Harry Badcock and Charlotte Grey celebrated a year of being hitched a little unconventionally with their very own live music event, "Anniversary Festival".

Headlined by folk, rock and blues singer Kim Churchill on a ground-level stage with DIY sound engineering, they put on a show for a crowd of 120 family and friends.

Four years on, they are on a mission to continue bringing live music to regional Tasmania.

"The north-west coast, we're hungry for it, right?," Mr Badcock said.

"We went and watched gigs as kids and we grew up in that atmosphere, and we really want to provide that to families," Ms Grey said.

In January the couple will once again bring the now renamed Good Gumnuts Festival to Burnie, headlined by Hockey Dad and San Cisco, along with other Australian names including Josh Pyke, Alex Lahey and Jack River.

But throwing a festival at a time when some of the nation's biggest events have fallen over is a gamble, especially as it expands from a humble crowd of 600 to up to 1,200.

This year, Splendour in the Grass and Groovin the Moo have pulled the pin, and Byron Bay Bluesfest announced 2025 would be its last.

In north-west Tasmania at Forth — a tiny town that has become something of a live music hub — the Forth Valley Blues Festival has cancelled its 2025 event, and the town's Bridge Hotel has decided not to proceed with the Forth Pub 152 festival.

"We're pretty nervous," Mr Badcock said.

"If we said we weren't checking ticket sales every couple of hours, we'd be lying … but we're confident that, you know, the north-west coast and broader Tasmania will back us."

In the midst of a cost-of-living crisis, the couple has tried to keep ticket prices modest to attract sales, which means slim margins.

But they believe they can pull it off by focusing on delivering a smaller, boutique weekend to their demographic of over-30s.

"People want experiences now, they don't just want to see the biggest headliner in the world," Harry said.

Costs are up, but demand for music remains

Devonport-based Jimmy Foster is an old hand in the live music industry.

He's the tour manager for PNAU and Pete Murray, and production manager for Empire of the Sun.

He said putting on live music was harder than ever.

"Insurances are up, security is up, production is up, the cost of the band themselves [is] up, and the ticket price is up, the grog's up — everything is more expensive," he said.

At the same time, he said audiences were seeking stunning production, which big international acts like Taylor Swift were delivering.

"Unless you've got a massive LED wall at the back of your stage, and pyrotechnic and a light show to rival Hong Kong city lights … the kids aren't getting value for money," he said.

Like Mr Badcock and Ms Grey, Mr Foster believes there is a future for more "exclusive", intimate and unique experiences.

He said Tasmania was well positioned to lean into its beautiful "aesthetics and surrounds", pointing to the quick-to-sell-out Panama Festival in the state's north-east, which has been running for a decade.

Inquiry probes industry's future

A federal parliamentary committee is inquiring into the challenges and opportunities within Australia's live music industry.

The committee's chair, Tasmanian Labor MP Brian Mitchell, said the inquiry had heard culture was shifting, particularly among young people, who were going out less often after COVID lockdowns.

Mr Mitchell said the decades long "inextricable link" between "grog and live music" was also fraying, weakening bar sales and profitability for venues.

"If live music dies out then suddenly music just becomes this sort of canned commercial product that loses its cultural base and [becomes] increasingly imported.

"We lose the space for Australian artists to emerge, and we want to avoid that."

The committee wants to hear more from the insurance industry, as well as the country's three major ticketing companies.

It is also looking at potential solutions. One idea being considered is a ticket levy, where a dollar or two is made off big international acts and distributed to small venues that support grassroots live music.

For Mr Badcock and Ms Grey, there is pride in forging ahead and trying to buck the trend.

"It's all on us," Ms Grey said.