Festivals in the UK could be about to collapse (Picture: Anna Barclay/Getty Images)
As the UK’s biggest festival, Glastonbury, kicks off this week, industry heavyweights are concerned that festivals could ‘wither and die’.
We are all still feeling the crunch of the cost of living crisis, with people struggling to pay rent, bills, and basic essentials. Festivals are hardly top of the priority list.
Crushing financial strains from all sides could ultimately kill off festival season, despite the seeming abundance of them in the UK currently.
From the price of tickets deterring gig-goers to soaring costs for the artists to impossible margins for the festivals – everyone is concerned about the future of music.
Glastonbury artists and fellow festival organisers have revealed to Metro.co.uk how the cost of living crisis continues to impact the music industry.
‘I think probably this year at Glastonbury, you’re going to see less big production,’ predicted Kevin Baird of Two Door Cinema Club, who are performing at Glasto on Sunday.
Artists and organisers are concerned about the cost of living crisis (Picture: Anna Barclay/Getty Images)
‘I would say all those costs have gone up,’ he continued as he reminisced about the band’s early days in the 2010s.
‘When we first started playing the levels of production that people put in, in terms of lighting, video, pyrotechnics and all the rest were relatively low. That was cost-effective 15 years ago, but now, I think that pressure is still there.’
Glasto boss Emily Eavis has previously shared that the festival has to sell out just to break even, running at about £40million to put on.
In 2015, an organiser for other festivals declared it could cost £30,000 just on waste disposal while power alone could run up to £100,000 for a 10,000 capacity event.
When scaled up to Glastonbury’s 210,000, the costs become overwhelming, with Emily revealing profits sit at around £86,000.
Sziget Festival’s CEO Tamas Kadar shared: ‘Festivals around the world face challenges such as rising operational costs, in addition to environmental sustainability and maintaining audience engagement.’
Dua Lipa will headline Glastonbury this year (Picture: Harry Durrant/Getty Images)
Budapest’s Sziget Festival is seeing increased competition in the industry (Picture: Didier Messens/Getty Images)
‘Over the past decade, the industry has seen increased competition and higher expectations for unique experiences,’ her revealed.
Oversaturation of the market has become a real obstacle in keeping the live music industry afloat, according to Sziget’s CEO of Cultural Management.
Giles Napier, co-founder of London independent festivals Gala and Rally, agreed as he revealed: ‘I’ve lost count of how many festivals are cancelled for this summer.
‘It’s difficult, obviously, there’s the cost of living crisis but there’s been a huge explosion in the festival market. Now you’re seeing new festivals pop up every year.’
Giles, who has been running Gala for a decade, explained that this ‘boom’ doesn’t equate to longevity as ticket sales dry up and the cost of production hits within a year or two.
A study by the Association of Independent Festivals (AIF), a not-for-profit trade association, previously found …read more
Source:: Metro
