Splendour sells 15K less tickets: Cost of living or larger issues? | Music News

The organisers behind one of Australia's largest music festivals say lessons have been learnt after last year's disastrous event, but hip pocket pressures are hitting ticket sales.

Ten years ago, demand for Splendour in the Grass tickets was so high, the three-day festival sold out within an hour of going on sale. It was also the first time festival organisers had to contend with ticket scalping

But on the eve of the festival's 2023 iteration, the Byron Bay event hasn't captured the attention of punters, and has failed to sell out for the first time since 2011.

Splendour is going into this year's festival seeking to rehabilitate from last year's troubles following two years of cancellations due to COVID.

Last year’s event:

Days before the event was about to start, new laws were put into play meaning under-18 attendees were required to be accompanied by an adult at all times, with police promising to enforce the new rule.

The first day, featuring headliners Gorillaz, was cancelled because of poor weather. The increased patronage of 50,000 meant some people were waiting upward of 12 hours for busses.

After the event, a man who attended the festival died from meningococcal.

The trouble didn’t stop there. The parent company, Secret Sounds, was forced to pay $100,000 for failing to comply with its traffic management plan at the 2022 event.

The experience left revellers with mixed responses, reconciled by full and partial refunds for the day-one cancellation.

Splendour in the Grass co-producer/co-founder Jessica Ducrou says sales were down from 50,000 tickets to 35,000.

"I think it is a reflection of the current economy," she said.

"We are seeing a lot of people buying single-day tickets rather than three days and that is very much a reflection on the budget."

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Homebrewed is a radio program and podcast dedicated to supporting the Australian Music Industry. Cameron Smith and Eamonn Snow have been presenting Homebrewed since November 2017 and have received excellence awards and the admiration of local bands for their presentation of Homebrewed and their continued support of the Australian music scene. This podcast is designed so you can enjoy conversations with musicians, industry representatives and music media personalities.

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