By 3 News online staff
The success of the resurrected Auckland leg of the Big Day Out might not be enough to see it survive into 2015, with the Australian shows reportedly generating huge losses and infighting amongst the tour's owners and promoters.
Big Day Out owners are facing losses of between AU$8 and $15 million, reports the Sydney Morning Herald, amid rumours of inflated attendance records and contractors going unpaid.
One source told the paper the only show which had sold more than 30,000 tickets was Auckland, which crowds in Sydney, Melbourne and the Gold Coast barely half what they were in 2013.
The Auckland Big Day Out is run by Campbell Smith, who told 3 News of the story: "I know nothing about it, I can't comment on it."
The Australian shows are handled partly by controversial promoter AJ Maddah, who admits attendance is down, but higher than what the Herald was reporting.
He also denied reports that the relationship between his Australian team and the Texas-based owners of the Big Day Out franchise C3 had broken down, calling it "nonsense".
The Perth leg of the Big Day Out has already been canned.
If the rumoured losses do eventuate, a Big Day Out insider told the Herald C3 would probably "bankrupt the company, go back to America and forget about Australia" – potentially spelling the end of the two-decade-old tour.
Without an Australian leg, it would be difficult to put together a quality line-up for a future Auckland Big Day Out.
"It's a very, very expensive show to put together and you need a lot of people to come to make it work," Smith said following the successful Western Springs show which hosted more than 40,000 punters.
"This year it did, so we're definitely intending to be back next year and we've got a five-year consent and we want to be here for at least that long."
Costs for the 2014 Big Day Out may have been pushed higher following the exit of headliners Blur, who were replaced by not one but three high-profile acts: Beady Eye, the Hives and Deftones.
3 News
source: newshub archive
