After a report in Sunday’s The Age claimed that beloved Australian festival Big Day Out was in serious danger of folding after next year’s event, BDO CEO Adam Zammit has hit back at what he says are rumours drummed up by “bored journos”, claiming the festival is already making its plans for a 2015 follow-up.
Fairfax journo Peter Vincent‘s tweet plugging Age senior writer Chris Johnston‘s story regarding “the state of Australia’s music festival scene and the rumours swirling about the #BDO” has received a cheeky follow up from Zammit, who shot back that there were “almost but not quite as many rumours bout further redundancies 4 bored journos at Fairfax! @bigdayout already planning 2015!”
In a polite but loaded exchange, Zammit speculated that Johnston may have been “bored w- writing bout actual music &artists perhaps then? Or maybe Chris J got refused a special shiny pass @bigdayout once?” Vincent defended his colleague, saying the 24/7 news cycle prevents them from boredom and that Fairfax cover their share of “actual music and artists”. You can check out the full exchange below.
Johnston’s original story suggested that Big Day Out 2014 was facing a potential $10 million loss after being forced to cancel its planned second date in Sydney, quoting an “industry source” who said, “The Big Day Out faces a big hit this year. I can’t see it continuing.”
Noting that Big Day Out’s Sydney offices were up for sale and expected to go for a cool $5 million, the report also speculated that if the festival did fold it could become an Australian offshoot of successful US festival Lollapalooza, which is put on by Big Day Out co-owners C3.
For his part, new Big Day Out co-owner AJ Maddah rubbished the suggestions, stating, “If BDO was such a basket case, why would I, the single most sensible individual in this industry, get involved?… If these sources are to be believed, then we are all on death’s (sic) bed and a meteor is headed for [Michael] Gudinski’s office.”
Big Day Out 2014 is headlined by Pearl Jam, Arcade Fire and Snoop Dogg, and will make stops in Auckland, Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth. Full lineup details here.
Watch: Interview: Adam Zammit And Ken West Talk Big Day Out 2014 Lineup – Part 2
http://youtu.be/QyufdCB_3H8
@PeterVthatsme almost but not quite as many rumours bout further redundancies 4 bored journos at Fairfax! @bigdayout already planning 2015!
— Adam Zammit (@AdamZammit) October 21, 2013
@PeterVthatsme bored w- writing bout actual music &artists perhaps then? Or maybe Chris J got refused a special shiny pass @bigdayout once?
— Adam Zammit (@AdamZammit) October 21, 2013
