Trade mark registered: Sponsorship within the Australian Indie music festival scene

Abstract

The present article investigates the impacts of branding and commercialization on the Australian indie music festival scene through an in-depth examination of the use of corporate sponsors. In particular, it investigates the ‘experience enhancement’ techniques used by sponsors and festival organizers of the Big Day Out and Falls festival. It will explore the festival goers' views on the commercialization of the contemporary festival space and the discursive strategies they use to negotiate this scene. It is further argued that the commercialization of the festival scene ultimately impacts on the meanings created by the festival goers.

Notes

1. Lollapalooza is a touring music festival conceived by Jane's Addiction lead singer Perry Farrell in the summer of 1991.

2. ‘Firies’ is an Australian slang term for fire fighter.

3. Coincidently, PlayStation are a major sponsor of the Big Day Out tour.

4. Rumba was a pop music festival that toured Australia in 2001 and 2002 featuring acts like Pink, Shaggy, Craig David and Bon Jovi.

5. Peer Group Marketing holds the commercial rights to the Big Day Out.

6. The Binyabutt program supplies Splendour in the Grass festival goers with a free pocket-size ashtray made from recycled film canisters (Splendour in the Grass 2004).