tag:theconversation.com,2011:/ca/topics/music-festivals-1995/articlesMusic festivals – The Conversation2024-03-18T13:44:32Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2259302024-03-18T13:44:32Z2024-03-18T13:44:32ZGlastonbury’s first K-pop group is a reflection of years of Korean government strategy<p>The 13-member K-pop boy band SEVENTEEN will make history this year as they become the first Korean group on the Glastonbury music festival lineup. While top Korean groups such as <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/us/bst-hyde-park-2023-when-will-blackpink-perform-on-stage-date-time-tickets/articleshow/101417692.cms?from=mdr">Blackpink</a> and <a href="https://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20190602000198">BTS</a> have performed in the UK before, this will be the first time the K-pop genre has featured at the world famous festival, which is held on Worthy Farm in Somerset. </p>
<p>The booking marks a major milestone in the <a href="https://www.routledge.com/South-Korean-Popular-Culture-in-the-Global-Context-Beyond-the-Fandom/Lim/p/book/9781032233710">decades-long ambition</a> of Korean creative industries to find success in the global entertainment market.</p>
<p>K-pop has reached new international heights over the past decade. Girl group Blackpink broke new ground this year when they joined <a href="https://www.nme.com/news/music/blackpink-join-spotify-billions-club-how-you-like-that-3600941">Spotify’s “Billions Club”</a> with their 2020 single How You Like That (2020), marking over one billion streams. The most famous K-pop band, BTS, are also “Billions Club” members, thanks to their songs Dynamite (2020) and Butter (2022).</p>
<p>The global success of K-Pop is the result of a clever cultural marketing strategy <a href="https://www-tandfonline-com.sheffield.idm.oclc.org/doi/full/10.1080/10286632.2018.1557646">deployed by the Korean government</a> in collaboration with the creative industries. This strategy has dovetailed with advances in the ease of access to cultural content via streaming services and social media, resulting in a <a href="https://www.investkorea.org/ik-en/cntnts/i-326/web.do">global fan base</a> in the hundreds of millions. </p>
<h2>The history of K-pop’s success</h2>
<p>It all began with the Korean government’s recognition of the <a href="https://www-tandfonline-com.sheffield.idm.oclc.org/doi/full/10.1080/10286632.2013.829052">economic potential</a> of creative content in the 1990s. South Korea was looking for ways to recover from the ravages of the 1997 Asian financial crisis. </p>
<p>Even as International Monetary Fund-imposed deregulation and liberalisation of the economy was rolled out in the 2000s, <a href="https://www-tandfonline-com.sheffield.idm.oclc.org/doi/full/10.1080/10286632.2018.1429422">the government supported</a> the film, television and music industries by maintaining a firm hand in the sector’s growth and export development. This included financial incentives for production companies and infrastructure development such as investment in high speed internet access across the country to support content production and consumption. </p>
<p>The strategy worked. The popularity of a steady stream of Korean television dramas <a href="https://martinroll.com/resources/articles/asia/korean-wave-hallyu-the-rise-of-koreas-cultural-economy-pop-culture/">began to grow in Japan and China</a>. The Korean government then invested further in infrastructure to grow the industry and take Korean content beyond the region. Today, <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/60-netflix-users-watched-korean-title-streaming-service-ceo-says-rcna91180">60% of all Netflix subscribers</a> have watched Korean content on the platform.</p>
<p>The success of Korean popular culture is felt across <a href="https://keia.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/KEI_Koreas-Economy_2021_211019_Parc_2.pdf">other areas of the economy too</a>. K-pop and screen stars have struck brand deals with Korean companies, advertising items such as cosmetics, washing machines and smart phones to global audiences.</p>
<p>Korea’s cultural content market is now one of the <a href="https://www.investkorea.org/ik-en/bbs/i-308/detail.do?ntt_sn=490776">largest in the world</a> at around US$80 billion (£63 billion) in 2024, not far behind France and the UK. Its continuing growth is backed by a <a href="https://www.investkorea.org/ik-en/cntnts/i-326/web.do">multi-pronged policy</a> of financial investment, tax breaks and institutional support both in-country and via Korean culture centres in overseas cities. The government also provides financial incentives for cooperation between production companies and conglomerates such as LG and Samsung, which benefit from the success of Korean popular culture abroad.</p>
<p>The success of popular culture also lends itself to Korea’s public diplomacy. A concerted nation branding strategy implemented in the late 2000s and 2010s by the administration of <a href="https://www.ft.com/stream/100823f6-f80c-3991-9974-f56583650114">Lee Myung-Bak</a> administration aimed to push South Korea up the various nation branding indexes. Lee acknowledged the role that <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10357823.2018.1509299">soft power could play</a> in securing Korea’s position as a state with moderate global influence. </p>
<p>Since that time, K-Pop stars have come to play a role in Korea’s public diplomacy at forums <a href="https://theconversation.com/bts-take-a-break-worlds-biggest-k-pop-group-is-caught-between-koreas-soft-power-ambitions-and-national-security-185433">including the UN</a> and <a href="https://www.britishcouncil.org/climate-connection/be-inspired/blackpink-climate-action-cop26">COP26</a>.</p>
<h2>No ordinary K-Pop band?</h2>
<p>This is not to say that SEVENTEEN are mere cogs in a larger machine of Korean cultural content production and export. Unlike many other pop groups in their peer group, the members produce <a href="https://time.com/5868040/seventeen-k-pop-everything-to-know/">much of their own work</a>, writing songs and raps and choreographing dance routines.</p>
<p>Unusually, SEVENTEEN is <a href="https://time.com/5868040/seventeen-k-pop-everything-to-know/">made up of a number of sub-groups</a>. At times, these sub-groups record separately in order to showcase their respective skills across rap, dance and singing. As is typical of Korean cultural content, the band aims to create multiple moments of connection with audiences. </p>
<p>One example is the band’s reality TV series, <a href="https://time.com/5868040/seventeen-k-pop-everything-to-know/">Going SEVENTEEN</a>, which is a mixture of games, challenges and behind the scenes clips, released weekly on YouTube and V Live, a Korean live streaming app for celebrity content.</p>
<p>As is also common in K-Pop bands, SEVENTEEN’s <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-66541773">membership</a> is made up of people from different countries including China and the US. This helps them <a href="https://www-sciencedirect-com.sheffield.idm.oclc.org/science/article/pii/S1568484922000314">connect with foreign fans</a> and ensures there is always a member able to handle international media appearances in languages other than Korean.</p>
<p>UK-based fans will be thrilled their idols are making an appearance at Glastonbury, hopefully paving the way for more K-pop at international festivals in the future. It also perhaps shows that the festival industry is responding to the increasingly global music tastes of festival-goers, bringing new acts and genres onto their stages. </p>
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<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sarah A. Son does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>SEVENTEEN’s performance will mark a major milestone in Korea’s decade’s long strategy to take Korean popular culture to the world.Sarah A. Son, Senior Lecturer in Korean Studies, University of SheffieldLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2251832024-03-13T01:35:19Z2024-03-13T01:35:19ZAustralian music festivals are increasingly affected by climate change. But is the industry doing enough to mitigate its impact?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581150/original/file-20240312-24-cpokru.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=20%2C0%2C3430%2C5178&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://unsplash.com/photos/man-performing-on-stage-OUm4v3mWzoc"> Maxwell Collins/Unsplash</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The Pitch Music and Arts Festival in Moyston, Victoria, <a href="https://www.noise11.com/news/pitch-festival-punters-warned-to-leave-ahead-of-fire-danger-20240309">was cancelled</a> while festival-goers were already on site this weekend, after an extreme fire danger warning was issued.</p>
<p>Cancellations like these have become all too familiar.</p>
<p>The live music and festival industry is currently struggling with <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-are-so-many-australian-music-festivals-being-cancelled-223559">significant challenges</a>, including expensive insurance premiums and the cost of living crisis impacting ticket sales. </p>
<p>In particular are the challenges associated with climate change, as extreme weather events becoming more frequent, severe and unpredictable.</p>
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<p>I looked at news reports over 2022 and 2023 and found at least 22 music festivals in Australia cancelled or disrupted due to extreme weather conditions.</p>
<p>This trend of weather-related interruptions appears to be on the rise: over the seven years between 2013 and 2019, <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1329878X231184913">only ten music festivals</a> in Australia were affected by extreme weather.</p>
<p>Severe weather impacts on music festivals and concerts have ranged from delays and cancellations, to the evacuation of venues and areas mid-festival or mid-performance. This will be a growing challenge for the industry.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/climate-change-is-transforming-australias-cultural-life-so-why-isnt-it-mentioned-in-the-new-national-cultural-policy-198881">Climate change is transforming Australia’s cultural life – so why isn’t it mentioned in the new national cultural policy?</a>
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<h2>Death, injury and cancellations</h2>
<p>This is not limited to Australia, and not all extreme weather-related events result in a cancellation. In my research, I also looked at where and why events were being cancelled in the United States, finding at least 21 cancellations in 2022–23. </p>
<p>I also found similar cases in <a href="https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/elton-john-concert-cancelled-amid-rain-fans-evacuated-from-mt-smart/DB2LP7S2DJEALFDUNT4LHTJBYQ/">New Zealand</a>, <a href="https://www.dancemusicnw.com/wildfire-bc-state-of-emergency-2023/">Canada</a>, <a href="https://news.sky.com/story/tiree-music-festival-cancelled-and-fans-stranded-in-ferry-terminal-during-extreme-weather-12916774">the United Kingdom</a>, <a href="https://accessaa.co.uk/primavera-sound-pulls-out-of-madrid-for-2024/">Spain</a> and <a href="https://edmmaniac.com/awakenings-cancels-storm-2023/">the Netherlands</a>.</p>
<p>In November, we saw the tragic death of a fan due to extreme heat at Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour <a href="https://theconversation.com/taylor-swifts-brazil-concert-was-hammered-by-extreme-heat-how-to-protect-crowds-at-the-next-sweltering-gig-218341">in Brazil</a>. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/taylor-swifts-brazil-concert-was-hammered-by-extreme-heat-how-to-protect-crowds-at-the-next-sweltering-gig-218341">Taylor Swift's Brazil concert was hammered by extreme heat. How to protect crowds at the next sweltering gig</a>
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<p>There were more than 100 hospitalisations following a hailstorm at a <a href="https://uk.movies.yahoo.com/movies/louis-tomlinson-devastated-hail-cancels-100600789.html">Louis Tomlinson concert</a> in Colorado last June. </p>
<p>At a Taylor Swift performance in Sydney, fans were <a href="https://x.com/10NewsFirstSyd/status/1760926131526726105?s=20">temporarily evacuated</a> and the show was delayed due to lightning strikes.</p>
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<p>In Australia, severe weather has recently led to the postponement of major events such as the abrupt ending to Sydney’s Good Things festival <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/sydney-music-festival-evacuated-as-wild-storm-sweeps-through-20231202-p5eok4.html">due to a storm</a> in December, and cancellation the of Strawberry Fields festival, scheduled for October 2022, due to <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-09-27/strawberry-fields-music-festival-cancelled-flooding/101477202">flooding in southern NSW</a>.</p>
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<p>Extreme weather events are <a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg1/chapter/chapter-11/">closely linked</a> to climate change. This trend is likely going to get worse. Australia has witnessed a <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969720340432">marked increase</a> in the intensity, frequency and duration of heatwaves over the past 67 years, with a significant uptick observed in recent decades.</p>
<h2>The environmental impact of festivals</h2>
<p>There has not yet been a comprehensive <a href="https://noco2.com.au/noco2-business-certification/carbon-footprint-carbon-audit/">carbon footprint audit</a> of the Australian music industry, but we do know how much music can contribute to carbon emissions through research in the UK.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://theface.com/music/music-industry-climate-change-touring-cop26-vinyl-carbon-emissions-nfts-festivals-streaming-the-1975-massive-attack-billie-eilish-coldplay-olivia-rodrigo">UK’s live music industry</a> produces 405,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions annually.</p>
<p>The primary sources of these emissions are audience travel, accounting for 43%, and the operations of live music venues, contributing another 23%. This means nearly three-quarters of industry’s emissions <a href="https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/5/1/014019">are linked</a> to live music performances. </p>
<p>The average touring DJ is <a href="https://theface.com/music/music-industry-climate-change-touring-cop26-vinyl-carbon-emissions-nfts-festivals-streaming-the-1975-massive-attack-billie-eilish-coldplay-olivia-rodrigo">responsible</a> for 35 tonnes of CO₂ a year – more than 15 times the personal <a href="https://www.flightnook.com/should-you-be-thinking-about-your-personal-carbon-budget">carbon budget recommended for individuals</a> and nearly eight times the average.</p>
<p>In 2019 alone, <a href="https://cleanscene.club/report.pdf">1,000 touring DJs</a> took more than 51,000 flights around the world, generating as much CO₂ as over 20,000 households. </p>
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<h2>Music festivals can make a change</h2>
<p>There are signs of a <a href="https://onimpact.com.au/music-industry-increasingly-considers-its-carbon-footprint/">growing consciousness</a> within the live music industry towards mitigating environmental impacts. </p>
<p>The UK’s live music sector has committed to reaching <a href="https://theface.com/music/music-industry-climate-change-touring-cop26-vinyl-carbon-emissions-nfts-festivals-streaming-the-1975-massive-attack-billie-eilish-coldplay-olivia-rodrigo">net-zero emissions</a> by 2030. </p>
<p>In Australia <a href="https://woodfordfolkfestival.com/about/environmental-statement/">Woodford Folk Festival</a> and <a href="https://www.womadelaide.com.au/news/2022/6/womadelaide-2022-sustainability-report">WOMADelaide</a> have banned single-use plastics and promote recycling to minimise waste.</p>
<p>The live music industry can reduce its environmental impact by adopting more renewable energy, and using sustainable transport options for artists <a href="https://www.sunshinecoast.qld.gov.au/news/caloundra-music-festival-transport-and-sustainability-options-unpacked">and audiences</a>. </p>
<p>Engaging audiences in sustainability efforts, such as <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10824-015-9265-2">incentivising carbon offset</a> contributions, can also amplify impact.</p>
<p>Other environmental concerns at festivals are less obvious but also important. Attendees often enjoy wearing glitter, not realising it is made of <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2019/06/25/world/plastic-waste-emissions-music-festivals-intl/index.html">microplastics</a>. Switching to biodegradable glitter is a practical solution.</p>
<p>Festivals also see waste from abandoned <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-environmental-cost-of-abandoning-your-tent-at-a-music-festival-120198">low-quality camping gear</a>. These one-time-use tents and accessories contribute to environmental degradation and create waste management challenges. There needs to be more efforts in educating attendees on the importance of sustainable camping practices and encouraging the use of high-quality, reusable camping gear.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-environmental-cost-of-abandoning-your-tent-at-a-music-festival-120198">The environmental cost of abandoning your tent at a music festival</a>
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<p>Tree planting has emerged as a popular strategy for <a href="https://woodfordia.org/festivals/the-planting/">music festivals</a> and <a href="https://onetreeplanted.org/pages/coldplay">bands</a> to offset their carbon footprint and <a href="https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781315558189-12/greening-music-festival-scene-exploration-sustainable-practices-influence-youth-culture-joanne-cummings">contribute positively to the environment</a>. </p>
<p>Incorporating carbon offsets into ticket pricing or offering them as voluntary options presents strategy for festivals and artists to <a href="https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/AAM-10-2020-0046/full/html?casa_token=ty5KSvbHzEsAAAAA:AIUo7RQl5evieVT15IGullYqdybtx5aZPEujl1wCWpoGzZ8Uvi_D1WQ-yWXO_7oF5gnRGqJs2PJpsEE12ybR2CT-6kHc3sEwh2xjykJ7prbjEXqT46vq">mitigate their environmental impact</a>.</p>
<p>Challenges such as <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-are-so-many-australian-music-festivals-being-cancelled-223559">rising supply chain costs and the cost of living</a> are testing the viability of festivals. Amid these challenges, severe weather can introduce additional uncertainties. </p>
<p>It is important the event industry and festival-goers acknowledge their contributions to these escalating challenges, and take proactive steps towards greening music festivals.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/225183/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Milad Haghani receives funding from the Australian Research Council (Grant No. DE210100440). </span></em></p>Cancellations of Australian music festivals, such as the abrupt end to Pitch Music Festival due to extreme heat, have become all too familiar.Milad Haghani, Senior Lecturer of Urban Mobility, Public Safety & Disaster Risk, UNSW SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2235592024-02-15T05:09:08Z2024-02-15T05:09:08ZWhy are so many Australian music festivals being cancelled?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/575794/original/file-20240215-16-25r5i5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C4265%2C2845&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://unsplash.com/photos/three-men-carrying-women-surrounded-by-many-people-during-daytime-74tlEYKgrBE">Jade Masri/Unsplash</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Regional touring festival Groovin’ The Moo has <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/triplej/news/groovin-the-moo-2024-cancelled/103464566">announced its cancellation</a> only eight days after placing tickets on sale, citing low <a href="https://www.gtm.net.au/">demand</a>. </p>
<p>A mainstay of the summer festival calendar, this follows a series of similar cancellations, including the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2023/may/17/falls-festival-2023-2024-music-cancelled-new-years-eve">2023 edition of Falls Festival</a>, <a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/valleyways-2024-third-aussie-music-festival-cancelled-amid-cost-of-living-pressures/be65eea0-0572-4e43-8c5d-1c9e3eb33335">ValleyWays</a>, <a href="https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/music/music-festivals/ruin-everything-coastal-jam-festival-scrapped-days-before-it-was-to-start/news-story/266f8eb315aa9b62544e483583582d3c">Coastal Jam</a> and <a href="https://7news.com.au/news/south-australian-festival-vintage-vibes-with-groove-armada-rudimental-postponed-c-13184043">Vintage Vibes</a>, and the “pausing” of Hobart’s iconic <a href="https://www.artshub.com.au/news/news/paused-in-part-but-not-cancelled-dark-mofo-announces-dates-2696718/">Dark Mofo</a> for 2024. </p>
<p>So why are we seeing so many Australian music festivals cancelled? And what will the future of festivals look like?</p>
<h2>Growing challenges for festivals</h2>
<p>The well-documented <a href="https://pursuit.unimelb.edu.au/articles/more-than-half-of-australians-are-only-just-making-ends-meet">cost-of-living crisis</a> is an obvious culprit when it comes to low demand for festivals, as consumers cut down on expenses. </p>
<p>However, other factors are at play here. They include:</p>
<p><strong>1. Higher overheads</strong></p>
<p>Rapidly increasing overheads, such as <a href="https://themusic.com.au/industry/sooki-lounge-owners-public-liability-in-live-music-venues-killing-us-all/AHC-EhUUFxY/30-01-24">rocketing public liability insurance costs</a> for both venues and festivals alike, affect the viability of such events. </p>
<p>This problem began with the COVID pandemic, but extreme weather events exacerbated by climate change have <a href="https://theconversation.com/climate-change-is-transforming-australias-cultural-life-so-why-isnt-it-mentioned-in-the-new-national-cultural-policy-198881">compounded these issues</a> as well as affecting the viability of outdoor summer music festivals. In 2022 alone, <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1329878X231184913">more than 20</a> Australian festivals were cancelled because of extreme weather.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/climate-change-is-transforming-australias-cultural-life-so-why-isnt-it-mentioned-in-the-new-national-cultural-policy-198881">Climate change is transforming Australia’s cultural life – so why isn’t it mentioned in the new national cultural policy?</a>
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<p><strong>2. Slower sales</strong></p>
<p>Prior to the pandemic, concerns regarding the <a href="https://theconversation.com/crowded-house-how-to-keep-festivals-relevant-in-an-oversaturated-market-50760">oversaturation of the Australian festival market</a> were already starting to bite. Pre-COVID festival cancellations included the end of the Big Day Out after 20 years in 2014. The annual event <a href="https://theconversation.com/music-festivals-are-in-trouble-but-the-shows-must-go-on-21035">began to falter in the preceding years</a> due to issues that have compounded in the decade since.</p>
<p>As the pandemic eased and festival producers rushed back onsite, they have been faced with a fundamental shift in Australian cultural consumption habits, particularly among young people.</p>
<p>People are <a href="https://tixel.com/blog/ticketing-state-of-play">waiting longer</a> to buy tickets. 2023 was the first time in over a decade that Splendour in the Grass, Australia’s biggest single-ticket festival, <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-07-19/splendour-in-the-grass-ticket-sales-down-by-30-per-cent/102620896">didn’t sell out within hours</a>. The trend towards delayed “commitment to purchase” is cause for concern among promoters, who rely on opening-day sales for momentum and capital.</p>
<p>This change can be understood as a response to the rolling cancellations of the pandemic, in combination with rising ticket prices, domestic financial pressures and <a href="https://theconversation.com/as-the-9-to-5-work-day-disappears-our-lives-are-growing-more-out-of-sync-125800">busy schedules</a>. It is increasingly normal to look for second-hand tickets at reduced prices as an event approaches. </p>
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<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/crowded-house-how-to-keep-festivals-relevant-in-an-oversaturated-market-50760">Crowded house: how to keep festivals relevant in an oversaturated market</a>
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<p><strong>3. Youth avoidance</strong></p>
<p>Industry observers are concerned about a drop in youth attendance. Young people who came of age during COVID missed their <a href="https://theconversation.com/no-festivals-no-schoolies-young-people-are-missing-out-on-vital-rites-of-passage-during-covid-145097">key festival-going years</a> and may now have moved on to other cultural experiences – followed by younger siblings. This emphasises the long cultural tail of an event like the pandemic.</p>
