Big Day Out promoter Ken West has this morning announced that he will be entering a ‘creative partnership’ with C3 Presents, the brains behind Lollapalooza and Austin City Limits Music Festival.
The news comes after the 20-year partnership between Big Day Out promoters Vivian Lees and Ken West came to an abrupt end in November after Lees bowed out from the festival after the huge backlash from the public after they released their 2012 lineup.
At the time Lees said “My decision is principally to ease the workload on myself and I believe this will also allow me to increase my commitment to my family and interests outside of Big Day Out”.
But in December West told a different story telling the New Zealand Herald “My business partner decided after it went on sale — he looked at all the figures and decided that he didn’t want to do it ever again. It was over. I was prepared to wear whatever losses might be involved this year to get through, [Lees] wasn’t. So I ended up with twice the amount of losses to get through.”
According to The Music Network, the new partnership with C3 was conceived so that Big Day Out could establish greater artist buying power and look at expansion of both the Big Day Out and Lollapalooza brands. The new partnership will also create many opportunities for Australian and international artists to play across the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.
Lollapalooza and Austin City Limits each draw over 200,000 people annually and C3 are looking to expand the Lollapalooza brand internationally. Recently they took the festival to Latin America and the partnership with Big Day Out may indicate they have their eyes on the Australian market.
C3 also run a division that books and promotes in excess of 1,000 concerts across the United States.
Ken West said of the new partnership “I could not have found more creatively sympathetic, commercially dynamic and like-minded partners than the guys at C3. We remain a locally passionate music business but can revel and excel in what this new global relationship and its combined wealth of knowledge and experience can bring for Australian audiences and Australian and international artists.”
C3 Presents Partner, Charlie Walker is also optimistic saying “C3 is thrilled to be entering this creative partnership with Big Day Out and are honored to become a part of the outstanding 20 year legacy that the festival has created.”
Big Day Out 2012 kicks off in the Gold Coast on 22nd January and features a lineup that includes Kanye West, Soundgarden, Kasabian, and more.
