By JADE KENNEDY
The University of Canberra’s Stonefest is not keeping up with Canberra’s music industry, according to a festival director.
Stonefest has recently dropped the second day of its festival. Although Stonefest 2009 will still boast a string of notable acts including the Living End and Frenzal Rhomb, the forty-year-old festival’s future is looking uncertain.
The director of Lexington Music, Ryan Phillips, the co-creator of the Warehouse and Foreshore festivals, said the change in Stonefest’s schedule was not an indication of the music climate in Canberra at the moment.
“This is not a result of the music industry in Canberra slowing or going backwards, rather a result of the event not keeping up with the music industry in Canberra,” Phillips said. “Canberran patrons at gigs, festivals and events expect more now having been spoilt recently with great artists and unique shows.”
Phillips admits the only hindrance in the capital is its smaller population.
“Other capital cities in with larger populations work off larger budgets for events and can often outbid (for artists),” Phillips said.
But Phillips is adamant that festivals will continue to grow and artists will tour the capital as long as great events are planned and correctly managed in the future.
Blake Budak, Trackside festival ACT organiser and Canberra business entity, believes the local music industry is thriving. In an interview with ABC Canberra, Budak said, “Canberra, I think, use to have a good reputation as a place for bands to tour and then for a while maybe it fell away, but the live-scene I think is strong again and people are going out to see bands.”
In recent times Canberra has hosted a number of successful music outings including the National Folk Festival, Warehouse and Foreshore.