<p>The cost-of-living crisis especially affects young people, the core audience for festivals like <a href="https://themusicnetwork.com/groovin-the-moo-on-track-to-sell-out/">Groovin’ the Moo</a>. The majority of under-35s say financial pressure is limiting their <a href="https://creative.gov.au/advocacy-and-research/audience-outlook-monitor/">attendance at arts events</a>. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/no-festivals-no-schoolies-young-people-are-missing-out-on-vital-rites-of-passage-during-covid-145097">No festivals, no schoolies: young people are missing out on vital rites of passage during COVID</a>
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<p><strong>4. The consolidation of taste</strong></p>
<p>While “variety” festivals such as Groovin’ the Moo and Falls Festival – which feature diverse, multi-genre lineups – are struggling, genre-specific festivals and major artist tours continue to perform well. </p>
<p>These include metal and hard rock festivals such as Good Things Festival and Knotfest, and major recent tours by Queens of the Stone Age, Pink, Blink-182 and, of course, Taylor Swift. The media industry and the music industry specifically are experiencing the effects of an <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2019/dec/28/overload-ambush-and-isolation-the-decade-that-warped-popular-culture-simon-reynolds">increasing siloing and consolidation of taste within specific niches</a>, exacerbated by the digitisation of media via highly curated streaming platforms. </p>
<p>Perhaps “variety” music festivals are heading the same way as <a href="https://themusic.com.au/features/the-ultimate-gig-reflecting-on-big-day-out-10-years-after-the-last-iteration-of-the-festival/xLR61tnY29o/02-02-24">the Big Day Out</a>. The struggles of festivals historically backed by Triple J (such as Groovin’ the Moo and Falls) may reveal the national youth broadcaster’s loosening grip on relevance and its inability to appeal to a broad audience in an increasingly hyper-curated media environment. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/i-almost-feel-like-stuck-in-a-rut-how-streaming-services-changed-the-way-we-listen-to-music-219967">'I almost feel like stuck in a rut’: how streaming services changed the way we listen to music</a>
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<h2>Is this anything new?</h2>
<p>The factors influencing the success of a given festival are complex, as illustrated by the case of Groovin’ the Moo. The Newcastle date <a href="https://www.newcastleherald.com.au/story/8512368/groovin-the-moo-2024-newcastles-first-tickets-sell-out/">sold out in less than an hour</a>, with <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C2_XsVoLQ04/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA%3D%3D">reports</a> of strong early sales for the Sunshine Coast edition, yet the overall tour was deemed unable to proceed. </p>
<p><a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/cjas.1659">Uncertainty is inherent in the music business</a>, where an oversupply of product meets a market driven by the vagaries of taste. </p>
<p>Festival programmers must “<a href="https://www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/culture/music/2024/01/31/how-are-australian-music-festivals-choosing-their-headliners">forecast</a>” what will draw a crowd, booking performers up to a year in advance. However, mega-crises, such as the pandemic, climate change and financial shocks, create deeper uncertainties that fundamentally challenge business as usual. </p>
<p>Uncertainty poses a profound threat to live music in particular, which depends on advance planning and investment, with its returns and benefits hinging on the controlled realisation of future events. </p>
<p>Too much uncertainty also stifles innovation and diversity, as the large <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/culture/music/the-overseas-giants-swallowing-australia-s-live-music-industry-20221026-p5bt01.html">multinationals</a> that dominate the music industry are better able to withstand its effects.</p>
<p>Music festivals are a leading site of Australia’s <a href="https://theconversation.com/creative-country-98-of-australians-engage-with-the-arts-80145">engagement</a> with the arts, with significant <a href="https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/mono/10.4324/9781315596778/music-festivals-regional-development-australia-chris-gibson-john-connell">social and economic benefits</a>. They have also become a focal point for a range of societal challenges, from economic to environmental crises. Sustaining a vibrant, diverse and accessible festival sector will require these challenges to be confronted. </p>
<p>The age of deep uncertainty isn’t going away. For Australia’s diverse festival landscape to survive we need to find new ways – such as financial buffers, government-backed insurance schemes, big ticket levies, tariffs on major international tours, and climate action and mitigation – to ride and survive this uncertainty.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/223559/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sam Whiting receives funding from Creative Australia and the Australasian Performing Right Association.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ben Green receives funding from the Australian Research Council and the Australasian Performing Right Association.</span></em></p>Groovin’ the Moo is the latest in a long line of Australian music festivals to be cancelled. It is the new normal in our age of ‘deep uncertainty’.Sam Whiting, Lecturer - Creative Industries, University of South AustraliaBen Green, Research Fellow, Centre for Social and Cultural Research, Griffith UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2195992023-12-12T03:46:44Z2023-12-12T03:46:44ZPlanning to use drugs at a festival on a scorching summer day? Here’s why extreme heat might make MDMA riskier<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/565079/original/file-20231212-29-chp7fb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C5176%2C3453&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/crowds-enjoying-themselves-outdoor-music-festival-184911032">Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Sydney and other parts of Australia have just experienced <a href="https://news.sky.com/story/australia-temperatures-in-sydney-climb-to-nearly-40c-as-authorities-issue-bushfire-warnings-13027266">a significant heatwave</a>, with temperatures reaching highs of well over 40°C. In Sydney in particular, the extreme heat has coincided with a bustling schedule of <a href="https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/8453863/crowds-bake-at-sydney-concerts-as-mercury-soars/">live music events</a>, attracting large crowds despite the sweltering conditions.</p>
<p>Drug experts <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-12-09/nsw-heat-drug-overdose-festival-deaths/103205522">raised concerns</a> ahead of the sold-out Epik festival which took place at Sydney Olympic Park on Saturday, cautioning revellers against the dangers of taking illicit drugs in extreme heat.</p>
<p>Reports have since emerged that <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-12-10/nsw-sydney-epik-music-dance-festival-drug-hospitalisations/103211208">four festival patrons</a> were taken to hospital for reasons relating to drugs. </p>
<p>While illicit drug use is dangerous no matter the circumstances, extremely hot weather may make it even more risky.</p>
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<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/5-reasons-why-climate-change-may-see-more-of-us-turn-to-alcohol-and-other-drugs-217894">5 reasons why climate change may see more of us turn to alcohol and other drugs</a>
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<h2>Drug use at festivals</h2>
<p>We know the use of recreational drugs is common at live music events such as festivals. Studies have shown people who frequently <a href="https://harmreductionjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12954-017-0205-7">attend music festivals</a> and dance events tend to have <a href="https://substanceabusepolicy.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1747-597X-6-18">more experience with illegal substances</a> than their counterparts who don’t attend these events. </p>
<p>Wastewater analyses <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969718351490?casa_token=ZMgSdR0MnjYAAAAA:iseXbDHWCT8i4O4FqGUUrooAUleX9TXqSce89xbPVDjONBubOHB-rrpsCkHUl-if5m3DYgFW6Eg">have confirmed</a> the prevalence of drug use at music festivals.</p>
<p>In Australia and overseas, several live music events have been marred by tragedies linked to drug use. As recently as October, two men, aged 21 and 26, died following <a href="https://cityhub.com.au/two-men-die-from-suspected-drug-overdose-after-attending-sydney-music-festival/">suspected drug overdoses</a> at the Knockout music festival in Sydney. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1708729898116808711"}"></div></p>
<p>At these sorts of events, MDMA (or ecstasy) is among the <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15563650.2017.1360496?casa_token=qppYTfu_IBcAAAAA%3ANwXWLwMFiKcBWE0e8DIGu-97pJNnqynSjjiwYhg-gNDbOEcqhNI2MOccCvzszG4QCRewZhiDTPH_MQ">most commonly used substances</a>. And when taken during extreme heat, the risks could be much greater.</p>
<h2>MDMA and hot weather</h2>
<p>MDMA triggers the release of substances that interfere with our <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5008716/">temperature regulation</a>, leading the body to generate more heat than usual. This effect is known as hyperthermia (as opposed to hypothermia, when the body gets too cold). </p>
<p>This elevation in body temperature happens even if the person using drugs is not exerting themselves and not in a hot environment. In this context, the effect can still <a href="https://sunrisehouse.com/ecstasy-abuse/effects/">cause dehydration</a>.</p>
<p>However, the effects may be greater if a person is exerting themselves in hot, crowded settings. Studies have shown that on average, for a person who takes MDMA somewhere like a dance club, their body temperature can increase by <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0376871611003577">more than 1°C</a>.</p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/taylor-swifts-brazil-concert-was-hammered-by-extreme-heat-how-to-protect-crowds-at-the-next-sweltering-gig-218341">Taylor Swift's Brazil concert was hammered by extreme heat. How to protect crowds at the next sweltering gig</a>
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<p>In extreme cases, a sharp increase in body temperature <a href="https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/mdma-can-be-fatal-warm-environments">can lead to</a> organ failure and even death. </p>
<p>Extreme heat may compound the hyperthermia induced by taking the drug. A <a href="https://www.jneurosci.org/content/34/23/7754.short">study in rats</a> showed a moderate dose of MDMA that is typically non-fatal in cool, quiet environments can be fatal in rats exposed to conditions that mimic the hot, crowded settings where people often use the drug.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="One person passing a small packet of pills to another person." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/565081/original/file-20231212-15-71opww.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/565081/original/file-20231212-15-71opww.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/565081/original/file-20231212-15-71opww.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/565081/original/file-20231212-15-71opww.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/565081/original/file-20231212-15-71opww.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/565081/original/file-20231212-15-71opww.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/565081/original/file-20231212-15-71opww.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Taking MDMA interferes with the body’s temperature regulation.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/drug-dealer-selling-ecstasy-pills-addict-1331364980">Impact Photography/Shutterstock</a></span>
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<h2>What now?</h2>
<p>Illicit drugs pose significant dangers to people who use them at music festivals and elsewhere. </p>
<p>Meanwhile, with climate change, we are set to face <a href="https://www.climatechange.environment.nsw.gov.au/impacts-climate-change/weather-and-oceans/heatwaves">more frequent and intense</a> heatwaves in the future. So it’s important to better understand how the weather might intensify the risks of drug use. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/testing-festival-goers-pills-isnt-the-only-way-to-reduce-overdoses-heres-what-else-works-118827">Testing festival goers' pills isn't the only way to reduce overdoses. Here's what else works</a>
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<p>The principles of harm reduction recognise that, despite our best efforts to educate people about the risks associated with substance use, some people will continue to experiment with drugs at music festivals. So it becomes essential to minimise potential harms through evidence-based strategies, such as <a href="https://harmreductionjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12954-017-0205-7">pill testing</a>.</p>
<p>Harm reduction messages play a vital role in educating music festival attendees about the dangers of drug use, especially in hot conditions. These messages must encourage seeking medical help without fear of repercussions, staying hydrated, taking regular breaks, and wearing appropriate clothing for sun protection. Public officials, event organisers, families and friends can all contribute to spreading these messages, though attendees also need to exercise personal responsibility.</p>
<p>Messaging should also stress the importance of patrons looking out for their friends, highlighting everyone has a role in maintaining a safe environment at these events.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/its-extremely-hot-and-im-feeling-weak-and-dizzy-could-i-have-heat-stroke-215084">It's extremely hot and I'm feeling weak and dizzy. Could I have heat stroke?</a>
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<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/219599/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Dr Milad Haghani receives funding from the Australian Research Council (Grant No. DE210100440). </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Dr Pegah Varamini has received funding from the National Breast Cancer Foundation, Therapeutic Innovation Australia (TIA), Pipeline Accelerator Grant, SPARK Oceania, Tour de Cure, Sydney Catalyst, Controlled Release Society, and Australian Pain Society. She is a lecturer and the head of Breast Cancer Targeting & Drug Delivery laboratory at the University of Sydney Pharmacy School. Pegah is affiliated with the World Health Organisation as a scientific advisor within the Global Breast Cancer Initiative and is the Co-Chair of NanoPharma cluster within NanoHealth Initiative at the Sydney Nano Institute.</span></em></p>Taking MDMA can raise our body temperature higher than it should be. Extreme heat may compound this effect.Milad Haghani, Senior Lecturer of Public Safety & Disaster Risk, UNSW SydneyPegah Varamini, Senior Lecturer in Pharmacy and Pharmacology, Head of Breast Cancer Targeting and Drug Delivery Laboratory, University of SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2154362023-10-26T02:43:14Z2023-10-26T02:43:14ZDrug detection dogs often get it wrong, and it’s a policing practice that needs to stop<p>Drug detection dogs are a <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0004865816642826">street-level</a> policing strategy that has now been used in Australia for more than 25 years. </p>
<p>The stated intent of this policy was to target drug supply. However, in 2006, the <a href="https://www.ombo.nsw.gov.au/Find-a-publication/publications/reports-to-parliament/police/review-of-the-police-powers-drug-detection-dogs-act-2001">NSW Ombudsman</a> showed most people detected by the dogs either had no drugs at all or were people who use drugs - not those who supply drugs. </p>
<p>Since that time, increasing evidence has challenged the <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10345329.2018.1556280?journalCode=rcic20">effectiveness</a> and <a href="https://www8.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdb/au/legis/nsw/repealed_act/ppdda2001338/">legality</a> of this policing strategy. In addition, a <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0955395918300756?via%3Dihub">2018 study</a> of people who use drugs found Australia had one of the highest reported incidences of drug dog encounters. This occurred most often at festivals, on public transport, and in licensed premises. </p>
<p>In fact, policing and law enforcement, including police drug dogs operations, accounts for nearly two-thirds of Australian government spending on illegal <a href="https://ndarc.med.unsw.edu.au/resource/24-government-drug-policy-expenditure-australia-200910">drugs</a>. </p>
<p>Evidence suggests drug dogs do not deter people from <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30176423/">using drugs</a>. However, much of the evidence base for these arguments focuses on festival settings. Relatively little is known about experiences in non-festival settings and among different groups of people who use drugs (that is, those who do not typically attend festivals). </p>
<p>Our recent research shows police drug dogs are both an <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36692962/">ineffective</a> and <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0955395923002700">inequitable</a> strategy, which may carry health, social, and legal risks. </p>
<p>We have recently published two studies about police drug dog encounters among two samples of people who regularly use drugs. The <a href="https://ndarc.med.unsw.edu.au/project/ecstasy-and-related-drugs-reporting-system-edrs">Ecstasy and Related Drug Reporting System (EDRS)</a> includes interviews with people who regularly use ecstasy and/or other illicit stimulants, and the <a href="https://ndarc.med.unsw.edu.au/project/illicit-drug-reporting-system-idrs">Illicit Drug Reporting System (IDRS)</a> includes interviews with people who regularly inject drugs. </p>
<h2>An ineffective strategy</h2>
<p>We used data from our surveys with people who regularly use ecstasy to describe drug dog encounters at <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36692962/">music festivals</a>. This included how individuals responded to the presence of dogs and how they prepared for anticipated encounters. </p>
<p>We found encounters with drug dogs at festivals were common. In fact, the vast majority (94%) of those who reported such encounters said they had anticipated the presence of drug dogs. However, rather than being deterred from using or carrying drugs into the festival, participants reported taking steps to try to avoid detection by dogs. </p>
<p>Consistent with <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19930020/">previous research</a>, those who expected to see police drug dogs at the festival described trying to hide their drugs well, or taking their drugs before entering the festival. Both of these approaches to avoiding detection have been shown to increase the risk of overdose and other <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30176423/">adverse events</a>, a cause for considerable concern following the <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/two-men-die-in-suspected-drug-overdoses-after-attending-music-festival-20231001-p5e8vb.html">deaths of two men</a> at a New South Wales music festival in October. </p>
<p>Our findings reinforce concerns that the growing normalisation of drug dogs may actually be reducing their <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28131615/">efficacy</a>. Based on our research, we believe drug detection dogs should no longer be used in festival settings. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/its-time-to-change-our-drug-dog-policies-to-catch-dealers-not-low-level-users-at-public-events-111710">It's time to change our drug dog policies to catch dealers, not low-level users at public events</a>
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<h2>An inequitable approach</h2>
<p>In a second study, we explored encounters with drug detection dogs in non-festival settings among different groups of <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0955395923002700#bbib0027">people who use drugs</a>. </p>
<p>We found both samples of people commonly reported encounters with drug dogs in locations beyond festivals. These occurred most often at public transport hubs and other public places. </p>
<p>Compared with those who regularly inject drugs, those who regularly use ecstasy were more likely to have reported an encounter with drug dogs in non-festival settings over the last 12 months (32% and 21%, respectively). By contrast, we found people who inject drugs were over three times more likely to report being stopped and searched by police, and to experience criminal justice consequences, despite being no more likely to be carrying drugs at the time of encounter. </p>
<p>We cannot provide a definitive reason for this discrepancy. However, it seems plausible that it is reflective of sociodemographic differences between the two samples. That is, our sample of people who inject drugs experience much higher levels of social disadvantage and previous engagement with the criminal justice system. </p>
<p>Existing evidence indicates that prior interactions with police increase the likelihood of a stop and/or search encounter with <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0955395918300756?via%3Dihub">police drug dogs</a>. It also shows people who inject drugs often experience police harassment, violence, and <a href="https://search.informit.org/doi/abs/10.3316/informit.805739908088999">stigmatising language</a>. Although the latter of these accounts relate to police encounters more broadly, it could be argued that drug detection dogs are being used in Australia as tools to target, harass and criminalise the most marginalised groups of people who use drugs in society. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/testing-festival-goers-pills-isnt-the-only-way-to-reduce-overdoses-heres-what-else-works-118827">Testing festival goers' pills isn't the only way to reduce overdoses. Here's what else works</a>
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<p>Continued use of drug detection dogs may exacerbate health and social harms to an already marginalised group. Such strategies are also in conflict with Australia’s national drug strategy objective of <a href="https://www.health.gov.au/sites/default/files/national-drug-strategy-2017-2026.pdf">harm minimisation</a>, and with Australia’s commitments under human rights laws to provide access to health care and to protect individuals, families and communities from <a href="https://www.unodc.org/documents/data-and-analysis/Studies/Drug_Policy_Australia_Oct2008.pdf">drug related harm</a>.</p>
<p>Our findings, combined with the existing research, suggest police drug dogs are ineffective and inequitable. They should be removed from all community settings, including music festivals, public transportation hubs, and other public places.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/215436/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Caitlin Hughes currently receives funding from the Australian Research Council, Swiss Federal Office of Public Health, SA Law Foundation, United Nations Development Programme and CentreCare SA. She is President of the International Society for the Study of Drug Policy. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Rachel Sutherland currently holds an NHMRC Investigator Fellowship (#1197241). She previously received untied educational grants from Seqirus for post-marketing surveillance of opioid medications in Australia. Funding from this organisation has now ceased and was for work unrelated to this project. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Daisy Gibbs does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>New research shows that not only is the use of drug detection dogs ineffective, it may in fact increase the risk of drug-related harm.Daisy Gibbs, Evaluation Offier, Burnet InstituteCaitlin Hughes, Associate Professor in Criminology and Drug Policy, Centre for Crime Policy and Research, Flinders UniversityRachel Sutherland, Research fellow, UNSW SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2075872023-07-13T20:18:22Z2023-07-13T20:18:22ZSummer music festivals do more than entertain, they help us imagine possible futures<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/535905/original/file-20230705-15-5n2p3c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=31%2C244%2C5223%2C3253&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Elton John performs during Glastonbury Festival in Worthy Farm, Somerset, England on June 25, 2023. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Joel C Ryan/Invision/AP)</span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/summer-music-festivals-do-more-than-entertain-they-help-us-imagine-possible-futures" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>Music festival season is finally here. And after multiple summers <a href="https://www.vulture.com/2021/01/events-cancelled-coronavirus.html">without large in-person gatherings and reduced capacities</a>, many people are returning to their favourite music festivals to have a good time.</p>
<p>But these gatherings, especially independent and artist-run music festivals, do more than entertain. They can also offer solutions to some of the social, political and ecological challenges we face today and that await us in the future.</p>
