Music festivals in NSW are being offered a lifeline as the state government scrambles to save the industry from extinction, but the director of Bluesfest says it may not be enough.
The state government is offering music festivals two years of emergency funding assistance, including an initial $3 million.
It also plans to make changes to the Music Festivals Act, designed to improve the regulatory framework for such events.
Bluesfest founder Peter Noble has previously said 2025 could be the last Bluesfest event. (Supplied: Bluesfest)
However, Peter Noble, the director of Bluesfest — which is set to hold its last event in 2025 — was skeptical about how helpful the government's lifeline would be, for an industry he said was facing an "extinction event".
"The music industry is on its knees, I say thank you to anything for our industry, but that's not the sort of investment we need," he said.
One amendment to the Music Festivals Act will see organisers given the right to appeal costs or conditions that put their festival under extreme financial pressure, similar to a policy that exists in Victoria.
Mr Noble said the government could expect a long list of appeals.
"I would put it to you that every single festival in NSW's economic viability is under threat, so they better have a pretty big appeals board," he said.
The Bluesfest boss said the cost of policing festivals was another concern.
"It doesn't really address the fact that police are charging exorbitant fees for their presence," he said.
Byron Bay's Falls Festival was cancelled this year. (ABC NSW: Samantha Turnbull)
'High-profile' festival casualties
Other long-established music festivals like Splendour in the Grass and Falls Festival have already folded.
The 22nd Splendour in the Grass festival was scheduled to take place in July 2024, but was cancelled due to what organisers called "unexpected events".
NSW Minister for Music and the Night-time Economy John Graham said he wanted make the state a place where live music could thrive again.
"We've seen some high-profile casualties of the pressure on festivals," he said,
"At the moment, Bluesfest is having its final edition, Splendour in the Grass, [is] stopping for now, [and] we've lost a number of others as well.
"I hope they're back, but we're determined not to lose more than we've lost already."
But Greens MP Cate Faehrmann is concerned the assistance on offer won't help smaller festivals.
"I don't think the [reform] bill, when we do see it, is enough to save a lot of music festivals," she said.
"The package is to go to bigger festivals — I know there are a lot of smaller festivals that are really struggling and this announcement won't do anything to help them."
Organisers say the cost of policing at festivals is too high. (ABC News: Bronwyn Herbert)
Police costs 'excessive' in NSW
The Australian Festival Association echoed Mr Noble's comments about high police costs.
"We see the same festivals across other states have significantly fewer police numbers than in NSW, leading to excessive costs [for events in NSW]," managing director Mitch Wilson said.
"There still needs to be a conversation about reducing the numbers of police at festivals because it's the number of police which drives up the cost," they said.
But they said there was no doubt the industry would celebrate the news of more support.
"The … emergency grant for larger festivals over the next two years is a crucial step in safeguarding the future of NSW's music festival sector," they said.
The crowds of Splendour in the Grass are a thing of the past. (Supplied: Gabrielle Clement)
Which events will be funded?
Money will be available to existing contemporary music festivals with a proven track record, with a capacity of more than 15,000.
Part of the changes to Music Festival Act will include recommendations from a review of the act by Liquor and Gaming NSW and other government agencies.
A key recommendation was that festivals complete a health and medical safety plan, that will now extend to all festivals.
Under the changes, police will still be able to recommend conditions relating to safety or law enforcement.