AIF: Rising artist costs may lead to festivals closing down

Price of booking bands have increased even during the recession

17 June 2010

Ben Turner, co-founder of the organisation, has urged promoters to stop paying the big bands such large some otherwise festivals might suffer.

Speaking to BBC 6Music, Turner said: "Prices for talent increases and increases and increases every single year.

"I think it's something that agents, managers and artists need to be more aware of, that these festivals that they supposedly love, they need to show some support for that.

"There comes a point where a promoter has to go, 'Do you know what? I'm not going to pay that far'."

He also told the station that if organisers don’t help to control the costs of artists, festivals might close down as a consequence leaving fans with less choice.

But Live Nation man Andy Copping who is behind Download Festival, believes promoters have their hands tied.

Talking to Newsbeat, Copping said: "Big bands have to get paid and get paid big money because they're the ones that are pulling in the people.

"It's always been there and it's always going to be there. The younger bands, smaller bands, only pull a certain amount of people.

"The bigger bands pull a big amount of people and they need to be remunerated for that."

Unsurprisingly, artists are welcoming the higher pay cheques with Florence and The Machine, who will headline Latitude later this summer, telling 6Music: "Live I think is still where as an artist you can make decent money.

"There's a real upsurge in people wanting to see live bands at the moment and people wanting to go to festivals.

"So promoters are willing to pay for bands to come because there's a real demand for it, which is great." 

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