<p>During the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, sociomusicologist Simon Frith <a href="https://livemusicexchange.org/blog/home-thoughts-on-festive-occasions-simon-frith/">reflected on the impact of lockdowns for festivals</a>. He said music festivals should reflect changes in society and instead of “despairing that our favourite festivals may never happen again in the ways that we’ve got used to, we should be looking forward to new festivals happening in new ways.” </p>
<p>His invitation to think imaginatively about festivals prompted us to ask questions about the meaning of festivals: what is the work that music festivals do? Can independent and artist-run music festivals make a difference in the world? Can they impact actual changes in people’s behaviours, government policies and global institutions?</p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/533584/original/file-20230622-26254-b1mqei.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/533584/original/file-20230622-26254-b1mqei.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=439&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/533584/original/file-20230622-26254-b1mqei.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=439&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/533584/original/file-20230622-26254-b1mqei.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=439&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/533584/original/file-20230622-26254-b1mqei.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=551&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/533584/original/file-20230622-26254-b1mqei.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=551&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/533584/original/file-20230622-26254-b1mqei.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=551&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Colourful graphic notes with words from the opening session of Curating for Change: The Work That Music Festivals Do in the World.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Ben Finley)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Lofty questions as we head out the door to enjoy some music? We don’t think so. To help us tackle these questions, we organized a <a href="https://www.whatmusicfestivalsdo.ca/">conference about music festivals</a> and had conversations with scholars, practitioners, artists, organizers and festival-goers who shared their insights about curating, programming and imagining music festivals.</p>
<h2>Curating for change</h2>
<p>Our question about the work music festivals do riffs on writing by literature scholar Doris Sommer. In her book, <a href="https://www.dukeupress.edu/the-work-of-art-in-the-world"><em>The Work of Art in the World</em></a>, she encourages readers to trace the “ripple effects” of the arts into our daily institutions and practices. She asks readers to think about ways to “test, stretch and refine” how we teach, learn and curate. </p>
<p>Simply put, what does it mean to curate for change?</p>
<p>The roots of the verb “curate” offer an important clue here. Curation is linked with the word “cure.” And that gives us a sense of what’s at stake in the work that festivals can do in the world. Curation is <a href="https://www.etymonline.com/word/curation#etymonline_v_29190">derived from the 14th century Middle English curacioun</a>, “curing of disease, restoration to health,” or from the Latin curationem, “taking care, attention, management.”</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/533582/original/file-20230622-28180-glcogy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/533582/original/file-20230622-28180-glcogy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=439&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/533582/original/file-20230622-28180-glcogy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=439&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/533582/original/file-20230622-28180-glcogy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=439&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/533582/original/file-20230622-28180-glcogy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=551&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/533582/original/file-20230622-28180-glcogy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=551&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/533582/original/file-20230622-28180-glcogy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=551&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The crowd dances in the street with Montréal’s Fanfare Pourpour at the 2005 edition of the Guelph Jazz Festival (Guelph Jazz Festival).</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
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</figure>
<p>Curating a festival means bringing together an often unpredictable set of social engagements to hopefully foster an awareness of each other and a desire to care for the world around us. The act of curation can energize participation in the cultural public sphere.</p>
<h2>Staging diversity, challenging power</h2>
<p>Festivals are more than what is programmed, however. Music festivals are important not only in terms of programming matters, but also as <a href="https://policyalternatives.ca/sites/default/files/uploads/publications/National%20Office/2012/06/Pluralism_in_the_Arts.pdf#page=43">forms of community-based education and activism</a>. </p>
<p>In other words, festivals can build alternative visions of social co-operation and can question static relations of power and taken-for-granted representations. They can also address issues of environmental sustainability.</p>
<p>For example, British Columbia’s Aldergrove Beach Rock Festival, Canada’s first outdoor rock festival, held three months before the now-mythical <a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/Woodstock">Woodstock Music and Art Fair</a> of 1969, <a href="https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/this-week-in-history-1969-the-masses-get-naked-at-the-aldergrove-beach-rock-festival">featured mostly local artists, offering young idealists an experience of community</a> and the opportunity to imagine a more peaceful future to the beat of the counterculture.</p>
<iframe src="https://www.cbc.ca/i/phoenix/player/syndicate/?mediaId=1524099651689" width="100%" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<p>Another example, the <a href="https://guelphjazzfestival.com/2022/history/">Guelph Jazz Festival</a>, launched in 1994, aims to reinvigorate public life with the spirit of dialogue and community. The festival programmers encourage audiences to see and hear the world anew through its colloquium and street wandering fanfares. And, like its more recent counterpart, <a href="https://theconversation.com/3-lessons-from-musical-improvisation-to-help-navigate-2021-152385">IF Festival</a>, it has helped stage diversity and recast the histories and identities of diverse, and often marginalized, peoples. </p>
<p>Music festivals are also joining the fight against climate change by taking their cues from organizations such as <a href="https://www.cgtoolscanada.org/">Creative Green Tools</a> and <a href="https://www.musicdeclares.net/ca/en/">Music Declares Emergency</a> that seek to help the cultural sector reduce its carbon footprint.</p>
<p>For example, <a href="https://skeletonparkartsfest.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/SP_v12_FORWEB_27Jan2023.pdf#page=11">Westben</a>, which holds summer and fall festivals near Campbellford, Ont., strives for sustainability through initiatives that range from bike advocacy to waste management to outdoor performances that improvise with the natural landscape.</p>
<h2>Everyday utopias</h2>
<p>While it may be tempting to think about festivals as an escape from everyday life, we also see them as transformative possibilities for society.</p>
<p>We are drawn to legal scholar Davina Cooper’s notion of <a href="https://www.dukeupress.edu/everyday-utopias">everyday utopias</a>. “Everyday utopias,” she writes, “don’t place their energy on pressuring mainstream institutions to change, on winning votes, or on taking over dominant social structures. Rather they work by creating the change they wish to encounter.”</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/535908/original/file-20230705-18288-udo6b0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/535908/original/file-20230705-18288-udo6b0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/535908/original/file-20230705-18288-udo6b0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/535908/original/file-20230705-18288-udo6b0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/535908/original/file-20230705-18288-udo6b0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/535908/original/file-20230705-18288-udo6b0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/535908/original/file-20230705-18288-udo6b0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/535908/original/file-20230705-18288-udo6b0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Festival-goers smiling at the front of a show at Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival at the Empire Polo Club on April 22, 2023, in Indio, Calif.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Photo by Amy Harris/Invision/AP)</span></span>
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</figure>
<p>The transformative potential of music festivals brings to mind the <a href="https://archivesfa.library.yorku.ca/fonds/ON00370-f0000511.htm">1987 Utopia Festivals Conference</a>, named after the small town of Utopia north of Toronto where it was held; but the choice of location was also deliberate. </p>
<p>In the closing days of the Cold War and amid the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/apr/15/neoliberalism-ideology-problem-george-monbiot">disruptions caused by neo-liberalism</a>, the programmers and participants were, like us, trying to envision a better future — with music as a driving force. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="a disparate crowd of musicians" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/536891/original/file-20230711-15-15fnjn.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/536891/original/file-20230711-15-15fnjn.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=428&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536891/original/file-20230711-15-15fnjn.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=428&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536891/original/file-20230711-15-15fnjn.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=428&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536891/original/file-20230711-15-15fnjn.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=538&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536891/original/file-20230711-15-15fnjn.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=538&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536891/original/file-20230711-15-15fnjn.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=538&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A scene from the Skeleton Park Arts Festival in Kingston, Ont.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Visit Kingston/via Skeleton Park Arts Festival)</span></span>
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</figure>
<p>As we continue to navigate our way out of the pandemic, we are inspired by those intentions. We believe the history of music festival culture can teach us much about both the limits and possibilities of music curating. We believe music festivals have the potential to position us to better understand, and perhaps even fight, racialized violence, ecological degradations, human rights violations and threats to democratic governance. </p>
<p>Can mainstream events such as <a href="https://www.coachella.com/">Coachella</a> and <a href="https://www.glastonburyfestivals.co.uk/">Glastonbury</a> learn from their smaller, independent counterparts? </p>
<p>These ideas are worth keeping in mind as we head out to take in what this glorious music festival season has to offer.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/207587/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Eric Fillion receives funding from Queen's University and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ajay Heble receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and from the University of Guelph.</span></em></p>As we seek to reconnect after several summers without large, in-person gatherings, we reflect on the significant and often transformational role that music festivals play in our communities.Eric Fillion, Adjunct Professor and Buchanan Postdoctoral Fellow in Canadian History, Queen's University, OntarioAjay Heble, Professor, School of English and Theatre Studies, University of GuelphLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1988812023-02-01T02:55:20Z2023-02-01T02:55:20ZClimate change is transforming Australia’s cultural life – so why isn’t it mentioned in the new national cultural policy?<p>In its <a href="https://theconversation.com/arts-are-meant-to-be-at-the-heart-of-our-life-what-the-new-national-cultural-policy-could-mean-for-australia-if-it-all-comes-together-198786">new national cultural policy</a>, the Australian government grapples with issues extending well beyond the creative arts. </p>
<p>The policy document places issues like First Nations representation, work and wages, technological upheaval, discrimination and sexual harassment front and centre. </p>
<p>This holistic approach has been <a href="https://theconversation.com/pay-safety-and-welfare-how-the-new-centre-for-arts-and-entertainment-workplaces-can-strengthen-the-arts-sector-198859">welcomed</a> and takes important forward steps in many areas.</p>
<p>But it is silent on one key issue.</p>
<p>After winning the <a href="https://theconversation.com/after-many-false-dawns-australians-finally-voted-for-stronger-climate-action-heres-why-this-election-was-different-183645">climate election</a>, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese promised a “<a href="https://theconversation.com/albanese-just-laid-out-a-radical-new-vision-for-australia-in-the-region-clean-energy-exporter-and-green-manufacturer-186815">new era</a>” of Australian leadership on the issue. </p>
<p>So where is climate change in the new national cultural policy?</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/after-many-false-dawns-australians-finally-voted-for-stronger-climate-action-heres-why-this-election-was-different-183645">After many false dawns, Australians finally voted for stronger climate action. Here's why this election was different</a>
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<h2>Floods and fires</h2>
<p>Nowhere in the arts has the impact of climate change been more pronounced than music festivals.</p>
<p>Perhaps the most famous example is last year’s “Splendour in the Mud”. After two years lost to COVID-19, Splendour in the Grass 2022 symbolised the triumphant return of festivals to our cultural calendar. But the first day of the event <a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/splendour-in-the-grass-day-one-cancelled-over-extreme-weather/69286851-e65e-4b03-8f39-30c38443298e">was cancelled</a> as the site was inundated by an unusually heavy downpour that overwhelmed bad weather preparation on the site.</p>
<p>We have counted more than a dozen music festivals around the country postponed or cancelled due to last year’s record floods. These include <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/triplej/news/yours-and-owls-festival-cancelled-due-flooding-2022-wollongong/13817810">Yours and Owls</a> in Wollongong, <a href="https://tonedeaf.thebrag.com/strawberry-fields-2022-has-been-cancelled/">Strawberry Fields</a> in Tocumwal, and <a href="https://musicfeeds.com.au/news/the-grass-is-greener-festival-cancels-canberra-and-geelong-events/">The Grass is Greener</a> in Canberra and Geelong. </p>
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<p>This follows the summer festival season immediately before the pandemic, which coincided with the Black Summer fires. Festivals such as <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-01-07/a-day-on-the-green-at-rutherglen-cancelled-over-bushfire-smoke/11846656">Falls and Day on the Green</a> in Victoria and <a href="https://7news.com.au/entertainment/festivals/lost-paradise-festival-cancelled-over-intense-and-unpredictable-bushfire-fears-c-602177">Lost Paradise</a> in New South Wales were cancelled due to threats from fire or hazardous smoke. </p>
<p>Cancellations and postponements have knock-on effects. Festivals provide <a href="https://themusicnetwork.com/music-festivals-tourism-impact/">tourism and economic benefits</a> to the areas where they are held. Big festivals <a href="https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9780429506697-13/allowed-deliver-biggest-show-national-tour-christina-ballico">boost</a> the Australian music ecosystem by providing jobs, opportunities for local acts to reach new audiences and opportunities for these audiences to see global touring acts that may otherwise be put off by the logistics of touring a large country with few significant population centres.</p>
<p>When festivals are cancelled, especially at short notice, organisers, artists, suppliers, production companies, local communities and punters all pay a price. When cancellations start to become common, the viability of festivals comes into question.</p>
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<p>Climate scientists tell us the events that led to recent festival cancellations – not just the fires and floods, but also <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Health/climate-change-make-pandemics-covid-19-common/story?id=89586958">the pandemic</a> – are likely to <a href="https://theconversation.com/climate-change-has-already-hit-australia-unless-we-act-now-a-hotter-drier-and-more-dangerous-future-awaits-ipcc-warns-165396">become more frequent</a> and more extreme because of climate change. </p>
<p>In addition to this, increasing heat will make the summer festivals that are currently the norm more and more dangerous. </p>
<p>The music festival in the form we have become accustomed to in this country is undoubtedly at risk.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/climate-change-has-already-hit-australia-unless-we-act-now-a-hotter-drier-and-more-dangerous-future-awaits-ipcc-warns-165396">Climate change has already hit Australia. Unless we act now, a hotter, drier and more dangerous future awaits, IPCC warns</a>
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<hr>
<h2>Mitigation and adaptation</h2>
<p>Arts organisations are reacting to the climate crisis. Responses to climate change can be divided into mitigation (trying to reduce impacts, mainly by cutting emissions) and adaptation (finding ways to cope with the changing circumstances).</p>
<p>Festivals such as <a href="https://www.womadelaide.com.au/about/green-global">Womadelaide</a> and <a href="https://woodfordfolkfestival.com/about/environmental-statement/">Woodford Folk Festival</a> have employed mitigation strategies like waste reduction, renewable energy and using local produce. Other artforms, such as <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/23/arts/art-climate-change-environment.html">visual art</a> and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2022/sep/02/what-if-we-stopped-how-australian-arts-tours-are-changing-to-save-the-planet">theatre</a>, are also looking at how they can mitigate the effects of climate change.</p>
<p>When it comes to adaptation, we are likely to see music festivals in the future changing their date and location to avoid risks such as the heat of midsummer or bushfire-prone areas. Significant work would need to be done to understand the flow-on effects of such decisions. </p>
<p>Other solutions may involve fundamentally rethinking what a festival looks like in Australia - including a turn from destination mega-events to something more local - an approach that would require a high level of risk by festival operators in an already risky area.</p>
<p>In the meantime, we are likely to see more festivals cancelled or disrupted due to climate change. Aware of this, submissions to the Cultural Policy Review that informed the new Revive policy called for <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2022/dec/23/desperate-festivals-sector-pleads-for-weather-insurance-instead-of-redundant-22m-covid-fund">an interruption or insurance fund</a>, like that put in place for COVID-19 related cancellations in the film and television industries.</p>
<p>Any form of insurance failed to make an appearance in the final policy document. </p>
<h2>Taking on the challenge</h2>
<p>A document like Revive would ideally incorporate considerations of what mitigation and adaptation might look like for all areas in the arts, and provide resources to assist equipping the sector to take on the challenges of climate change.</p>
<p>Revive notes the importance of making creative careers sustainable. It places great emphasis on ensuring cultural ventures adhere to workplace and employment standards. Incorporating considerations of environmental standards to ensure the sustainability and health of the sector and the careers of those within it would be an important further step. </p>
<p>The climate crisis will necessitate change to business-as-usual approaches to the arts. </p>
<p>We will increasingly see the development of new ways of approaching events and creative work to mitigate their environmental impact and make events, arts organisations and artists more resilient in the face of climate impacts. </p>
<p>Revive, while breaking important new ground in many respects, has missed an opportunity to lead this crucial work.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/arts-are-meant-to-be-at-the-heart-of-our-life-what-the-new-national-cultural-policy-could-mean-for-australia-if-it-all-comes-together-198786">'Arts are meant to be at the heart of our life': what the new national cultural policy could mean for Australia – if it all comes together</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/198881/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Catherine Strong is an activist with Extinction Rebellion and other climate groups.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ben Green does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The climate crisis will necessitate change to business-as-usual approaches to the arts.Catherine Strong, Associate professor, Music Industry, RMIT UniversityBen Green, Research fellow, Griffith UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1891882022-08-26T08:29:36Z2022-08-26T08:29:36ZFestivals must do more to address sexual violence<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/481109/original/file-20220825-739-opmcj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=29%2C926%2C7029%2C2955&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/panoramic-photo-large-crowd-unrecognizable-people-491237230">Ints Vikmanis/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Music festivals are important cultural and economic events. They have become symbols of the British summertime. </p>
<p>However, festival spaces are not equal spaces. Festival lineups remain <a href="https://notion.online/male-dominated-festival-lineups-are-becoming-the-joke-of-the-music-industry/">dominated by men</a>, and female festivalgoers are also not free to enjoy festivals in the same way as men. In 2018 <a href="https://yougov.co.uk/topics/lifestyle/articles-reports/2018/06/21/two-five-young-female-festival-goers-have-been-sub">a poll</a> conducted by YouGov found that over 40% of women under 40 reported being sexually harassed or assaulted. </p>
<p>Together with colleagues, I began a research project in 2018 to explore sexual violence at UK festivals. The first part of our study – <a href="https://bristoluniversitypressdigital.com/view/journals/jgbv/aop/article-10.1332-239868021X16439111624553/article-10.1332-239868021X16439111624553.xml">a survey</a> of 450 festivalgoers – reinforced the findings of the YouGov poll. </p>
<p>We found that 34% of female respondents reported being sexually harassed or assaulted at a festival in the previous few years, compared with 6% of men. In our study, 9% of women and 1% of men reported being sexually assaulted.</p>
<p>We <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/10778012221120443">wanted to explore</a> these experiences and their impact in more detail. We interviewed 13 female festivalgoers aged between 18 and 40 who had been sexually harassed or assaulted at a festival in the previous two years. This included being catcalled and leered at, having a hand put up their dress or skirt, and being rubbed against or groped. It also included penetrative assault.</p>
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<img alt="Quarter life, a series by The Conversation" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<p><em><strong><a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/topics/quarter-life-117947?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=UK+YP2022&utm_content=InArticleTop">This article is part of Quarter Life</a></strong>, a series about issues affecting those of us in our twenties and thirties. From the challenges of beginning a career and taking care of our mental health, to the excitement of starting a family, adopting a pet or just making friends as an adult. The articles in this series explore the questions and bring answers as we navigate this turbulent period of life.</em></p>
<p><em>You may be interested in:</em></p>
