Bye Bye Big Day Out?

As expected, the 2012 Big Day Out will be the last outing in Auckland. It is no longer a financially viable event for the promoters.

And that doesn’t come as a surprise. It has been something of a perfect storm that has led us to here with two key trends.

First is the way the music industry makes money these days. When the event first came to these shores, tours were a way for bands to promote their music so promoters could generally secure their services for a low(er) fee. But now there is no longer money to be made in albums - the cash is in tours. So as you’d expect, bands are asking for more dollars to play the BDO.

The second is the availability of venues. The introduction of Vector Arena to the Auckland landscape has meant that the big stage shows that were once the sole territory of the BDO have become commonplace. And NZ fans have come to realise that what you get at the BDO is generally a watered-down (and shortened) version of a bands performance. For a bit of extra work on their part, bands can make a lot more money and give their fans a more complete experience.

I’ll miss spending most of my time in the Lily Pad - discovering all sorts of weird and wonderful acts. And now the inevitable question remains. What will fill the void? No doubt side shows to the Australian tour (which will still go ahead) will become a common occurrence but I half expect a new entity to appear to take advantage of the January gig window.