Jayden Bath has put on a three-day music festival in regional Victoria every year for the past seven years.
In all of that time, he's never made a cent.
For Mr Bath, that's just the cruel economic reality of trying to host a music festival amid a cost of living crisis.
And it's not getting any easier.
"Running a festival is a pretty crazy thing to do," he said.
Mr Bath is the brains behind the Loch Hart Festival, a three-day music festival hosted in Princetown each January, a stone's throw from the Great Ocean Road.
To keep his festival dream alive, Mr Bath has opened an early subscription service for next year's show called the "Loched-In Club".
Patrons pay a $50 deposit to secure their ticket for next year's festival, giving Mr Bath a level of certainty when it comes to ticket sales.
"Festivals need early buy-in from attendees," he said.
"We cannot risk running without that.
"That's why Splendour In The Grass and Groovin The Moo cancelled within one week of going on sale — they didn't get the early buy-in."
The $50 deposit Mr Bath's team collects is taken off the final ticket price come January next year.
There are also additional goodies like merchandise and an exclusive pre-festival party for those who pledge to attend early.
"The current model needs to change for festivals to survive," he said.
Mr Bath has subsidised his festival through work as a full-time lawyer and the occasional personal loan.
For now, not forever
Paul Dempsey has played his fair share of festivals; few bigger in Australia than the Big Day Out and Splendour In The Grass, including the Byron Bay festival's inaugural show in 2001.
The Something For Kate frontman was quick to stress this isn't the death knell of festivals; rather just a 12-month pause, for Splendour In The Grass at least.
"I don't doubt they'll be back again next year, and in the years to come, we all hope," Dempsey told ABC Victorian Mornings.
Dempsey said a global pandemic and cost-of-living crisis was impacting the way music-lovers approached things like festivals.
He said the cancellation of Splendour In The Grass illustrated that nothing was too big to fail.
"We've all seen the government step in to bail out various other sectors that have been struggling since the pandemic," he said.
"I'm speculating a bit here but that's one of the big reasons why major festivals right around the country have had to cancel their events this year."
Dempsey rejected the idea a cultural shift away from festivals was occurring, instead pointing to increasing demands on fans' attention and wallets.
"I've got great faith in young Australian artists, but it's hard; the pandemic has only made things harder," he said.
"With cost of living, it's hard to get people out to a show when there's so many other things they could sit at home and look at."
Where to from here?
The Australian Festivals Association isn't giving up the ghost.
The association's managing director, Mitch Wilson, was also quick to point out "unique economic circumstances and challenges".
"People aren't buying tickets like they used to because of the cost of living pressures we're all facing," they told ABC Victorian Mornings.
Wilson said it was time for the government to step in and help secure the future of Australia's festival scene.
"We're really asking for a partner in the government to help us through the next two seasons to work out where these challenges are going to land," they said.
New South Wales Premier Chris Minns said the government offered a lifeline to Splendour In The Grass organisers.
"Unfortunately what was discussed, or effectively offered, by the government wasn't accepted by the organisers, which is a real shame because it's an institution," Mr Minns said.
"I can promise you that the [Arts] Minister John Graham did make contact, did try to save the festival, but what we were offering obviously wasn't enough."
The New South Wales government says it'll review regulations for music festivals to help support the struggling sector
For Jayden Bath, the path is clear.
He's doing whatever he can to ensure the Loch Hart festival continues and becomes a musical legacy for the region.
The pre-purchase offer he's running is capped and already around 50 per cent sold — including one buyer who could not make the festival, but just wanted to donate to the cause.
"That was super humbling," Mr Bath said.
There was something about the generosity of spirit from a stranger that gave Mr Bath a boost.
He said there was not stopping Loch Hart Festival 2025.
"I'm confident that it's going to happen," he said.
https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMia2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmFiYy5uZXQuYXUvbmV3cy8yMDI0LTAzLTI5L3N1YnNjcmlwdGlvbi1zYXZlLW11c2ljLWZlc3RpdmFsLWNhbmNlbGxhdGlvbi10aWNrZXQtc2FsZXMvMTAzNjQzNzUw0gEoaHR0cHM6Ly9hbXAuYWJjLm5ldC5hdS9hcnRpY2xlLzEwMzY0Mzc1MA?oc=5
2024-03-28 21:00:00Z
CBMia2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmFiYy5uZXQuYXUvbmV3cy8yMDI0LTAzLTI5L3N1YnNjcmlwdGlvbi1zYXZlLW11c2ljLWZlc3RpdmFsLWNhbmNlbGxhdGlvbi10aWNrZXQtc2FsZXMvMTAzNjQzNzUw0gEoaHR0cHM6Ly9hbXAuYWJjLm5ldC5hdS9hcnRpY2xlLzEwMzY0Mzc1MA
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