<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/hope-from-despair-how-young-people-are-taking-action-to-make-things-better-184859?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=UK+YP2022&utm_content=InArticleTop">Hope from despair: how young people are taking action to make things better</a></em></p>
<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/the-impact-of-christian-purity-culture-is-still-being-felt-including-in-britain-182907?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=UK+YP2022&utm_content=InArticleTop">The impact of Christian purity culture is still being felt – including in Britain</a></em></p>
<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/four-ways-you-can-design-social-media-posts-to-combat-health-misinformation-184627?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=UK+YP2022&utm_content=InArticleTop">Four ways you can design social media posts to combat health misinformation</a></em></p>
<hr>
<p>Some of the participants, to some extent, expected this behaviour. It had become normalised – part and parcel of being a woman at a festival. </p>
<p>This chimes with broader research. A UK survey found that 86% of 18- to 24-year-old women, and 71% of all women, had been harassed in a <a href="https://www.unwomenuk.org/site/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/APPG-UN-Women-Sexual-Harassment-Report_Updated.pdf">public space</a>. <a href="https://www.drinkaware.co.uk/news/sexual-harassment-tops-list-of-risks-for-female-students-on-nights-out">More than half</a> of 18- to 24-year-olds will experience harassment or assault in a bar, club or other nightlife venue. As one participant said to us, sexual harassment and aggression are something “we’re kind of taught to expect”. </p>
<h2>The festival environment</h2>
<p>Festivals are not the only spaces women experience sexual harassment or violence. But there are unique aspects of festivals that unfortunately make them ideal locations for perpetrating these acts, while simultaneously making it difficult for women to report or seek help. </p>
<p>Crowded stage areas can provide a cloak of anonymity for perpetrators who harass, grope or assault. Perpetrators can disappear into crowds quickly and are difficult to locate by security or other staff. One woman in our research described this behaviour as like “drive by” misogyny. </p>
<p>Similarly, the walkways between festival and camping areas, as well as the camping sites themselves, were highlighted by women in our study as spaces where they had been harassed or followed. One woman described having a man “break into” her tent and assault her. These spaces rarely have security on site and may be located away from security huts, making it difficult to report quickly. </p>
<p>Culturally, festivals can be locations that see high levels of alcohol and drug intoxication. They are also places where large groups of men attend together. These aspects reduced how safe women (and to a lesser extent, men) felt at festivals in our <a href="https://dro.dur.ac.uk/34898/">earlier survey</a>. </p>
<p>The women we interviewed felt these factors created a cultural atmosphere where sexual violence was normalised and sometimes trivialised by friends, other festivalgoers, perpetrators and, in some cases, festival staff, including security. </p>
<p>Women described being shocked and upset and told us that the experience often ruined the festival for them. Some had stopped going to festivals. Others changed their behaviour to reduce the risk of sexual violence in other ways. In other words, women engaged in what is known as “<a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/01924036.2020.1732435">safety work</a>” – such as reducing their alcohol consumption, avoiding certain places and not going to places alone. </p>
<h2>Changing the space</h2>
<p>One of the unusual features of festivals compared with other nightlife and live music settings is that the venue is not fixed – it is changeable and adaptable. This means that there are opportunities to redesign and reimagine the spatial layout of festivals with preventing sexual violence in mind. This may include placing security or safety ambassadors in specific locations closer to the areas women are reporting harassment or assault, including in crowded stage areas, but a wider conversation about how to modify festival spaces is needed. </p>
<p>There have been positive developments over the last few years. The Association of Independent Festivals, which represents over 100 independent festivals, has <a href="https://aiforg.com/over-100-uk-festivals-commit-to-tackling-sexual-violence/">developed a charter and campaign</a> to raise awareness of sexual violence. The Association encourages festivals to take the issue seriously, with an approach that means all disclosures are believed and taken seriously in their prevention and response initiatives. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1521519965144113153"}"></div></p>
<p>Partnering with sexual violence specialist services such as <a href="https://rapecrisis.org.uk/">Rape Crisis</a> and grassroots campaign organisations like <a href="https://sgfw.org.uk/">Safe Gigs For Women</a> and <a href="https://goodnightoutcampaign.org/">Good Night Out</a> would be a welcome step - one that some festivals have taken. For example, Boomtown had Safer Spaces <a href="https://www.boomtownfair.co.uk/news/2022-08-01-harm-reduction-at-chapter-one/">at their festival</a> this year.</p>
<p>But more needs to be done. It requires commitment from all festivals at all levels, working together with specialist agencies and women who have experienced sexual violence, to create a coordinated strategy to improve women’s safety at festivals, alongside better data collection and sharing to ensure swift responses to issues on site and wider prevention through safety planning. More broadly, festivals need to address lineups and other areas of gender inequality to set a wider cultural change in motion.</p>
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<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Hannah Bows receives funding from the British Academy for her current projects, including the research this article is based on. She has previously received funding from the ESRC and Home Office.</span></em></p>Women not free to enjoy festivals in the same way as men.Hannah Bows, Associate Professor in Criminal Law, Durham UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1865582022-08-22T20:01:25Z2022-08-22T20:01:25Z‘You get burnt together, you get wet together, you dance together’: how festivals transform lives – and landscapes<p>Every year in lutruwita/Tasmania, <a href="https://www.triplem.com.au/story/dark-mofo-2022-figures-show-festival-was-a-success-202082">tens of thousands of people</a> journey to and meander through the island state and take in festivals such as <a href="https://darkmofo.net.au/">Dark Mofo</a>, <a href="https://cygnetfolkfestival.org/">Cygnet Folk Festival</a> or <a href="https://www.nayriniaragoodspirit.com/">Nayri Niara Good Spirit Festival</a>. </p>
<p>Part of the pull of this place and its cultural offerings are the landscapes in which such events are placed: picturesque mountain ranges and deep valleys; vast open paddocks and pristine bushlands; glistening coastlines; quirky city spaces.</p>
<p>As human geographers, we understand that festival landscapes are more than a party backdrop. They are not waiting, ready to greet us like some sort of environmental festival host. They have <a href="https://www.thoughtco.com/what-is-deep-time-1440836">Deep Time</a> and layers of meaning.</p>
<p>But when they become spaces for creative adventures, these landscapes also have profound effects on how people experience festivals, affecting our sense of place, of ourselves and others. </p>
<p>Festivals come with specific boundaries – dates, gates or fences – and mark a period and place in which we experience <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02614360802127243">some shifting of social norms</a>. </p>
<p>In <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1755458622000354#!">our research</a>, we wanted to explore how festivals affect people’s sense of place, self and other.</p>
<p>As Grace, an avid festival-goer, told us “social expectations that come with adulthood get removed at a festival.” </p>
<blockquote>
<p>I don’t know what happens when you walk through the gate of a festival [..] you leave all that behind and you step into what feels like […] a more authentic version of yourself. Or at least a freer one.</p>
</blockquote>
<h2>Creating spaces</h2>
<p>A lot happens to make a festival landscape. </p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/475049/original/file-20220720-18-55x92j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Tents" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/475049/original/file-20220720-18-55x92j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/475049/original/file-20220720-18-55x92j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=905&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/475049/original/file-20220720-18-55x92j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=905&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/475049/original/file-20220720-18-55x92j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=905&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/475049/original/file-20220720-18-55x92j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1137&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/475049/original/file-20220720-18-55x92j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1137&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/475049/original/file-20220720-18-55x92j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1137&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A lot goes into forming a temporary community around a festival site.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Tanya Pro/Unsplash</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Teams of staff and volunteers establish campsites, install rows of toilets that often are also composting works of art, build stages, lay kilometres of pipes and power chords and design paths, sculptures and dance floors. </p>
<p>These collective labours create a special atmosphere; serve basic needs for sleep, food, hydration, warmth and sanitation; invite journeying to and from; and foster relationships to places and sites via immersive experiences and hands-on engagements with the landscape itself, for itself.</p>
<p>Travis, a stage-builder and DJ, told us:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>if you use what’s already there, then [the stage] blends in with that whole environment and ties in to how people see it and how people feel in it.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Marion, a festival artist, spoke of her desire to show care and respect by creating work that “doesn’t impose and can […] naturally be reabsorbed” into the landscape. </p>
<p>She described how all of the rocks for a labyrinth at one event came from the festival site. Once, the sheep who lived there walked through on their usual path – destroying her installation. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-environmental-cost-of-abandoning-your-tent-at-a-music-festival-120198">The environmental cost of abandoning your tent at a music festival</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Transformative experiences</h2>
<p>When people attend festivals, they often attach themselves to the landscape and detach from their daily lives: they are looking for transformative experiences. </p>
<p>In lutruwita/Tasmania, festivals such as <a href="https://www.fractangular.com.au/">Fractangular</a> near Buckland and <a href="https://m.facebook.com/panamafestival">PANAMA</a> in the Lone Star Valley take place in more remote parts of the state. </p>
<p>Grace, from Hobart, told us that being in those landscapes taps into</p>
<blockquote>
<p>something that humans have done forever […] gather around sound and nature and just experience that and feel freedom.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Even when festivals are based in urban landscapes, the transformation of these spaces can evoke a sense of freedom. </p>
<p>For Ana, a festival organiser, creating thematic costumes is part of her own transformation. </p>
<p>At festivals she feels freedom to “wear ‘more out there’ things”.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>If I was on the street just on a Wednesday I’d have to [explain my outfit] […] Whereas at a [street] festival[it] flies under the radar. </p>
</blockquote>
<h2>Body memories</h2>
<p>Festival landscapes have features conducive for meeting in place (think open spaces, play spaces, food and drink venues) and for separating out (think fences and signs). </p>
<p>Commingling at festivals can literally lead people to bump into each other, reaffirm old bonds and create new connections through shared experiences. </p>
<p>One artist, Marion, told us:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>When you go and you camp, you get burnt together, you get wet together, you dance together. [It creates] an embrace for me.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Festivals often linger in people’s memories, entwined with <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10708-008-9222-0">bodily experiences</a>. People we spoke with talked about hearing birdsong and music, seeing the sun rise and fall over the hills and feeling grass under their dancing feet.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/475051/original/file-20220720-17-4t8hrw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="The galaxy at night." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/475051/original/file-20220720-17-4t8hrw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/475051/original/file-20220720-17-4t8hrw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/475051/original/file-20220720-17-4t8hrw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/475051/original/file-20220720-17-4t8hrw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/475051/original/file-20220720-17-4t8hrw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/475051/original/file-20220720-17-4t8hrw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/475051/original/file-20220720-17-4t8hrw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Some festivals are held in remote parts of Tasmania.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Ken Cheung/Unsplash</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>While <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0038038514565835">one-off events</a> can be meaningful, revisiting festivals may have an <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1440783318773531">especially powerful effect</a>. </p>
<p>Annual festival pilgrimages become cycles of anticipation, immersion and memory-making. This continuing relationship with a landscape also allows festival goers to observe how the environment is changing.</p>
<p>As festival organiser Lisa said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>since 2013 […] every summer our site just got drier and drier. 2020 was the driest year of all. There was no creek. There was just a stagnant puddle.</p>
</blockquote>
<h2>Writing new stories</h2>
<p>The COVID-19 pandemic led organisers and attendees to <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/how-music-festivals-are-surviving-coronavirus-cancellations/a-54374343">rethink engagements with live events</a>. Many were cancelled; some were trialled online. </p>
<p>But after seasons of <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-07-17/music-festivals-in-tasmania-after-coronavirus/12462076">cancellations</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/without-visiting-headliners-can-local-artists-save-our-festivals-154830">downscaling</a> and <a href="https://untv.theunconformity.com.au/">online events</a>, some festivals in lutruwita/Tasmania are back, attracting thousands of domestic and interstate visitors. </p>
<p>For those festivals that have disappeared, their traces remain in our countless individual and collective stories of the magic of festival landscapes.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/without-visiting-headliners-can-local-artists-save-our-festivals-154830">Without visiting headliners, can local artists save our festivals?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
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<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/186558/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Every year, tens of thousands travel to art events throughout Tasmania. These unique festival landscapes change the way we experience the world – and ourselves.Amelie Katczynski, Research Assistant, Deakin UniversityElaine Stratford, Professor, School of Geography, Planning, and Spatial Sciences, University of TasmaniaPauline Marsh, Social Researcher, Wicking Dementia Research and Education Centre, University of TasmaniaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1868312022-07-13T01:32:28Z2022-07-13T01:32:28ZEnforcing adult chaperones of teens at Splendour in the Grass actually undermines public health<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/473726/original/file-20220712-31783-e10y9a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=49%2C0%2C5472%2C3637&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Krists Luhaers/Unsplash</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>On Monday night, Splendour in the Grass, an annual three-day music festival in Byron, New South Wales, <a href="https://twitter.com/SITG/status/1546383499862904832">posted to social media</a> the news that all patrons under the age of 18 “must be accompanied by a responsible adult at all times whilst at the event.”</p>
<p>The festival is due to begin on July 22. Prior to this new restriction from New South Wales Police, only people under the age of 16 had to be accompanied by an adult. </p>
<p>Changing the rules two weeks out from opening has the potential to be damaging to the livelihood of the event. Tickets start at $189 for a single day pass, and families will need to plan their days differently around the event, if they can afford additional tickets at all. </p>
<p>Festivals like Splendour have the opportunity to be a transformative event for young people: a unique experience with their friends, fostering social connectivity. </p>
<p>Events like Splendour help young people develop their own skills around healthy behaviour, but for this to happen we need to trust them – and their community. </p>
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<h2>What we talk about when we talk about safety</h2>
<p>“Safety” has become increasingly significant in the vocabulary of researchers, public bodies, event managers and police. Social health, mental well-being, physical safety and experiences are all central to successful events – even more so now with COVID. </p>
<p>But there is a lack of psychological understanding in how different forms of safety can intersect. </p>
<p>Event managers, police and medical teams all have <a href="https://www.napier.ac.uk/research-and-innovation/research-search/outputs/covid-19-mass-gathering-events-and-attendee-safety-protocol-for-turbulent-times">different views</a> of safety within an event. Too often, event safety is considered in silos. The police are making decisions independently of event managers, medical teams and those tasked with occupational health and safety. </p>
<p>Experienced event managers will tell you events like Splendour are intuitively designed through many years of personal experience. This new decision demonstrates a real lack of trust on behalf of the police. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/473727/original/file-20220712-37237-drejpw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A crowd dancing" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/473727/original/file-20220712-37237-drejpw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/473727/original/file-20220712-37237-drejpw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/473727/original/file-20220712-37237-drejpw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/473727/original/file-20220712-37237-drejpw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/473727/original/file-20220712-37237-drejpw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/473727/original/file-20220712-37237-drejpw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/473727/original/file-20220712-37237-drejpw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Music festivals are carefully planned with health and safety in mind.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Stephen Arnold/Unsplash</span></span>
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</figure>
<p>This poor communication between the event managers and police is exacerbated by the lack of consistency and tools used to maintain safety around events. </p>
<p>Risk assessment gets trapped in a legislative environment which bumps up against what we want an event to be. We want events to be a place where people come together and work towards one cause – this should be as true for planning the safety of an event as for the enjoyment of the event itself. </p>
<p>Unidirectional decisions like this from the NSW Police shut the door on creative ideas on health and safety. And without any formal evaluation, we won’t know the impacts of this on these young people, their families and the event as a whole. </p>
<p>There is a real opportunity for events to promote health for their audiences and the community. Part of this means there is an ownership of risk among the attendees: an agreement from everyone involved that they will work together to take care of each other. </p>
<p>Information sharing between onsite care providers can lead to more targeted and effective strategies, such as how to manage inebriated patrons, crowd control and drug use. All parties need to have a debrief post event and evaluate the good, the bad and the ugly, and identify and address any issues.</p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/when-the-coroner-looked-at-how-to-cut-drug-deaths-at-music-festivals-the-evidence-won-but-what-happens-next-126669">When the coroner looked at how to cut drug deaths at music festivals, the evidence won. But what happens next?</a>
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</em>
</p>
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<p>Evaluation ensures we are not repeating mistakes, and good strategies are continued.</p>
<p>Splendour in the Grass actually has a strong track record in considering the health of attendees, offering free STI screenings on site. Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are a health issue for all sexually active people; young people are at an increased risk due to the exploration of their own sexuality, and other risk-taking behaviours such as drug and alcohol consumption. </p>
<p>The success of this program <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/272834445_The_Use_of_Haddon's_Matrix_to_Plan_for_Injury_and_Illness_Prevention_at_Outdoor_Music_Festivals">has shown</a> events can successfully engage young people in their health. </p>
<h2>Learning how to navigate the world</h2>
<p>Young people learn a lot from their parents. For many young people, their family is their safety net. But at 16 and 17, young people are more attracted to their peer group. Events give young people a chance for freedom and experimentation in a controlled environment with established support. </p>
<p>Freedom doesn’t necessarily mean drugs and alcohol. Instead, it is about navigating a crowd, being safe and taking care of friends.</p>
<p>The event managers at Splendour in the Grass want their community to look out for each other. They want participants to drink water, recycle and get home safe. They have worked for years to establish a festival community which supports this. </p>
<p>This decision by the police creates turbulence around the event. Rather than tasking civic responsibility onto the community which gathers at Splendour, the police are announcing they have the responsibility – without creating an opportunity to create a shared space for risk reduction.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/473728/original/file-20220712-31542-3nhkl6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Friends sit on the grass" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/473728/original/file-20220712-31542-3nhkl6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/473728/original/file-20220712-31542-3nhkl6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/473728/original/file-20220712-31542-3nhkl6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/473728/original/file-20220712-31542-3nhkl6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/473728/original/file-20220712-31542-3nhkl6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=504&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/473728/original/file-20220712-31542-3nhkl6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=504&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/473728/original/file-20220712-31542-3nhkl6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=504&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">It is important teenagers learn to look out for each other.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Aranxa Esteve/Unsplash</span></span>
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</figure>
<p>We should be asking festival goers to support young people. We want people to teach 16 and 17-year-olds how to behave safely at these events: how to make sensible choices around drugs, how to be safe around people who are drinking, when to ask for help. </p>
