Music and arts festivals around the world are collapsing and being cancelled, and it is no different in Tasmania, largely due to rising costs. But a couple - whose fledgling festival in the state's north-west started out as their first wedding anniversary celebration - are positive about its future.
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00:00Music is a huge part of Harry Badcock and Charlotte Gray's lives.
00:10From their kitchen table in Tasmania's North West, the couple is planning their third music
00:15festival, which will be held at the Burney AgriPlex in January.
00:19We love music and we've got a young family so we wanted to create something that's safe
00:25and all ages.
00:27Throughout Australia, it's harder than ever to successfully stage music festivals.
00:32Multiple big events have been cancelled in recent years, including in Tasmania.
00:37Still, Harry and Charlotte are confident they know what will entice an audience.
00:42Our demographic now, we've got the data and most of our ticket sales are for people over
00:4530.
00:46So we're not trying to pigeonhole that, but think about the families, what do they want.
00:51The rising cost of living is making it harder to attract people to live music events.
00:56While staging them is getting more expensive.
00:59Insurances are up, security's up, production's up, the cost of the band themselves are up.
01:06Burney singer Jacqueline Ward wants kids to be taught to value live music from a young
01:11age.
01:12If we really want to build up the music industry in Australia and the performing arts industry,
01:18then it needs to happen in education.
01:20A federal government inquiry is now examining the recent rash of festival cancellations
01:25and venue closures, with the aim of finding ways to keep live music a valued and accessible
01:30part of Australian culture.
01:33Harry and Charlotte want regional Tasmania to be a part of that.
01:37We're pretty nervous, but we're confident that the northwest coast and broader Tasmania
01:41will back us.