aussies.

That would give everyone a chance to get into the live music scene and encourage more people to take part in the hopes they snag a cheaper ticket.

It might even help raise morale among Aussie music-lovers who are sick of seeing their favourite festivals shut down and being forced to pay out the nose for individual artists’ concerts.

But giving away a fifth of your tickets at a 35 per cent discount probably won’t help Field Day keep up with the myriad challenges festivals are facing right now.

It’s more expensive than ever to run a festival between the rising costs of transport, fuel, energy, and insurance, and a significant dip in consumer spending.

Aussies also aren’t as willing to spend hundreds of dollars to see a mix of artists at a festival when they could save for a solo headline concert instead.

RMIT music industry lecturer Ben Green previously told nine.com.au the old mixed-genre festival model isn’t what it used to be.

“That big ‘something for everyone’ festival hasn’t been doing so well in recent years, compared to the festivals that have a specific culture or identity,” he said.

“Festivals where they’re not just presenting a list of artists, there’s a culture associated with them, they’re the ones that we’ve seen doing well.”