<p>By mandating these young people must be supervised, the impact the wider community can have is diminished.</p>
<p>Events like Splendour in the Grass can help young people develop their own skills around healthy behaviour. But messages need to be empowering. We can empower these young people by giving them knowledge and skills about navigating the world and giving them the space to make informed choices. </p>
<p>Saying they need to be accompanied by a “responsible adult” will undermine the independence young people are starting to feel, and they will miss opportunities to facilitate healthy behaviours when they go back out into the world. </p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/three-ways-to-help-your-teenage-kids-develop-a-healthier-relationship-with-alcohol-80892">Three ways to help your teenage kids develop a healthier relationship with alcohol</a>
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<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/186831/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Alison Hutton does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Requiring adult supervision for 16 and 17 year olds is undermining health and community, and a huge overreach from police.Alison Hutton, Professor, University of NewcastleLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1713972021-11-08T07:30:39Z2021-11-08T07:30:39ZAstroworld tragedy: here’s how concert organisers can prevent big crowds turning deadly<p>A <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-11-08/astroworld-crowd-crush-deaths-travis-scott-kylie-jenner/100602042">fatal crowd surge</a> during a performance by US rapper Travis Scott on Friday night has become one of the deadliest live music incidents in <a href="https://theconversation.com/carnage-at-ariana-grande-concert-in-manchester-a-suspected-terrorist-attack-78187">recent years</a>. Crowd crushes during the Houston show, which was part of the Astroworld Music Festival, led to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/article/astroworld-festival-victims.html">eight deaths and dozens of injuries</a>. </p>
<p>The incident is still being investigated, with criminal investigations also underway. How does such catastrophe emerge in a space where people are supposed to be enjoying themselves? </p>
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<p>I have been working in the area of crowd safety for several years. My expertise focuses on ways of boosting safety at large events such as Schoolies, outdoor music festivals and sporting tournaments. Based on reports, it seems several factors — compounded by mismanagement — led to an environment that was not conducive to what we call “cooperative crowding”. </p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/friday-essay-the-sound-of-fear-65230">Friday essay: the sound of fear</a>
</strong>
</em>
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<h2>An unsettled start</h2>
<p>In a successfully managed event, organisers will create an atmosphere in which people are relaxed and feel part of a collective. Reports of early pushing and shoving at Scott’s show are a bad sign. </p>
<p>Adding to this, several witnesses reported they were unable to persuade event organisers to take action once the disaster was unfolding. It may be the music was too loud, although such details won’t be known until investigations finish. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/06/us/travis-scott-crowd-surge.html">According to the New York Times</a> and several other outlets, Scott’s show continued for 40 minutes after city officials reported on the “mass casualty event” — with the show finishing just half an hour earlier than planned.</p>
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<h2>It’s all about event control</h2>
<p>Event managers will often turn the lights up, or play music with a slower tempo, to help tame a rowdy audience. Lighting conditions and music are both important <a href="https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/public-health-for-mass-gatherings-key-considerations">psychosocial considerations</a>.</p>
<p>In fact, there are several ways organisers and performers on stage can attempt to settle a crowd — even among audiences of high-intensity musical acts.</p>
<p>For instance, German heavy-metal band Rammstein can attract intense and sometimes aggressive crowds. When the band played the 2011 Big Day Out festival in Sydney, <a href="https://doi.org/10.3727/152599518X15346132863157">managers put on a pyrotechnic display</a> and ambient music between sets to helps shift and control the crowd’s mood. </p>
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<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Gv9BgkaCcrc?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Rammstein played in Sydney in 2001 for the Big Day Out music festival.</span></figcaption>
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<p>It’s about knowing your audience and the environment they are likely to create. The <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/263332870_Developments_in_the_real-time_evaluation_of_audience_behaviour_at_planned_events">genre will determine the demographic</a> and the expectation of the crowd’s behaviour. If it’s expected a particular show will attract a high-energy demographic, this needs to be prepared for in advance. Effective crowd control is preemptive, not reactive. </p>
<p>At music festivals, the acts in the lineup can also have a direct influence on the audience’s behaviour. Festival-goers can be persuaded to participate in activities and behaviours at the performer(s) request, abandoning safety restrictions put in place by event management. </p>
<p>As such, performers can create a calming environment through their interaction with the audience and have a positive influence on the crowd.</p>
<h2>What measures are in place?</h2>
<p>Despite widespread coverage of the Astroworld incident, the reality is that deadly crowd surges are not common. Australia’s most recent crowd-related music festival fatality was during a <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/doublej/music-reads/features/how-the-big-day-out-lost-its-innocence/11606956">Limp Bizkit performance</a>, during the Big Day Out event in 2001.</p>
<p>On the whole, event managers put a lot of work into making sure crowds are looked after. Investment in crowd care can come through venue “chill-out spaces”, and granting different levels of access such as ground level versus stalls, or VIP seating. This is because events both in Australia and internationally are <a href="https://www.dpc.nsw.gov.au/tools-and-resources/event-starter-guide/risk-assessment-and-risk-management/">heavily</a> <a href="https://knowledge.aidr.org.au/media/1959/manual-12-safe-and-healthy-mass-gatherings.pdf">legislated</a>. </p>
<p>On-the-ground security guards matter a lot, as they help ensure the crowd is sufficiently spread out and safe. The layout and design of the venue is also crucial, and the space should be able to handle the expected number of attendees. </p>
<p>The 2010 <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love_Parade_disaster">Love Parade disaster</a> in Germany is one example of a chaotic crowd surge in which there were several systemic issues. The events communications system went down and there was only only one entry and exit – a catastrophic situation that <a href="https://epjdatascience.springeropen.com/articles/10.1140/epjds7">culminated</a> in 21 deaths in a crush inside a tunnel.</p>
<p>Closer to home, in 2016 attendees at the <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-12-31/falls-festival-stampede-leaves-80-injured/8155392">Falls Festival</a> had to rush from one stage to another, which resulted in about 80 people being injured, including 20 hospital admissions. </p>
<p>On the other hand, there are plenty of well-organised events that manage to accommodate hundreds of thousands of people, such as the <a href="https://www.somersetlive.co.uk/news/somerset-news/how-many-people-attend-glastonbury-4166109">Glastonbury festival</a>. </p>
<h2>What can I do in this situation?</h2>
<p>As concerts and shows start to resume, you may wonder how you can stay safe in a volatile crowd. The reality is, there is not much someone can do if they find themselves stuck deep in a dense mosh pit which is out of control, and the risk in this scenario is great. </p>
<p>The best way to avoid danger is to stay on the fringes, well away from the most congested sections of the crowd. If you have concert plans, ask yourself: what kind of people might I expect? Will people be drinking? Will it be family-friendly? Common sense will go a long way. </p>
<p>If, despite your planning, you find yourself in a crowd situation where you don’t feel safe, you should immediately report to security if you can. If you’re near the stage, you might also be able to get the performer’s attention. The performer has lot of power and, as several incidents in the <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/music/placebo-stops-newcastle-gig-to-kick-out-fighting-crowd-members-20170913-gygauy.html">past have shown us</a>, they can shut things down until the crowd starts to cooperate. </p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/computing-the-chances-of-olympic-crowd-chaos-8066">Computing the chances of Olympic crowd chaos</a>
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</em>
</p>
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<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/171397/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Alison Hutton does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Investigations are being conducted to figure out what led to the death of eight people during a crowd surge at Travis Scott’s show.Alison Hutton, Professor , University of NewcastleLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1656122021-08-12T22:46:04Z2021-08-12T22:46:04ZAfter the last ‘summer of terrible drugs’ it’s time to make NZ’s temporary drug checking law permanent<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/415776/original/file-20210812-16-183ol7v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=9%2C0%2C5988%2C3935&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">www.shutterstock.com</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>With the summer music festival season approaching (COVID willing), hopes are high that the current temporary recreational drug checking law will become permanent. If and when that happens, New Zealand will take another small step down the long drug reform road from criminalisation to harm prevention. </p>
<p>Submissions to parliament’s health select committee on the <a href="https://www.legislation.govt.nz/bill/government/2021/0034/latest/LMS493289.html?search=ts_act%40bill%40regulation%40deemedreg_drug+and+substance+_resel_25_a&amp;p=1">Drug and Substance Checking Bill</a> have now closed, with a report due in October. If the <a href="https://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2020/0063/latest/LMS430928.html">stop-gap law</a> rushed in for the 2020-21 summer is made permanent it will allow buyers of otherwise illegal drugs to have them independently checked without either the user or testing agency risking prosecution.</p>
<p>It’s an important service, given the dangers inherent in the illicit drug market and the chances of substances being cut or compromised with other toxic stimulants, as happened with some <a href="https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/wellingtonians-warned-harmful-substances-in-party-drugs-well-distributed-across-nz/KCEWCNW4G3AMRZ5CZACVMV2V2I/">MDMA circulating</a> last year.</p>
<p>Making testing legal, even if what is being tested isn’t, is a tacit acknowledgement that New Zealand’s “war on drugs” – which began 122 years ago with the <a href="http://www.nzlii.org/nz/legis/hist_act/opa19011ev1901n26307/">Opium Prohibition Act</a> – needs rethinking.</p>
<p>Despite generations of effort, the supply, demand and diversity of illegal drugs have grown, not diminished. Profit, pleasure and addiction have proved exceptionally powerful forces both <a href="https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/data-and-analysis/wdr2021.html">internationally</a> and domestically. </p>
<p>And while border seizures were <a href="https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/covid-19-coronavirus-drug-seizures-at-border-decline-dramatically-after-year-of-pandemic/DCILXNEZJEWHGK3J4MJOAWTW2M/">way down</a> due to COVID-19 restrictions, the black market in New Zealand for illegal drugs (not counting cannabis) is still worth an estimated <a href="https://www.police.govt.nz/about-us/publication/national-wastewater-testing-programme-quarter-1-2021">NZ$77 million per quarter</a>.</p>
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<h2>Success and failure</h2>
<p>New Zealand first tried a different approach in 1987. The then Labour government introduced a national needle exchange program — a world first that allowed intravenous drug users to receive clean needles. The program significantly <a href="https://www.scimex.org/newsfeed/needle-exchanges-helped-reduced-nz-hiv-transmissions">reduced the risk of catching HIV</a> or hepatitis C, <a href="https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/needle-and-syringe-exchange-programme-saves-lives">saving lives</a> and tens of millions in health spending.</p>
<p>The next innovation was a world-leading attempt to legalise and regulate the rapidly evolving synthetic drug market. It ultimately <a href="https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/the-wireless/375177/a-drug-experiment-gone-wrong">fell over</a> due to practical problems implementing the Psychoactive Substances Act, public backlash and resistance to animal testing.</p>
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<em>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/we-cant-eradicate-drugs-but-we-can-stop-people-dying-from-them-54636">We can't eradicate drugs, but we can stop people dying from them</a>
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<p>This pattern of innovation and failure has continued. While the use of <a href="https://www.legislation.govt.nz/regulation/public/2019/0321/latest/LMS285243.html#LMS285242">medical cannabis</a> became legal in 2019, the referendum on legalising recreational cannabis <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/nov/06/new-zealand-narrowly-votes-no-to-legalising-cannabis-in-referendum">failed</a> at last year’s general election.</p>
<p>A <a href="https://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2019/0042/latest/whole.html">2019 amendment</a> to the Misuse of Drugs Act did pass, however, giving police clearer discretion not to prosecute for possession of small amounts of illegal drugs. Despite room for improvement, the new system has seen <a href="https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/drug-law-impact-revealed-number-of-people-charged-per-month-dropping-dramatically-less-bias-against-maori/WQBN5JSLNN5XTN4HYZAFUT7XSE/">fewer prosecutions for personal use</a> and has helped shift the focus towards health and away from the criminal courts.</p>
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<h2>Drug checking prevents tragedies</h2>
<p>Given Labour’s parliamentary majority and that the drug checking bill is a government initiative, it’s likely to pass. If for some reason it didn’t, individuals or organisations handling drugs to check them would risk being charged with possession or supply. </p>
<p>Anyone allowing drug testing to operate on their premises would also be at risk because their co-operation could be seen as evidence of knowledge that illegal drugs were being consumed.</p>
<p>Most critically, if drug users can’t get reliable information about what they’re taking, their uninformed choices carry unpredictable and potentially extreme risks. Naïve customers and untrustworthy dealers can be a fatal combination.</p>
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<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/heres-why-doctors-are-backing-pill-testing-at-music-festivals-across-australia-109430">Here's why doctors are backing pill testing at music festivals across Australia</a>
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<p>Between 2017 and 2019, more than <a href="https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/398453/synthetic-cannabis-more-than-70-deaths-in-two-years-blamed-on-the-drug">70 deaths</a> were attributed to synthetic cannabis in New Zealand. </p>
<p>When the volunteer drug checking and harm reduction organisation <a href="https://knowyourstuff.nz/">Know Your Stuff NZ</a> checked 2,744 samples of other drugs at 27 events between April 2020 and March 2021, “<a href="https://knowyourstuff.nz/2021/07/07/this-was-the-summer-of-terrible-drugs/">only 68%</a> of all the samples checked were the substance that people expected”. They called it “the summer of terrible drugs”.</p>
<p>Even cannabis sourced illegally for medicinal reasons is often <a href="https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/125563016/few-would-provide-an-effective-dose-esr-does-firstofitskind-testing-on-black-market-medicinal-cannabis-products">not what people expect</a>, or even effective. Not surprisingly, then, research has shown <a href="https://www.karger.com/Article/FullText/507049">the vast majority of people</a> would opt to have their illegal drugs tested if they could do so without risk of arrest and could trust the information.</p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/if-reducing-harm-to-society-is-the-goal-a-cost-benefit-analysis-shows-cannabis-prohibition-has-failed-145688">If reducing harm to society is the goal, a cost-benefit analysis shows cannabis prohibition has failed</a>
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<h2>Protection from black markets</h2>
<p>It’s been argued that drug checking only encourages the use of illegal and harmful substances. But the <a href="https://openaccess.wgtn.ac.nz/articles/report/Drug_Checking_at_New_Zealand_Festivals_Final_Report_/13936346">evidence</a>
suggests <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33677840/">otherwise</a>.</p>
<p>Rather, informed decisions produce changes in behaviour. When drug customers realise they have been misled or have misunderstood the nature of a given substance, they typically take less, or none.</p>
<p>The so-called war on drugs may be turning into a war on misinformation. If the Drug and Substance Checking Act finally comes into force by December, as has been promised, it will reflect a legislative trend toward harm reduction.</p>
<p>It will not stop the illegal use of drugs. But it will be one step further towards making New Zealand citizens safer from the scourge of unregulated and dangerous black markets for drugs.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/165612/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Alexander Gillespie does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The Drug and Substance Checking Bill currently moving through parliament marks another milestone in New Zealand’s shift away from criminalisation and towards harm reduction.Alexander Gillespie, Professor of Law, University of WaikatoLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1580192021-04-01T10:18:54Z2021-04-01T10:18:54ZMusic festivals will be very different in summer 2021 – here’s what to expect<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/392895/original/file-20210331-19-mfmwc2.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">'To hell with going to the beach.'</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/empty-outdoor-concert-stage-on-sunny-547959106">Mauro Rodrigues</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Live events are set to make a welcome return as the <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/reopening-businesses-and-venues-in-england">UK moves</a> out of lockdown in the coming months. Parklife and Wireless are the latest events <a href="https://www.capitalfm.com/features/uk-festival-summer-2021-music-tickets-september/">to confirm</a> that they will go ahead this year, both for September, in Manchester and London respectively. Wireless has yet to announce artists, but Parklife’s bill includes rappers Megan Thee Stallion and Dave, and electronic stars Disclosure. </p>
<p>Meanwhile, Glastonbury <a href="https://www.nme.com/news/music/details-glastonbury-plans-two-day-concert-september-2907884">has made</a> a U-Turn from its previous cancellation announcement by releasing details of a possible two-day “concert” in September, again with no line-up details. Other big festival brands like Reading, Leeds, Isle of Wight, TRNSMT in Glasgow and Creamfields near Liverpool <a href="https://guides.ticketmaster.co.uk/festival-finder/">are also slated</a> to go ahead. </p>
<p>These announcements have been a long time coming. Sporting, music and cultural events are among the things that people <a href="https://exhibitionnews.uk/wecreateexperiences-poll-finds-consumers-eager-to-return-to-events/">have missed most</a> during the pandemic and are most looking forward to being able to attend again. </p>
<p>People’s reasons for attending events like music festivals <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/15470141003758035">range from</a> social interaction to a love of certain music styles. We love the escapism, the community ties that get built, and the sense of national and local pride that such events can instil in us. </p>
<p>Yet festivals in 2021 are going to be somewhat different frpm the ones we all know. The closeness of long queues, crammed cars, boulevards of tents and mass gatherings as your favourite performer graces the stage are unlikely to be part of the experience. So what can we expect this time around?</p>
<h2>Vaccine passports and social distancing</h2>
<p>Events have become viable again now that <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/half-of-all-adults-in-uk-receive-first-dose-of-covid-19-vaccine">more than half</a> of the UK population has received at least one vaccination. The impossibility of social distancing <a href="https://splg.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/what-is-social-distancing-and-how-can-it-slow-the-spread-of-COVID-19-johns-hopkins.pdf">saw these events</a> cancelled in 2020.</p>
<p>The much-mooted vaccine passport <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/02/14/vaccine-passports-enter-shops-pubs-events-consideration/">is viewed</a> as a possible way around the problem. The UK government is <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/explainers-55718553">conducting a review</a> to decide whether everyone from pubs to airlines to outdoor gatherings will have to require people to show this proof of vaccination before coming in, or whether it might be optional. </p>
<p>If we do see vaccine passport requirements at festivals, it will be a huge change and is bound to be controversial. Stone Roses lead singer, Ian Brown, <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-56278140">has already</a> pulled out of the Neighbourhood Weekender in Warrington in September for this reason, though the festival is saying it will follow the lead of whatever the government decides in June. </p>
<p>If there are no vaccine passports, the rate of vaccination and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/mar/26/france-uk-struggle-source-second-covid-jabs-eu-blackmail">the potential</a> for second-dose shortages suggests that even by the end of summer, there will still be a need to be careful in your contact with people. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/392897/original/file-20210331-19-7nu6uu.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Woman with mask holding up vaccine passport on phone" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/392897/original/file-20210331-19-7nu6uu.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/392897/original/file-20210331-19-7nu6uu.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/392897/original/file-20210331-19-7nu6uu.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/392897/original/file-20210331-19-7nu6uu.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/392897/original/file-20210331-19-7nu6uu.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/392897/original/file-20210331-19-7nu6uu.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/392897/original/file-20210331-19-7nu6uu.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Is this it?</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/selective-focus-on-smart-phone-defocused-1896994105">Travelwild</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Queuing at festivals is another major area where social distancing becomes compromised. <a href="https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/l/event-social-distancing-tools/">We can expect</a> timed entries and contactless ticketing to help manage the flows of people, along with contact tracing to help organisers manage potential infection. Event venues will <a href="https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/blog/event-safety-steps/">need to be</a> adapted with messaging about COVID symptoms and hygiene, plus handwashing stations. </p>
<p>Masks <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-56475807">are also likely</a> to be a requirement: our perception is that they will be mandatory at festivals all the time, at least until most of the population is fully vaccinated. The only times people will probably not need to wear them is when they are eating and drinking. </p>
