By JADE KENNEDY
Canberra is getting more film and music festivals, but artists are following the money, the arts community warns, so Canberra’s popularity may only be temporary.
Jared Wilkins, Managing Director of the National Folk Festival, said, “Performers will go where the money is.”
There had been an increase in Canberra music festivals over the past five years with the inclusion of Trackside, Foreshore, Corinbank and Winter Warehouse. These had attracted national and international acts.
“This has provided something for an audience that previously would need to travel interstate to see such an event,” Wilkins said.
“I’d say there is a greater economic impact on the industry thanks to the festivals, “but that may be the only real growth in the [local music] industry.”
Mark Bradley, program manager for Corinbank Festival, partly agrees.
“If an event promoter can offer the right money then performers will go just about anywhere,” he said.
Historically, Canberra had struggled to attract large performers due to its smaller population. The new festivals and their larger budgets have brought a new wave of artists to Canberra. Though, if the local industry isn’t succeeding as Wilkins suggested, then funding for such events may dry out.
“Musicians need to eat — and music is a very difficult industry to make a living from,” Bradley said. “Sso of course money is a factor when choosing gigs. It’s just not the only factor.”
Bradley believes other factors play a vital role for artists when they choose an event to play at. “We can’t offer huge wads of cash, but we can offer …a pretty amazing venue to play in, and an amazing crowd to play to.”
Lisa McClelland, BDW Special Events Management for the Canberra International Film Festival, said that there was no prize money offered from the festival, participants sought exposure of their films “to an audience that otherwise you would not be able to reach”.
Bradley said, “Musicians are musicians,and that means they mostly just want to play music.”
