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“What would usually happen is the sporting bodies ... would be approaching the major concert promoters, such as Frontier Touring, TEG Dainty, Live Nation, to explore what A-list talent they can access and then try and match them up with their event.”
Katos says there is a sense of one-upmanship between the sporting codes, but ultimately the conversations and relationships get deals done.
Meat Loaf’s infamous 2011 AFL grand final performance. Credit: Mark Dadswell
He says artists performing at these events – which attract large numbers of viewers in person and on TV and social media – are often planning to tour Australia and use appearances to promote themselves. Robbie Williams toured Australia a year after performing at the AFL grand final, KISS did the grand final then a Sydney show, while Katy Perry is returning in June for an Australian tour.
Her performance at last month’s AFL grand final reached more than 6 million people, with an average TV audience of over 4 million. The NRL grand final reached 5.3 million and averaged 3.4 million. Both events prominently featured performers pre-game.
Melbourne Cup day last year reached 2.37 million and the aggregate for the two weeks of the Australian Open was 12 million. Entertainment for these isn’t televised to the extent that it is as part of the AFL and NRL.
Artists get a guaranteed payday for performing, with minimal overheads and risk.
Victoria University event management expert Michael Linley said locking in talent was competitive.
Taylor Swift, pictured here at the MCG this year, cancelled a performance at the Melbourne Cup in 2019. Credit: Jason South
“There’s going to be an arms race to secure the … right artists for your event,” Linley said.
This includes writing exclusion clauses into contracts and paying a premium to prevent stars from performing elsewhere. It’s a practice used by state governments – Victoria snared Billy Joel for a Melbourne-only appearance in 2022 and WA signed Coldplay exclusively late last year.
Linley says events with the biggest reach and deepest pockets generally secured the best performers.
Cup day crowds also do a good job entertaining themselves.Credit: Chris Hopkins
There are risks, though, for both artist and event. Taylor Swift pulled out of playing at the Melbourne Cup in 2019, citing a scheduling clash, but there had been online pressure from animal rights activists.
In 2020, Robbie Williams was set to perform at the Australian Grand Prix, but the event was cancelled at the 11th hour at the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. In August, the promoters of Williams’ concert, World Touring Melbourne, were awarded $2.8 million, having sued the GP organisers over the cancellation.
Last month, Tennis Australia announced its line-up for AO LIVE, a music festival held during the tournament, featuring Kesha, Benson Boone and Kaytranada.
A spokesperson for Tennis Australia told this masthead that securing acts was a long process that took many months and many artists were considered. The announcement of the line-up then went viral with TikTok users, they said.
“That audience represents a new generation of potential fans, who we’re confident will come to love the AO and tennis more broadly.”
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