<p>There are also additional requirements for security, cleaning and marshalling people. Organisers <a href="https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/blog/event-safety-steps/">have to at least</a> have conversations about whether they need extra staff to maintain social distancing and hygiene. We have seen innovative and perhaps gimmicky ideas, such as the <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-55794674">Flaming Lips bubble concert</a> where both the band and the audience were inside inflatable balls. Whether we will see anything as innovative at UK festivals over the summer remains to be seen. </p>
<h2>No maximum capacity?</h2>
<p>So far, indoor and outdoor venues require different approaches to manage social distancing. For events between mid-May and June 21, which is the nominal date for all English restrictions being lifted, they are already <a href="https://www.sportandrecreation.org.uk/news/covid-19/latest-government-guidance">being capped</a> at different numbers. </p>
<p>There is a 1,000 cap for indoor venues and 4,000 for outdoor venues (or 50% of capacity in both cases, if that’s lower). Large events are also permitted with a 10,000-person maximum, or a 25% capacity if that number is lower. </p>
<p>But from June 21, in England at least, the plan is that these capacity restrictions will be lifted. No doubt this explains why many festivals are slated for the late summer: even if the June 21 date were to slip by a few weeks, these events would hopefully not be ruined. </p>
<p>All the same, the pandemic has had enough twists and turns that festival cancellations are still an inevitable possibility. It has <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/c000f6cf-ac05-4923-bc5e-ff6f4e9eb161">been suggested</a> by event and festival organisers that there is a need for the government to underwrite insurance in case this happens over the summer. So will the government step in?</p>
<p>Certainly with international travel <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-56467813">likely to be restricted</a> in some form for a while, the chances are that international and local demand for festivals will still not be the same as they were <a href="https://go.euromonitor.com/white-paper-EC-2021-Top-10-Global-Consumer-Trends.html">pre-COVID</a>. </p>
<p>Travel restrictions will most certainly favour local and regional travel, and this may then mean that you will have to focus your attention on localised festival experiences. This is not entirely a bad thing as local festivals can foster community pride, and help <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S026151770300092X">local economies</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/392898/original/file-20210331-19-1tw4ugg.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Festival girl poking her head out of a tent" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/392898/original/file-20210331-19-1tw4ugg.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/392898/original/file-20210331-19-1tw4ugg.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/392898/original/file-20210331-19-1tw4ugg.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/392898/original/file-20210331-19-1tw4ugg.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/392898/original/file-20210331-19-1tw4ugg.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/392898/original/file-20210331-19-1tw4ugg.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/392898/original/file-20210331-19-1tw4ugg.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">‘Is it 2023 yet?’</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-stow-maries-uk-29th-august-2014-a-young-female-festivalgoer-peeps-73045859.html?pv=1&stamp=2&imageid=61368F76-8B62-4E31-A389-2D9CBF38D0AB&p=328200&n=2&orientation=0&pn=1&searchtype=0&IsFromSearch=1&srch=foo%3Dbar%26st%3D0%26sortby%3D2%26qt%3Dfestivalgoer%2520with%2520tent%26qt_raw%3Dfestivalgoer%2520with%2520tent%26qn%3D%26lic%3D3%26edrf%3D0%26mr%3D0%26pr%3D0%26aoa%3D1%26creative%3D%26videos%3D%26nu%3D%26ccc%3D%26bespoke%3D%26apalib%3D%26ag%3D0%26hc%3D0%26et%3D0x000000000000000000000%26vp%3D0%26loc%3D0%26ot%3D0%26imgt%3D0%26dtfr%3D%26dtto%3D%26size%3D0xFF%26blackwhite%3D%26cutout%3D%26archive%3D1%26name%3D%26groupid%3D%26pseudoid%3D319243%26userid%3D%26id%3D%26a%3D%26xstx%3D0%26cbstore%3D1%26resultview%3DsortbyPopular%26lightbox%3D%26gname%3D%26gtype%3D%26apalic%3D%26tbar%3D1%26pc%3D%26simid%3D%26cap%3D1%26customgeoip%3DGB%26vd%3D0%26cid%3D%26pe%3D%26so%3D%26lb%3D%26pl%3D0%26plno%3D%26fi%3D0%26langcode%3Den%26upl%3D0%26cufr%3D%26cuto%3D%26howler%3D%26cvrem%3D0%26cvtype%3D0%26cvloc%3D0%26cl%3D0%26upfr%3D%26upto%3D%26primcat%3D%26seccat%3D%26cvcategory%3D*%26restriction%3D%26random%3D%26ispremium%3D1%26flip%3D0%26contributorqt%3D%26plgalleryno%3D%26plpublic%3D0%26viewaspublic%3D0%26isplcurate%3D0%26imageurl%3D%26saveQry%3D%26editorial%3D%26t%3D0%26filters%3D0">G Scammel/Alamy</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Getting people back into local venues for any purposes is important for local economies. Perhaps the need for us to “build back stronger” entails encouraging more attendance at local cultural events before considering mass events such as Glastonbury.</p>
<p>We are all looking forward to a return to live events, but will be watching with interest to see exactly how they pan out over the next few months. We encourage people to support their local festivals and events as this, in time, will support the whole sector to bounce back from the pandemic.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/158019/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Your guide to what is going to become of the great British summer bonanza.Nick Davies, Lecturer and Programme Leader, BA International Tourism and Events Management, Glasgow Caledonian UniversityDaniel Baxter, Lecturer and Programme Leader MSc International Tourism and Events Management, Glasgow Caledonian UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1491682021-03-07T19:06:21Z2021-03-07T19:06:21ZElectronic cities: between COVID and gentrification, dance music is struggling to find its groove again<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/387916/original/file-20210305-13-1oca9su.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=6%2C0%2C4187%2C2797&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/energetic-deejay-standing-front-dancing-people-337411088">Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p><a>Electronic music</a> is the <a href="https://www.internationalmusicsummit.com/ims-business-report-2020-analyses-the-impact-of-the-global-pandemic-on-the-electronic-music-sector/">fifth-most-popular music genre</a> globally. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has been devastating for the electronic music industry. Its <a href="https://www.internationalmusicsummit.com/ims-business-report-2020-analyses-the-impact-of-the-global-pandemic-on-the-electronic-music-sector/">estimated value</a> fell from US$7.3 billion in 2019 to US$3.3 billion in 2020.</p>
<p>Hundreds of electronic festivals around the world have been cancelled. Some events have gone <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-55513167">underground</a>. In one case, more than 1,200 people were charged over an illegal rave party in Brittany that violated France’s <a href="https://www.voanews.com/covid-19-pandemic/hundreds-charged-covid-violations-after-french-new-years-rave">COVID restrictions</a>.</p>
<p>Electronic dance music uses specific spaces in a city, so it’s heavily affected by both cultural and planning policies. Our new book, <a href="https://www.palgrave.com/gp/book/9789813347403">Electronic Cities</a>, studies these scenes. The contributors focus on 18 cities across the world as case studies in the development of electronic music. </p>
<p>The <a href="http://www.davehaslam.com/#/adventures-on-the-wheels-of-steel-the-rise-of-the-superstar-djs/">world of DJs</a> has been studied before, but not the impacts of city policies on such a global scale. The book shows electronic music is not well integrated in cultural policies and gets little support. <a href="https://www.sounddiplomacy.com/music-city-infographic">Music city policies</a> often do not include this music genre.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yCIMrKLji_M?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</figure>
<p>Live venues are often not well protected by planning frameworks. This puts underground scenes that rely on small clubs at risk. </p>
<p>In Australia, we have seen some positive strategies, such as <a href="https://www.livetoolkit.com.au/guide/agent-of-change">Agent of Change</a> in Victoria, to protect inner-city live venues. Overall, though, electronic music is not well integrated in city policies. </p>
<h2>The rise of a global phenomenon</h2>
<p>Electronic music has grown from its origins in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgard_Var%C3%A8se">composers</a>’ <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musique_concr%C3%A8te">experimentation</a> in the 1950s to encompass as many as 153 different <a href="https://music.ishkur.com/">genres</a>. These range from commercial dance music and film soundtracks to niche/underground electronic music. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/WK977rQKHOo?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">The pulsating score of Midnight Express (1978) by Giorgio Moroder is a seminal piece of electronic music.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Broadly speaking, we can make a distinction between electronic dance music (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_dance_music">EDM</a>), also known as club music and made for dancing, and the more downtempo, conceptual intelligent dance music (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intelligent_dance_music">IDM</a>) made for listening at home. </p>
<p>Underground styles like acid techno are created by DJs, rather than musicians/producers, and are connected to specific clubs and audiences. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/EJAtMIhnKkI?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Acid techno emerged in London at underground clubs such as Club 414 in Brixton.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Australian dance music has been driven by an <a href="https://www.palgrave.com/gp/book/9789813347403">attitude of DIY self-reliance</a>. Local producers such as Flume, Alison Wonderland, Will Sparks and Nervo have had international success.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/FBBvgSgA1jg?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Alison Wonderland exemplifies a new generation of artists who are moving away from the cliches of the rave culture.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>All these different styles are sometimes grouped under the label of “<a href="https://highlark.com/edmc-the-expanding-of-social-understanding-and-acceptance-of-electronic-dance-music-culture/#:%7E:text=The%20Electronic%20Dance%20Music%20Culture,the%20participants%20within%20the%20culture.">electronic dance music culture</a>”. </p>
<h2>What role do cities have?</h2>
<p>The first hubs for electronic music were in the US (<a href="https://medium.com/@SupperMagazine/know-your-edm-history-chicago-house-and-detroit-techno-2e2ac15a5a9a">Chicago and Detroit</a>) and Germany (Dusseldorf and Berlin). Today, the culture has a global spread. Our book <a href="https://www.palgrave.com/gp/book/9789813347403">Electronic Cities</a> analyses emerging electronic dance music cultures in places like <a href="https://www.thatsmags.com/shenzhen/post/26478/history-behind-shenzhens-blossoming-underground-electronic-scene">Shenzhen</a> in China, <a href="https://www.electronicbeats.net/the-feed/raving-iran-documentary-teherans-techno-scene/">Tehran</a> in Iran and <a href="https://djmag.com/content/how-electronic-artists-are-reshaping-ghanian-music-scene">Accra in Ghana</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/378741/original/file-20210114-14-1hy658m.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Poster for MUTEK Festival" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/378741/original/file-20210114-14-1hy658m.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/378741/original/file-20210114-14-1hy658m.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=849&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/378741/original/file-20210114-14-1hy658m.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=849&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/378741/original/file-20210114-14-1hy658m.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=849&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/378741/original/file-20210114-14-1hy658m.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1067&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/378741/original/file-20210114-14-1hy658m.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1067&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/378741/original/file-20210114-14-1hy658m.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1067&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The long-running MUTEK Montreal electronic music festival is integrated with the city’s cultural policies.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Affiche_MUTEK_2011.png">MUTEKFestival/Wikipedia Commons</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Cities have used the music as a tool for city branding, to promote international tourism and to develop nightlife economies. <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2016/6/2/11840650/movement-festival-detroit-demf-electronic-music-techno">Techno Week</a> in Detroit, for instance, is a major drawcard for the city. In Cluj-Napoca, Romania, the <a href="https://g.co/kgs/CbnnYJ">Untold EDM Festival</a> has been central to a strategy to attract tourists to this rural area. </p>
<p>Although some governments have embraced the industry, it has also suffered from official neglect. In large cities, small underground clubs, such as the former <a href="https://brixtonblog.com/2019/08/brixton-market-owners-buy-home-of-414-club/?cn-reloaded=1">Club 414</a> in <a href="https://www.brixtonbuzz.com/2020/08/gentrification-pop-brixton-the-battle-of-brixton-and-the-london-dream/#:%7E:text=In%20Brixton%2C%20house%20prices%20increased,a%20'global%20reserve%20currency'.">Brixton</a>, are constantly under threat from <a href="https://brixtonblog.com/2020/12/building-owners-cold-shoulder-creators-of-club-414/">redevelopment</a>. These clubs have unique historic and cultural value but are not well protected by planning regulations.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/366904/original/file-20201102-23-1s6nbm1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/366904/original/file-20201102-23-1s6nbm1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/366904/original/file-20201102-23-1s6nbm1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=403&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/366904/original/file-20201102-23-1s6nbm1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=403&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/366904/original/file-20201102-23-1s6nbm1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=403&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/366904/original/file-20201102-23-1s6nbm1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=506&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/366904/original/file-20201102-23-1s6nbm1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=506&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/366904/original/file-20201102-23-1s6nbm1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=506&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Club 414 fell victim to the gentrification of Brixton in London.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Tony Pommell (ex-Club 414 owner)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>What next?</h2>
<p>Musician and record producer <a href="https://mfsberlin.com/mark-reeder">Mark Reeder</a> lives in Berlin, a world centre for clubbing. He has seen the disruptions caused by the pandemic unfold. In an interview for <a href="https://www.palgrave.com/gp/book/9789813347403">Electronic Cities</a>, he said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>This is the turning point that I thought would eventually happen. After 30 years of techno, it was on the brink. I believed something new was on the horizon. Obviously, I didn’t think it would be exactly like this.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Paul Curtis, the manager of Australian band <a href="https://www.regurgitator.net/">Regurgitator</a>, which straddles punk rock and electronica, had a similar vision:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>We’d already been thinking for the last bunch of years - how the hell do we continue to do what we do in a world that we have to change?</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The band had been operating for some time as a kind of small-scale economy, with sustainability as a focus. The collapse of venues in the wake of COVID forced some of their plans to change, but they started to rethink options.</p>
<p>Curtis was puzzled by the attitude of some music business colleagues:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>They were saying, ‘As soon as this is over, and we get back to normal’, and I’m thinking, well that’s just delusion.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Curtis used the pandemic quiet to finish a <a href="http://lunapalace.com.au/special-events+3939+unit20-regurgitator-plays-unit-and-moreat-the-movies">live concert film</a> of the band. He has been distributing it through independent cinemas and music venues that have geared up for screenings. </p>
<p>Australia responded to the economic impacts of the pandemic by introducing the JobKeeper payment to help businesses retain staff. But many venues and most <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-government-says-artists-should-be-able-to-access-jobkeeper-payments-its-not-that-simple-138530">artists and arts workers were ineligible</a>. </p>
<p>Artists globally had similar experiences. In Helsinki, Finland, as <a href="https://giacomobotta.wordpress.com/">Giacomo Botta</a> explains in <a href="https://www.palgrave.com/gp/book/9789813347403">Electronic Cities</a>, public support during the pandemic went only to recognised electronic dance music organisations. More marginal and underground communities, often most affected by the pandemic, were ignored. </p>
<p>On a more positive note, Sara Ross, speaking as part of a panel at <a href="https://www.ctm-festival.de/festival-2021/theme">CTM Festival 2021</a>, explained that switching to online platforms such as <a href="https://www.twitch.tv/">Twitch</a> – usually used by gamers – might help Toronto DJs widen their audience. </p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">At CTM Berlin, contributors to the Electronic Cities book talk about electronic music, urban policies and the pandemic.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Reeder reflects on Berlin and what the future might look like:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>I think this situation is having a profound effect on the way people consume contemporary music and especially what we perceived as the club scene.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>He notes the desperation of <a href="https://theconversation.com/clubbing-at-home-how-live-streaming-made-dj-sets-more-inclusive-149931">DJs streaming from home</a>, and the emphasis on nostalgia – “sounds of the past becoming the sounds of the future”.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/149168/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Urban planning and cultural policies often neglect electronic dance music. Now the pandemic is forcing the EDM world to come up with new strategies to survive.Sebastien Darchen, Senior Lecturer in Planning, The University of QueenslandDamien Charrieras, Associate Professor, School of Creative Media, City University of Hong KongJohn Willsteed, Senior lecturer, Queensland University of TechnologyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1462062020-10-12T18:45:15Z2020-10-12T18:45:15ZHow toy pianos went from child’s play into classical concert halls<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/359751/original/file-20200924-22-11tzoet.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=7%2C29%2C4881%2C3224&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>A child’s toy may seem like an unlikely candidate for the classical concert hall. Around the world, however, thousands of musicians gather every year for festivals, conferences and concerts dedicated to the toy piano. </p>
<p>Exploring its sound, range, and playing technique, these composers and performers congregate to talk about latest developments in toy piano music and perform new pieces.</p>
<p>Along with many festivals in the <a href="https://library.ucsd.edu/news-events/events/toy-piano-festival-2020/">US</a> and <a href="https://toypiano-weekend.de/en/out-of-this-world/">Germany</a>, <a href="https://music-as-play.wixsite.com/toypiano">Italy</a> and <a href="https://toymusic.modoo.at">Korea</a> have both held their first toy piano festival in recent years.</p>
<p>Pop artists such as <a href="https://www.facebook.com/schoenhut/photos/a.439767672722639/679368202095917/?type=1&theater">Bruno Mars</a> and groups such as <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_exesnCA5Y&ab_channel=Coldplay">Coldplay</a> have brought a larger audience to what was once considered a niche and experimental use of the instrument. Search “toy piano” or “tiny piano” on Twitter or Facebook and you’ll find countless posts featuring performers and composers using or discussing the instrument. </p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">Old music can sound new on a toy piano.</span></figcaption>
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<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/jamming-with-your-toddler-how-music-trumps-reading-for-childhood-development-49660">Jamming with your toddler: how music trumps reading for childhood development</a>
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</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Serious music with a playful spin</h2>
<p>Toy pianos, despite being designed and marketed to children and families, have been used for decades to write everything from concertos to pop songs.</p>
<p>French composer <a href="https://www.yanntiersen.com/">Yann Tiersen</a> used one prominently in his score to the 2001 film Amélie to represent the title character’s inner child.</p>
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<p>Neil Diamond’s song, Shilo, is one of the earliest pop songs to feature toy piano (you can hear it in the bridge at about the 2:28 mark <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cm85iAo05TQ&ab_channel=NeilDiamond-Topic&t=2m25s">here</a>).</p>
<p>And John Cage’s 1940s suite for toy piano, where he took all the seriousness of writing for the piano and put a playful spin on it, came at a crucial moment in the mid-20th century; hard borders of the musical arts, which reached a limit of seriousness in the 1920s and 1930s, had started to break down. </p>
<p>This mixing of traditional “high music” with artefacts that might be considered juvenile, populist, naff, or domestic, was becoming more common — and more exciting. </p>
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<h2>Play and experimentation</h2>
<p>Toy pianos typically have a range of 12-36 keys, roughly one quarter the range of a full piano (though there are smaller and larger examples, too). </p>
<p>These acoustic instruments are made from a wood or plastic frame. They produce a bell-like sound when a small hammer hits a tube or flat piece of metal inside. </p>
<p>Unlike a typical piano, toy pianos are rarely tuned to perfection and can sound a bit off to the ear but many can’t help but be charmed by their tiny size, variety of colours and quirky inconsistent plonking.</p>
<p>With its history and connection to ideas of childhood, this instrument is commonly used to musically convey a sense of innocence and nostalgia.</p>
<p>Traditionally, art music composition can be very prescriptive and confined. The traditional conservatorium or university composition class teaches the rules of writing — what you can and cannot do with an instrument — but something about the toy piano invites play and experimentation. </p>
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<h2>Every toy piano is different</h2>
<p>Unlike many instruments used for composing, the toy piano is not standardised around the world.</p>
<p>There are dozens of makers who use different techniques and different materials giving every toy piano a unique sound, range, and register. This makes writing music for the piano a bit random — but for many of us, therein lies the fun. </p>
<p>If you write a piece of music for the toy piano and if a performer in another part of the world has enough keys on their instrument, they can play your piece in their own special way. It’s like a singer using their own unique voice to cover a song. </p>
<p><audio preload="metadata" controls="controls" data-duration="11" data-image="" data-title="A melody played on three different toy pianos. Composed and performed by Paul Smith." data-size="452527" data-source="Paul Smith" data-source-url="" data-license="CC BY-NC" data-license-url="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">
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A melody played on three different toy pianos. Composed and performed by Paul Smith.
