When it rains in Australia’s live music space, it falls.
After two years of confinement, cancellations and frustration, live music is approaching. The wheels are spinning at full speed, the pandemic now feels like that last year.
For developers, a new set of problems.
Too many good things, too few hands on the bomb and a change of mood where tickets are usually taken.
“The market is saturated for sure, we had two years of business flooding the market at once,” Frontier Touring chief operating officer Susan Heymann told The Brag’s Fear At The Top podcast.
Michael Chugg
The concert giant has identified a tour for November 2022, but cannot get availability of the venue, he continues. “Which means the market will be filled with content.”
The warmer months will be warmer than normal for the live industry. “There’s too much. I think everyone is trying to make up for two years of lost tours.”
Alanis Morissette’s 2022 tour of Australia and New Zealand seems to be a victim. On Wednesday (June 22nd), Live Nation announced that its 25th anniversary Jagged Little Pill tour would be canceled due to “scheduling issues and unprecedented logistical challenges of the 2022 world tours.”
Heymann and his colleague Michael Chugg, president of Chugg Entertainment, which operates a joint venture with Frontier Touring, remain optimistic about the prospects for their business and others working in live music.
It is optimism, with caution. There are unevenness on the road, the kind the rest of us don’t see.
The headache is with the crew, or the lack of it. “Locals can’t be safe enough, they can’t get food and drink vendors. You can’t have enough crew to load in and out,” Chugg points out.
“There are still some important tours to be announced early next year, but we’re looking at having to bring a stage from Atlanta to Australia, just to have enough stages. It’s a nightmare.”
Gathering road equipment is “very difficult,” he admits. “You book 80 people to load a show in and out and only 46 show up. Suddenly, you’re paying overtime for the locals to stay because the load, instead of taking two hours, takes six.”
Susan Heymann and Michael Chugg at The Brag Media in Sydney
After dealing with floods, forest fires and COVID-19, there is a whole new range of unknowns to address.
Never miss the industry news
Get the latest music news, stats, and updates right in your inbox. Learn more
JOIN
One is that bettors buy a ticket and don’t go to a show. Currently, according to Chugg, at least 10% of ticket holders do not show up.
When concert goers visit a stage and “line up beers for three-quarters of an hour, they’ll stop going.” There are a lot of problems with the staff. ”
The industry lost a lot of hands experienced during the health crisis, Heymann adds, and the coming months will be difficult for those who take risks that the shows produce.
Susan Heymann
“Behaviors have changed for whatever reason. Whether it’s financial pressures, the fear of getting sick, or just getting into the habit of being at home, they may be happy to have dinner instead of going out on a show, ”he explains.
“We are seeing a saturated market, two or three times more content, half the people willing to leave. It will take some time to recalibrate. “
Stream the full interview here.
Get unlimited access to the coverage that shapes our culture.
Subscribe to Rolling Stone magazine
Subscribe to Rolling Stone magazine