Our story

A festival promoter asked an agency for an emerging Australian indie artist's fee. Instead of a price, the agent replied, “What's your offer?”

The fee could land anywhere between $12,000 and $25,000. Offers of $14,000, $18,000 and finally $20,000 were all knocked back.

The promoter later spoke to the artist directly. They had never been told the enquiry existed — and would have said yes to $20,000 immediately.

The show never happened.

A regional promoter booked a national headliner for $100,000 and paid a 50% deposit on signing.

Flooding forced the festival to postpone. No alternative date could be found. Under the agreement, the $50,000 deposit was forfeited and the artist never played.

The audience missed out, the promoter wore the loss, and a relationship that started with real enthusiasm ended badly. The contract was followed to the letter and produced a result nobody wanted.

A regional event locked in a mid-level Australian artist months ahead. Shortly after, the artist released a breakout album and demand went vertical.

The promoter — already committed to marketing, ticketing and a printed line-up — was told the booking was no longer commercially attractive without a materially higher fee. The artist honoured the date, but only after revised terms.

An emerging artist was offered a regional festival slot below their usual metro headline rate. Under the old model, an easy no.

Instead the offer was weighed on total value: 3,000+ patrons, a nationally recognised line-up, professional production, accommodation, hospitality, real marketing, and a slot inside a three-date regional run that shared the travel.

They took it. The set won a new audience, moved merch, lifted streaming, picked up press and generated several follow-up enquiries.