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Paul Smith</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">CC BY-NC</a><span class="download"><span>442 KB</span> <a target="_blank" href="https://cdn.theconversation.com/audio/2050/toy-piano-melodies-x-3.mp3">(download)</a></span></span>
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<p>The composer gives up some control, which contrasts sharply with romantic and and modernist-era ideas that positioned the composer as a genius whose works should never be altered.</p>
<p>Many composers end up collecting toy pianos, which gives them a variety of sounds to play with. Australian composer Elena Kats-Chernin became known as the <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/music/from-a-low-key-start-plinking-marvellous-music-20090706-gdtmem.html">toy piano lady</a> at a Sydney toy store after buying eight in a row. I’m up to a modest five and am resisting buying my sixth. </p>
<p>Toy piano specialists are becoming more common as performers and <a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/6RbOvSLDvcZdSKES4XS8DF">composers</a> in demand. </p>
<p>Italian specialist <a href="http://antoniettaloffredo.com/">Antonietta Loffredo</a> has performed several times in Australia and released many recordings with the Australian art music label <a href="https://www.australiancomposers.com.au/">Wirripang</a>. You can hear her recordings of works by Australian composers on Spotify <a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/6RbOvSLDvcZdSKES4XS8DF">here</a>.</p>
<p>Margaret Leng Tan, a toy instrument virtuoso with many commissions and dedications to her name, was due to perform with toy piano at the Sydney Opera House this year but the concert was postponed due to COVID-19.</p>
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<p>As Margaret Leng Tan herself <a href="https://philipglass.com/recordings/toy_piano/">puts it</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>I remain wholeheartedly intrigued by the toy piano’s magical overtones, hypnotic charm, and not least, its off-key poignancy. In the words of author John David Morley, “Sound combed from the keys of a stairway ascending faintly into sleep”. My composer-friends were similarly beguiled and driven to frenzied heights of creativity by this modest little instrument. </p>
</blockquote>
<h2>Escaping a rigid world</h2>
<p>Artists are always looking for new ways to challenge and surprise audiences. What is and isn’t accepted on the concert stage is constantly shifting and the rise of the toy piano suggests that we are ready to welcome new sounds and new instruments into the relatively closed world of classical music.</p>
<p>To many composers, the toy piano offers more than a symbolic representation of childhood — it provides an exciting escape from the strict and rigid world of formal contemporary art music. </p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/from-the-first-fleet-to-changi-australias-pianos-have-a-long-history-100320">From the First Fleet to Changi, Australia's pianos have a long history</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/146206/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Paul Smith is the co-artistic director of the group Blush Opera, which sometimes produces concerts and events featuring toy pianos.
</span></em></p>Toy pianos typically have a range of 12-36 keys, roughly one quarter the range of a full piano. But they are used by composers and music makers to write everything from concertos to pop songs.Paul Smith, Senior Lecturer in Music, University of New EnglandLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1465002020-09-25T12:18:28Z2020-09-25T12:18:28ZLive venues are the lifeblood of music culture and must survive<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/360007/original/file-20200925-24-12hjsvv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=272%2C191%2C4500%2C2706&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/cheering-crowd-concert-91770806">Shutterstock/dwphotos</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>People use live music as a resource to help feed and nourish their emotions, for heightening or changing their energy levels and as a platform to escape the constraints of everyday life. Live music venues are quite often tied up with <a href="https://amp.theguardian.com/music/2019/oct/09/the-glue-that-ties-communities-why-regional-venues-are-vital?CMP=twt_a-culture_b-gdnculture&">local scenes and communities</a> and the ambience of these spaces allows people to delve deeper into the music they love and experience it in a totally different way.</p>
<p>But in light of COVID-19 and the growing popularity of <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/354f05c7-8418-4d2b-bd56-3d8dd65d2bde">streaming services</a>, virtual concerts and other digital music offerings, there is now a question mark over the survival of live music as a viable business.</p>
<p>In the last few years, a number of changes have occurred which have had a significant impact upon how fans engage with music. The music market has undergone <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1469540510390499">a period of transformation</a>, mainly due to the explosion of digital forms of listening and the development of digital music providers, such as Spotify and Pandora. The music industry has shifted from material artefacts such cassettes and CDs to more fluid and intangible digital formats. </p>
<p>This shift has been momentous for the industry as it has totally changed the way people consume music. But <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0038038519860399">my research</a> shows that live venues are, in fact, the <a href="https://amp.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/may/30/music-venues-british-culture-taskforce?">lifeblood of British music culture</a>. </p>
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<p>Music lovers establish lasting, significant and memorable connections with the artists they love when they go to see them perform live. These experiences form part of the meaning which informs their engagement with that music. So places like clubs, venues and festivals become an intrinsic part of the story of that particular band or artist in the mind of the gig-goer.</p>
<p>Experiences like these then help to form a “live culture” or scene.
One of my <a href="https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/news/manchester-produces-indie-music-fans-just-by-being-manchester">studies</a> illustrates how indie music fans in Manchester draw upon upon the live music culture of the city. Manchester has long been inspired by its music heritage, having produced globally popular bands such as Joy Division and The Smiths. Venues, including the Hacienda and the Free Trade Hall (where The Sex Pistols and Bob Dylan famously played) and music scenes like “Madchester” all add to this “live culture”. </p>
<h2>Crisis and uncertainity</h2>
<p>But the UK live music industry is facing <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/may/13/uk-live-music-festivals-sector-at-risk-coronavirus">a crisis</a>. Uncertainty is looming with no end to social distancing in the near future or any significant financial support from the government. According to <a href="https://www.ukmusic.org/policy/let-the-music-play">recent estimates</a>, the live music industry is set to lose more than £900 million while 30-50% of its workforce are facing unemployment if things remain unchanged until the end of the year. </p>
<p>This situation is particularly exemplified in <a href="https://news.liverpool.ac.uk/2020/09/04/survey-reveals-catastrophic-impact-of-covid-19-on-local-music-scene/">local music scenes and communities</a> which have been heavily affected by COVID-19. Many independent music venues worldwide <a href="https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/how-independent-live-music-venues-are-fighting-for-their-existence-coronavirus/?utm_social-">are fighting</a> to keep afloat.</p>
<p>For instance, popular music venues The Deaf Institute and Gorilla in Manchester, recently <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-manchester-53493070">had to be saved from closure</a> due to financial constraints. Tim Burgess, of The Charlatans, <a href="https://twitter.com/Tim_Burgess/status/1283785610835169281?s=20">summed it up when he said</a>: “I’ve played and watched gigs in both and they were the lifeblood of Manchester’s vital network of venues. It’s awful news but seems inevitable that so many more independent venues will be lost.”</p>
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<p>In an attempt to bridge the gap between themselves and the fans, artists have been switching to <a href="https://www.npr.org/2020/03/17/816504058/a-list-of-live-virtual-concerts-to-watch-during-the-coronavirus-shutdown?t=1600701307753">“live” digital concerts and events</a> such as <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/jul/23/nick-cave-idiot-prayer-review-livestreamed-gig-alexandra-palace">Nick Cave’s Idiot Prayer gig</a> in an empty Alexandra Palace with just a piano and his voice. This was live-streamed and will be also released in cinemas. </p>
<p>The live music industry has also been experimenting with other digital formats such as Glastonbury’s attempt to launch a <a href="https://amp.independent.ie/entertainment/music/glastonburys-shangri-la-team-launches-virtual-reality-festival-39268865.html#click=https://t.co/KuFfBEgI">virtual reality festival</a>. <a href="https://www.nme.com/features/lost-horizon-virtual-reality-glastonbury-2020-shangri-la-2693862">Lost Horizon</a> is being streamed on Twitch and YouTube and the organisers invite attendees to fully immerse themselves by either using a desktop PC or a VR headset. </p>
<p>Other digital “live” events involve music fans consuming “<a href="https://doi.org/10.1108/EJM-12-2014-0775">real and fantastic</a>” time and space through virtual imaginary settings and the use of digital avatars. Examples include VR-driven concerts by <a href="https://www.roadtovr.com/john-legend-wave-concert-june/">John Legend</a>, <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-52410647">Travis Scott</a> and <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/pro/features/virtual-reality-livestreams-covid-1021683/">Jean-Michel Jarre</a>. </p>
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<p>But are these experiences an authentic way of experiencing live music? Or do they indicate a transition towards a <a href="https://theconversation.com/virtual-reality-has-been-boosted-by-coronavirus-heres-how-to-avoid-it-leading-us-to-dystopia-141073">dystopian cultural milieu</a>? In this scenario, we might end up losing sight of the multi-sensory and collective aspects of live music and experience it instead alone at home through a VR headset or a similar technological device.</p>
<p>We need to safeguard the cultural heritage of the live music industry and support local spaces, events and communities in the delivery of innovative cultural offerings in a post-COVID era. More <a href="https://pitchfork.com/news/watch-flaming-lips-perform-race-for-the-prize-in-bubbles-on-colbert/">creative initiatives</a> are needed if we were to blend the physical and digital aspects without downplaying the significance of real live music. </p>
<p>The Flaming Lips have experimented with one such innovative approach. They did a live gig where both the band and the audience were “enclosed” in individual bubbles. It might not be the perfect solution – but I bet everyone who attended that gig will remember it for the rest of their lives.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/146500/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Alexandros Skandalis does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Live music venues must be helped to survive the COVID-19 era.Alexandros Skandalis, Lecturer in Marketing and Consumer Culture, Lancaster UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1417972020-07-16T06:00:42Z2020-07-16T06:00:42ZDrive-in music festivals allow you to social distance. But what happens when you add drugs and alcohol?<p>The cancellation of events due to the COVID-19 pandemic has hit Australia’s music industry hard, with reports of losses up to <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/doublej/music-reads/features/how-to-help-musicians-bands-coronavirus-covid-19/12064538">A$200 million</a>.</p>
<p>But music festivals have quickly adapted. First, they moved to <a href="https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop/9335531/coronavirus-quarantine-music-events-online-streams">live streaming</a>. Now drive-in music festivals are popping up across the globe.</p>
<p>In response to the pandemic, the world’s first drive-in rave took place <a href="https://edm.com/news/germany-hosted-the-worlds-first-drive-in-rave-amid-covid-19-lockdowns">in Germany</a> in May. Australia followed suit with <a href="https://www.facebook.com/airwavesfestival/">Airwaves</a> on the Sunshine Coast earlier this month. <a href="https://www.the-drive-in.com.au">The Drive-in</a>, a series of pop-up gigs in Melbourne, was also planned for this month but has now been cancelled.</p>
<p>While drive-in festivals allow physical distancing, they bring new challenges for promoters, police and health workers.</p>
<p>People will be driving to and from venues where alcohol is available, and in some cases where illicit drugs are used.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/australias-drive-ins-where-you-can-wear-slippers-crack-peanuts-and-knit-to-your-hearts-content-139876">Australia's drive-ins: where you can wear slippers, crack peanuts, and knit 'to your heart's content'</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Risk of drink and drug driving</h2>
<p>Normally, festival-goers can reduce risks of harms from alcohol or illicit drugs by not driving to and from the event. And some festivals are multi-day events where people stay overnight, so they can plan not to be intoxicated for the drive home.</p>
<p>But drive-in festivals require people to bring their own car. And they need to drive home immediately afterwards.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/young-australians-are-drinking-less-but-older-people-are-still-hitting-the-bottle-hard-90024">Young Australians are drinking less – but older people are still hitting the bottle hard</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>The Victorian code of practice for safer music festivals <a href="https://www2.health.vic.gov.au/about/publications/researchandreports/Code-of-practice-for-running-safer-music-festivals-and-events-2013">explicitly says</a> alcohol- and drug-affected people should be strongly discouraged from driving.</p>
<p>Although <a href="https://austroads.com.au/publications/assessing-fitness-to-drive/ap-g56/drivers-legal-bac-limits">legally</a> you can have small amounts of alcohol in your blood while driving, the <a href="https://www.towardszero.vic.gov.au/campaign/drinkdriving">key message</a> is not to drive if you have had any alcohol at all.</p>
<p>This is because most people cannot accurately estimate their <a href="https://adf.org.au/insights/blood-alcohol-levels/">blood alcohol concentration</a> after drinking. And people who are <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-016-4233-x">riskier drivers</a> tend to underestimate their blood alcohol levels.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/getting-back-on-the-beers-after-lockdown-heres-what-you-should-know-140454">Getting back on the beers after lockdown? Here's what you should know</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Alcohol and other drug testing</h2>
<p>One option is to conduct roadside tests for alcohol and illicit drugs as people leave drive-in festivals. Police already do this <a href="https://www.echo.net.au/2019/12/falls-festival-police-say-safe/">routinely</a> at festivals.</p>
<p>There is good evidence alcohol breath testing is effective in <a href="http://casr.adelaide.edu.au/T95/paper/s29p4.html">reducing road crashes</a> and deaths. Breath testing could prevent road incidents after drive-in festivals in the same way it has reduced incidents among the general population.</p>
<p>Blood alcohol testing detects current levels of alcohol. The higher your blood alcohol concentration, the <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4345970/">more impaired</a> you are behind the wheel. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/347818/original/file-20200716-15-1akyr1c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/347818/original/file-20200716-15-1akyr1c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/347818/original/file-20200716-15-1akyr1c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/347818/original/file-20200716-15-1akyr1c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/347818/original/file-20200716-15-1akyr1c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/347818/original/file-20200716-15-1akyr1c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/347818/original/file-20200716-15-1akyr1c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/347818/original/file-20200716-15-1akyr1c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Police could breathalyse people as they leave drive-in music festivals.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/perth-wa-oct-27-2019australian-traffic-1548022427">from www.shutterstock.com</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>But illicit drug testing is not a direct measure of impairment at the time of testing. It only indicates whether you have used a drug within the window of the test. Some drugs can be detected in the system for <a href="https://adf.org.au/insights/roadside-drug-testing/">several days</a> after use. Drivers could <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-06-18/drug-driving-laws-cannabis-nsw-unfair-magistrate-david-heilpern/12361312">test positive</a> but not be affected by drugs at the time.</p>
<p>There are also questions about the <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/dta.2687">reliability of the tests</a> and <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/dta.2687">very little evidence</a> roadside drug testing is associated with fewer crashes.</p>
<h2>What else can we do to reduce harms?</h2>
<p>Peer organisations, like <a href="https://www.hrvic.org.au/dancewize">DanceWize</a>, provide harm reduction information and outreach at music festivals. They provide a safe space for people to chill out, chat with peers or ask questions about drugs and mental health concerns. </p>
<p>But during a drive-in festival, people need to sit in their cars. So there is less opportunity for them to access outreach services in the usual way.</p>
<p>Event-based harm reduction services like DanceWize have already responded to COVID-19 by sharing harm reduction advice through <a href="https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?v=918141765368345&ref=watch_permalink">Facebook Live events</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/dancewize_vic/?hl=en">Instagram</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/347820/original/file-20200716-21-1s3sq87.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/347820/original/file-20200716-21-1s3sq87.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/347820/original/file-20200716-21-1s3sq87.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/347820/original/file-20200716-21-1s3sq87.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/347820/original/file-20200716-21-1s3sq87.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/347820/original/file-20200716-21-1s3sq87.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/347820/original/file-20200716-21-1s3sq87.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/347820/original/file-20200716-21-1s3sq87.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Festival goers could receive harm reduction messages and support on their phones.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/young-redhead-woman-driver-taking-selfies-1707137554">from www.shutterstock.com</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Online harm reduction communities that have been operating for years, like <a href="https://www.bluelight.org/xf/">Bluelight</a>, and more recent digital communities, like <a href="https://www.facebook.com/seshsafety/">Sesh Safety</a>, could provide harm reduction information specifically aimed at drive-in festival goers, through their existing digital channels.</p>
<p>Usually at a music festival, attendees are standing, dancing or moving around the festival ground. So, security, outreach workers and other patrons can look out for people who may have been affected by alcohol or other drugs and take them for medical or first aid treatment. </p>
<p>But with drive-in festivals, there is less incidental opportunity to direct people to help.</p>
<p>So promoters could distribute information about where to access harm reduction information, and about available medical and first aid help, as people drive into the festival.</p>
<h2>Drug checking</h2>
<p><a href="https://ndarc.med.unsw.edu.au/sites/default/files/ndarc/resources/Global%20review%20of%20drug%20checking%20services%20operating%20in%202017.pdf">Drug checking</a> allows people to anonymously submit drug samples for forensic analysis so they can make informed decisions about what they’re about to take. Counselling is also offered.</p>
<p>We know drug checking is <a href="https://theconversation.com/testing-festival-goers-pills-isnt-the-only-way-to-reduce-overdoses-heres-what-else-works-118827">effective in reducing harms</a> at music festivals, but it is <a href="https://theconversation.com/when-the-coroner-looked-at-how-to-cut-drug-deaths-at-music-festivals-the-evidence-won-but-what-happens-next-126669">not available</a> in Australia outside specific trials.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/when-the-coroner-looked-at-how-to-cut-drug-deaths-at-music-festivals-the-evidence-won-but-what-happens-next-126669">When the coroner looked at how to cut drug deaths at music festivals, the evidence won. But what happens next?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Running a drug checking service from a drive-in festival in COVID-19 times would be more challenging, but not impossible, by using technology to deliver feedback via text or app. </p>
<p>Festival-goers could chat by text with the drug checking team to discuss their specific drug-use history, circumstances, and the results of the analysis. But there would be less anonymity than a usual drug checking service.</p>
<h2>Promoters, police, health workers and young people</h2>
<p>Although smaller music venues are <a href="https://theindustryobserver.thebrag.com/small-music-venues-will-be-re-opening-australia-wide/">slowly reopening</a> in some states, large music festivals are likely to remain closed for some time. So drive-in festivals might sound appealing.</p>
<p>But they throw up specific risks promoters need to address to ensure the safest possible environment for people eager to access COVID-safe live music venues.</p>
<p>So promoters need to work closely with police, health workers and young people themselves to effectively address some of these additional risks.</p>
<hr>
<p><em>You can find harm reduction information at <a href="https://www.bluelight.org">Bluelight</a>, DanceWize <a href="https://www.hrvic.org.au/dancewize">Victoria</a> and <a href="https://www.dancewizensw.org.au">NSW</a> and the <a href="https://www.globaldrugsurvey.com/free-online-resources/">Global Drug Survey</a>. If you are worried about your drinking or drug use, or want support to make changes, you can call the National Alcohol and Other Drug Hotline on 1800 250 015; chat online with a counsellor at <a href="https://counsellingonline.org.au">CounsellingOnline</a>; talk to your GP about seeing a psychologist or counsellor; or try <a href="https://www.hellosundaymorning.org.au">Hello Sunday Morning</a>, an online community of people actively changing their alcohol consumption.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/141797/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Nicole Lee works as a consultant in the alcohol and other drug sector and a psychologist in private practice. She has previously been awarded funding by Australian and state governments, NHMRC and other bodies for evaluation and research into drug prevention and treatment. She is a member of board of directors of Hello Sunday Morning and volunteers for The Loop Australia.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Monica Barratt receives funding from Australian (National Health and Medical Research Council, the Australian Institute of Criminology, the National Centre for Clinical Research into Emerging Drugs) and international (US National Institutes of Health, NZ Marsden Fund) funders. She has recently conducted commissioned research for the NSW Coroner's Office, the WA Mental Health Commission and the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services. Monica also volunteers for not-for-profit harm reduction organisations: The Loop Australia and Bluelight.org</span></em></p>With regular music festivals, people can more easily seek help or advice about drug and alcohol or mental health issues. But with drive-ins we need to be creative to minimise harms.Nicole Lee, Professor at the National Drug Research Institute (Melbourne), Curtin UniversityMonica Barratt, Vice Chancellor’s Senior Research Fellow, Social and Global Studies Centre and Digital Ethnography Research Centre, RMIT UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1294522020-01-28T06:04:37Z2020-01-28T06:04:37ZPingers, pingas, pingaz: how drug slang affects the way we use and understand drugs<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/312175/original/file-20200128-81411-1294yay.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C7348%2C4912&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">'Pingers' usually contain MDMA. But assuming you know exactly what's in them can be dicey.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">From shutterstock.com</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Slang names or street names for drugs are common. From pingers (MDMA), to fishies (GHB) to going into the K-hole (ketamine), slang use marks someone as an insider with knowledge and experience of illicit drug use. </p>
