Music
Festival promoters including Bluesfest’s Peter Noble have followed the aggressive contract practices used by entertainment companies like Live Nation, shifting financial risk onto musicians.
The collapse of the Byron Bay Bluesfest has laid bare the frailty of the Australian live music industry, with the business model pushed by US entertainment company Live Nation leaving many musicians chasing unpaid invoices.
Following Bluesfest’s cancellation, proprietor Peter Noble owes $10.62 million in debts to creditors — and reporting at the weekend suggests that figure will rise. However, these debts do not include any payments to artists booked for the festival, due to them being contracted by a separate company of Noble’s, which remains solvent.