As if this year couldn’t get worse for the music industry, Spilt Milk joins the long list of festivals being axed. Finn Stephens explores what this means for the industry.

Aussie regional festival Spilt Milk was cancelled last week in another seismic blow to the Australian music scene.

This latest cancellation adds to the already long list of Australian festivals that have been recently canned after Splendour in the Grass and Groovin in the Moo shut their doors to punters over the past 12 months.

Spilt Milk boasted a stellar 2023 lineup, bringing global superstars such as Post Malone, Dom Dolla and Aitch together in front of sold-out crowds in regional Australia.

Splendour in the Grass has always been a resounding success since its inception over 20 years ago.

So, what has changed this year and will Australian music fans ever see these festivals in their backyard again?

Dr Sam Whiting, a lecturer of Creative Industries at the University of South Australia, says there are a range of factors that are contributing to the downfall of the Aussie festival scene.

“On the supply side, operational costs have gone up, public liability insurance is through the roof and bringing the massive infrastructure needed to these regional towns is a tough task for organisers,” Dr Whiting said.

“On the demand side, people are waiting a lot longer to buy tickets and without that initial cash injection, organisers can’t secure the big acts and everything is falling through.”

It all paints a pretty grim picture of the future of festivals on Australian soil.

There have already been questions raised about the sustainability of the multi-genre festival, with crowds opting to attend more genre-specific festivals that are tailored towards artists of a similar taste.

This will make it tough for these big-name regional festivals to return to the stage in 2025, according to Dr Whiting.

“I don’t think it’s looking good for these festivals. Multi-national company Live Nation bought a majority stake in Splendour and I don’t believe they care about cultivating Australian audiences and acts. They want to see a short-term return on their investment and at the moment I just can’t see that happening anytime soon,” Dr Whiting said.

It looks like this latest cancellation might just be another tough pill for Australian music fans to swallow and quite possibly not the last.

Feature image by Finn Stephens