The future of Big Day Out 2015 is looking unlikely with the departure of director AJ Maddah from the executive structure and shareholding.
Maddah, founder of Soundwave and recent attachment to Big Day Out, has been confirmed to have disposed of his shareholding is Australia’s prestigious music festival.
UPDATE: Its official BIG DAY OUT dumped for 2015
Peter Vincent of the Sydney Morning Herald revealed that Maddah sold his share of the Big Day Out festival to US partner company C3 Presents of Austin, Texas. C3 owns Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits and has updated its Wikipedia page to include producer of the Big Day Out.
The rumblings of the absence of Big Day Out 2015 have amplified with Vincent’s investigation confirming that venues for the two biggest markets Sydney and Melbourne have not been locked in for next year.
Big Day Out took a hit with poor ticket sales for 2014 generating losses reported up to $7 million this year despite Pearl Jam headlining the event.
Pearl Jam pulled a bigger crowd in Melbourne on their previous tour than the Big Day Out festival grabbed this year.
Big Day Out started to wobble with the departure of founder Vivian Lees in November 2011. Co-founder Ken West brought in C3 as his new partner but by 2013 the event was having problems. Auckland was cancelled that year.
After announcing two events for Sydney for 2014 the second date was also cancelled due to poor ticket sales.
Big Day Out also suffered poor sales in Perth this year leading Maddah to announce that the festival would not take place in Perth in 2015.
It now looks like it Big Day Out will be cancelled everywhere.
Lees and West started Big Day Out in 1992. The first year in Sydney only was headlined by Violent Femmes with Nirvana under them on the bill.
Iggy Pop and Sonic Youth headlined 1993 as the event went national.
Headliner acts since were:
1994 – Soundgarden
1995 – Ministry
1996 – Porno For Pyros
1997 – Soundgarden
no Big Day Out in 1998
1999 – Hole
2000 – Red Hot Chili Peppers
2001 – Limp Bizkit (cancelled after death of crowd member in Sydney)
2002 – The Prodigy
2003 – Foo Fighters
2004 – Metallica
2005 – Beastie Boys
2006 – The White Stripes
2007 – Tool
2008 – Rage Against The Machine
2009 – Neil Young
2010 – Muse
2011 – Tool
2012 – Kanye West
2013 – Red Hot Chili Peppers
2014 – Pearl Jam
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