<p>The use of language around drugs is important because people using drugs referred to by slang names could misunderstand what they’re getting.</p>
<p>At the same time, tuning in to drug slang offers researchers and health workers an avenue by which to track patterns of drug use.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/my-friends-are-taking-mdma-at-raves-and-music-festivals-is-it-safe-122128">'My friends are taking MDMA at raves and music festivals. Is it safe?'</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>A bit of history</h2>
<p>Clinicians and people who study drug use have attempted to catalogue slang terms for drug use since the <a href="https://www.oxfordscholarship.com/view/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199567256.001.0001/acprof-9780199567256-chapter-11">1930s</a>.</p>
<p>David Maurer, an American linguistics professor who studied the use of language in the American underworld, published <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/451532?seq=1">the first glossary</a> of drug slang terms in 1936. The aim was to guide law enforcement as well as to inform doctors, parents and teachers about drug use. </p>
<p>The definitions reflect the social and cultural values around drug-taking practices at the time. For example, <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/451532?seq=1">Maurer’s glossary</a> featured the term “to vipe”, meaning to smoke marijuana. The definition included how beginners were taught special smoking techniques by hostesses, likely sex workers.</p>
<h2>Why is drug slang important?</h2>
<p>The use of slang indicates a person uses drugs because <a href="https://www.csmonitor.com/The-Culture/Family/Modern-Parenthood/2013/0905/Drug-Molly-What-parents-need-to-know-about-drug-slang">they know the secret language</a> of a subculture. With this in mind, researchers seek to identify drug subcultures through understanding language use.</p>
<p>In 1979, researchers created a <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/528729">drug slang association test</a> to identify if the number of slang names people knew related to their use of a drug type. The authors found people in prison, who commonly used opiates, knew more slang words for heroin than college students did. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-the-dictionary-is-totes-taking-up-the-vernacular-66570">How the dictionary is totes taking up the vernacular</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>More recently, <a href="https://publichealth.jmir.org/2018/1/e2/">one study</a> analysed Twitter posts to identify new slang. <a href="https://content.sciendo.com/view/journals/topling/17/1/article-p81.xml">Another study</a> used slang terms in Instagram hashtags to document drug use patterns. </p>
<p>For clinicians and researchers, slang <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/02791072.2010.10400700">offers insights</a> into drug users’ beliefs and behaviours, which can in turn guide interventions. The slang words can be <a href="https://content.sciendo.com/view/journals/topling/17/1/article-p81.xml">metaphors for the drug effects or appearance</a>, giving health professionals an understanding of a person’s drug use experience.</p>
<p>Researchers also believe they get better results from surveys if they use the same language as people using drugs.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/312176/original/file-20200128-81352-at93n2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/312176/original/file-20200128-81352-at93n2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/312176/original/file-20200128-81352-at93n2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/312176/original/file-20200128-81352-at93n2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/312176/original/file-20200128-81352-at93n2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/312176/original/file-20200128-81352-at93n2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/312176/original/file-20200128-81352-at93n2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The use of slang can indicate to others a person uses drugs.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">From shutterstock.com</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Pingers</h2>
<p>As we find ourselves at the height of music festival season, let’s look at a timely example.</p>
<p>MDMA (3,4- methylenedioxymethamphetamine), or ecstasy, is one of the drugs <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29304871">people take most commonly</a> at music festivals. The term “pinger” (or pinga) is thought to be an Australian creation <a href="https://insight.qld.edu.au/shop/dovetail-slang-list">used to refer to MDMA</a>.</p>
<p>Most festival goers attend few events and are only <a href="https://ndarc.med.unsw.edu.au/sites/default/files/ndarc/resources/DPMP%20Bulletin%2028%20-%20Profiles%20and%20policing%20of%20Australian%20music%20festival%20attendees.pdf">occasional users of illegal drugs</a>, so they may be unfamiliar with slang names and what drug they refer to. The drug they purchase could be completely different to what they expected.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-what-is-nitrous-oxide-or-nangs-and-how-dangerous-is-it-108019">Explainer: what is nitrous oxide (or nangs) and how dangerous is it?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>The first reference to pingers is reported to be in the glossary of an Australian surfing <a href="https://www.dictionary.com/e/slang/pingers/">book published in 2003</a>. More recently the word pinger has appeared in several pop culture dictionaries with examples related to drug use. For <a href="https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=pingers">example</a>:</p>
<p><em>>“I had so many pingers last night I was tripping balls”.</em></p>
<p>An Australian video game called <a href="https://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2016/01/big-city-earnerz-is-the-eshest-game-youll-play-this-summer/">Big City Earnez</a> has players collecting “pingaz” – things that look like tablets – in different Melbourne suburbs and hiding from the police. </p>
<p>None of these examples refer to MDMA specifically, but there’s an assumption people know what the word pinger means, including the drug’s use and effects.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/312178/original/file-20200128-81346-1ke2aam.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/312178/original/file-20200128-81346-1ke2aam.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/312178/original/file-20200128-81346-1ke2aam.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/312178/original/file-20200128-81346-1ke2aam.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/312178/original/file-20200128-81346-1ke2aam.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/312178/original/file-20200128-81346-1ke2aam.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/312178/original/file-20200128-81346-1ke2aam.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Drug slang is part of the music festival vernacular.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Yvette de Wit/Unsplash</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>And the term’s use has spread out of Australia. By 2012, <a href="https://www.vice.com/en_uk/article/wnvwwx/artist-carving-limestone-pingers-daniel-davis-interview">Vice.com</a>, a UK website that regularly reports on popular and emerging drug use, was using the term pinger to describe MDMA.</p>
<p>Slang can also describe ways drugs are used. “Shelving a pinger” refers to <a href="https://www.vice.com/en_uk/article/xdp374/question-of-the-day-shelved-a-pinger">inserting a drug in the anus</a>.</p>
<h2>Buyer beware</h2>
<p>A problem with relying on slang to identify drugs is meanings change over time. It took a few years for pinger to be used in the UK as slang for MDMA. In 2009 police in England and Wales were issued with a list of 3,000 words to learn so they could “<a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/law-and-order/6519172/Police-given-3000-word-A-to-Z-of-drugs-slang-to-stay-ahead-of-criminals.html">stay ahead of criminals</a>”. Pinger was not on the list but ping-on was listed as meaning opium and pingus as the <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/law-and-order/6521761/Drugs-slang-what-police-must-learn-I-to-Q.html">prescription drug Rohypnol</a> (a sedative and muscle relaxant).</p>
<p>Slang terms are also culturally specific. Not all countries use the same slang even when English is the main language. In Ireland “yoke” is a word used to refer to <a href="https://www.vice.com/en_uk/article/exqgw4/irish-pill-poppin">MDMA pills or capsules</a> while “molly” is a common word <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/shortcuts/2013/jul/14/why-us-pop-mad-molly-aka-ecstasy">in the United States</a>. “Shelving a pinger” is called “boofing a roll” <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/brucelee/2018/09/29/what-exactly-is-boofing-and-why-you-should-never-do-it/#9ab24692a94d">in the US</a>. Beyond the likelihood of embarrassment, misunderstanding slang terms can increase the risk of drug-related harms.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/history-not-harm-dictates-why-some-drugs-are-legal-and-others-arent-110564">History, not harm, dictates why some drugs are legal and others aren't</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>And even if you’re clear on the terminology, a label doesn’t mean a drug is necessarily what you think it is. A pinger may have MDMA in it, a combination of drugs or no drugs at all. </p>
<p>The risk of using slang is thinking you know what it means and not asking for clarification. If you’re buying pingers or another drug called by a slang name, it’s important to ask what it is.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/129452/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Julaine Allan has received funding from NHMRC, ARC and NSW Health for research projects related to drug use and treatment. Julaine works as Director of Research for Western NSW Local Health District and holds appointments at The University of Wollongong, The National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre at UNSW, University of QLD and Charles Sturt University.</span></em></p>Drug slang can help researchers understand drug trends. But if you’re taking a drug called by a street name, make sure you know what it is.Julaine Allan, Senior research fellow, Charles Sturt UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1266692019-11-08T09:10:13Z2019-11-08T09:10:13ZWhen the coroner looked at how to cut drug deaths at music festivals, the evidence won. But what happens next?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/300794/original/file-20191107-10930-k7z0iz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C1%2C1000%2C660&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">If NSW takes on the coroner's recommendations, it will be among the most innovative and evidence-based states in Australia on drug policy.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/crowd-concert-retro-style-photo-278935319">from www.shutterstock.com</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The much-awaited <a href="http://www.coroners.justice.nsw.gov.au/Documents/Redacted%20findings%20in%20the%20joint%20inquest%20into%20deaths%20arising%20at%20music%20festivals%20including%20annexures%20-%208%20November%202019.pdf">NSW coroner’s report into music festival deaths</a> was released today.</p>
<p>In the report, Deputy State Coroner Harriet Grahame recommends pill testing, a ban on sniffer dogs and a reduction in the number of strip searches, among other measures to prevent deaths.</p>
<p>These evidence-based strategies for harm reduction are to be applauded. But it remains to be seen if the NSW government will change its stance on drug use and harm reduction to implement the coroner’s recommendations.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-does-mdma-kill-109506">How does MDMA kill?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>The inquest examined the deaths of six young people who died during or just after attending music festivals in NSW between December 2017 and January 2019.</p>
<p>All died as a result of taking MDMA or ecstasy. Five of the six also had other drugs in their system.</p>
<p>In the report, Grahame said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>It can be hard for the community to grapple with some of the underlying issues when drug use is illegal and drug users are stigmatised. It is difficult to properly explain the potential risks to young people if our only permissible message is “just say no”. While we continue to hide the true extent of drug use, it remains inherently more dangerous.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>However, Grahame noted the NSW government had already put in place, since these deaths, a range of measures including more formalised emergency medical responses at festivals and clinical guidelines on how to manage drug incidents before the person reaches hospital.</p>
<p>She also noted festival organisers had implemented strategies that improved safety since these deaths.</p>
<h2>What did the coroner recommend?</h2>
<p><strong>Drug checking</strong></p>
<p>The coroner recommended the government introduce <a href="https://www.theconversation.com/testing-festival-goers-pills-isnt-the-only-way-to-reduce-overdoses-heres-what-else-works-118827">drug checking</a>, which includes a range of approaches designed to test the content of illicit drugs and alert people to dangerous substances. She said the evidence for it was “compelling”.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/testing-festival-goers-pills-isnt-the-only-way-to-reduce-overdoses-heres-what-else-works-118827">Testing festival goers' pills isn't the only way to reduce overdoses. Here's what else works</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>These approaches include mobile facilities at festivals to test drugs brought by festival goers with direct feedback to them, sometimes referred to as “pill testing”. </p>
<p>Grahame recommended a mobile unit at festivals and other events to test drugs acquired by police. </p>
<p>She also recommended a fixed site facility. This is a permanent site, outside the festival, where people could bring drugs to be tested and receive harm-reduction advice.</p>
<p>These recommendations are a significant step forward and would place NSW in line with international best practice.</p>
<p><strong>No more sniffer dogs and fewer strip searches</strong></p>
<p>Grahame recommended stopping the use of drug sniffer dogs at festivals because of the <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30176423">harm it causes</a>.</p>
<p>This includes festival goers taking drugs before the festival (pre-loading), taking double the dose, or panicking and taking drugs quickly to avoid detection.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/its-time-to-change-our-drug-dog-policies-to-catch-dealers-not-low-level-users-at-public-events-111710">It's time to change our drug dog policies to catch dealers, not low-level users at public events</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>She also recommended strip searches should be used only in extreme circumstance.</p>
<p>She said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Risky ingestion and secretion, trauma especially when coupled with strip search and the destruction of trust between young people and police are all serious concerns.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>She said the NSW police commissioner should issue operational guidelines to direct how police should exercise their discretion with illicit drug use and possession at festivals. She encouraged police to engage more positively and not to take punitive approaches with festival goers.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/unlawful-strip-searches-are-on-the-rise-in-nsw-and-police-arent-being-held-accountable-121986">Unlawful strip searches are on the rise in NSW and police aren’t being held accountable</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
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<p>Other recommendations included:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>the NSW government facilitate a meeting with a range of stakeholders, including the health department, festival health services, festival promoters and other experts, to ensure mandatory minimum standards for policing, medical services and harm reduction at music festivals</p></li>
<li><p>the redefining of drug use as a health rather than law-enforcement issue</p></li>
<li><p>a drug summit to develop evidence-based drug policy. She recommended the summit include consideration of guidelines for drug-checking services, drug education, decriminalisation of personal use drugs and regulation of some currently illicit drugs.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>These recommendations are key because it’s important stakeholders work together with the best interest of young people at heart. Our best approach, as the coroner has indicated, is to keep young people as safe as possible in the short period in which they experiment with illicit drugs.</p>
<p>She also recommended improved drug education for young people and their parents.</p>
<h2>What happens next?</h2>
<p>Policy on alcohol and other drugs is largely the responsibility of the states and territories. So, it will be up to the NSW government to implement most of these recommendations.</p>
<p>However, the government has already <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/politics/nsw/berejiklian-remains-opposed-to-pill-testing-despite-coroner-s-findings-20191015-p530y9.html">shown strong opposition</a> to what we know works to reduce harms (like drug checking) and escalated what we know increases harms (like drug dogs and strip searches). We need to wait and see whether it can find a way to re-adjust its position on drug use and harm reduction and follow the coroner’s recommendations.</p>
<p>If this happens, NSW will be among the most innovative and evidence-based states in Australia on drug policy, and among leaders globally.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/126669/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Nicole Lee works as a paid consultant in the alcohol and other drug sector. She has previously been awarded grants by state and federal governments, NHMRC and other public funding bodies for alcohol and other drug research.
</span></em></p>Pill testing, no more sniffer dogs and fewer strip searches are some of the ways the NSW coroner says will reduce drug deaths at music festivals.Nicole Lee, Professor at the National Drug Research Institute (Melbourne), Curtin UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1221282019-10-23T04:59:37Z2019-10-23T04:59:37Z‘My friends are taking MDMA at raves and music festivals. Is it safe?’<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/288664/original/file-20190820-123736-amjiz1.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=77%2C59%2C3892%2C1916&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">No drug is 100% safe. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Wes Mountain</span></span></figcaption></figure><blockquote>
<p>My friends are taking ecstasy at raves and music festivals. Is it safe? — Anonymous</p>
</blockquote>
<h2>Key points</h2>
<ul>
<li>no drug use, including ecstasy, is 100% safe</li>
<li>festivals can present unique risks </li>
<li>look out for friends, know the risks and where to get help.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/i-need-to-know-66587"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/290837/original/file-20190904-175686-polw3q.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=90&fit=crop&dpr=2" width="100%"></a></p>
<h2>What is ecstasy or MDMA?</h2>
<p>Ecstasy is a slang term for drugs <em>meant</em> to contain 3,4- methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), a stimulant that can also cause mild hallucinations at high doses. While ecstasy was traditionally sold as tablets, it’s <a href="https://ndarc.med.unsw.edu.au/sites/default/files/National%20EDRS%20Interview%20Report%202018_1.pdf">increasingly sold in crystal, capsule and powder forms</a>. </p>
<p>According to the <a href="https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/illicit-use-of-drugs/2016-ndshs-detailed/data">most recent data</a>, only 1% of Australians aged 12-17 said they had tried ecstasy. However, studies suggest young Australians who attend music festivals are <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29304871">much more likely</a> to have tried it.</p>
<hr>
<p><iframe id="rsqsA" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/rsqsA/1/" height="400px" width="100%" style="border: none" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<hr>
<h2>So, is it ‘safe’?</h2>
<p>There seems to be a common perception ecstasy is “safe”. But no drug use — legal or illegal — is completely safe. While drug experts <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31081439">rank</a> ecstasy as less harmful than other drugs, such as “ice” and alcohol, there are still significant risks involved:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>given ecstasy is illegal, the market is unregulated. As a result, drugs sold as “ecstasy” <a href="https://www.harmreductionaustralia.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Pill-Testing-Pilot-ACT-June-2018-Final-Report.pdf">commonly do not contain MDMA</a> and may contain something far more dangerous. This means the effects can be unpredictable</p></li>
<li><p>even if your drugs contain MDMA, the dose or potency can <a href="https://www.acic.gov.au/sites/default/files/illicit_drug_data_report_2017-18.pdf?v=1564727746">vary hugely</a>. Recently, <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/tragic-reveller-told-friend-he-would-push-through-inquest-hears-20190716-p527lm.html">very high purity ecstasy</a> has been detected in Australia. This can significantly increase the risk of overdosing or having serious side-effects </p></li>
<li><p>even pure MDMA at normal recreational doses can be risky in the <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24899699">wrong conditions</a> (for instance, when it’s very warm)</p></li>
<li><p>common short-term effects also include <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16771886">increased heart rate and body temperature, teeth grinding and anxiety</a>. While evidence on the long-term effects of taking MDMA is still emerging, there may be lasting impacts on <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23881877">memory, mood, cognition and sleep</a>.</p></li>
</ol>
<h2>What are the risks when taking it at festivals?</h2>
<p>In recent years, there have been more reports of <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/music-festival-deaths-inquest-set-down-for-july-20190228-p510sz.html">drug-related deaths at festivals</a>. While the media typically describes deaths involving ecstasy as “overdoses”, most ecstasy-related deaths are <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14659891.2018.1436607?journalCode=ijsu20">not</a> the result of simply taking too much. </p>
<p>Drug experiences can be influenced by <a href="https://www1.health.gov.au/internet/publications/publishing.nsf/Content/drugtreat-pubs-front12-fa-toc%7Edrugtreat-pubs-front12-fa-secb%7Edrugtreat-pubs-front12-fa-secb-2%7Edrugtreat-pubs-front12-fa-secb-2-5">lots of different things</a> and music festivals can sometimes result in a “perfect storm” of risk factors. For example, an experienced male taking an ecstasy pill at a quiet gathering at home is likely to have a very different experience to an inexperienced female taking her ecstasy pills at a crowded festival on a 35°C day. </p>
<p>Females, those with lower body weight, and/or those who haven’t used ecstasy before, and therefore haven’t built up any physical tolerance, should use a smaller dose.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/292154/original/file-20190912-190044-elzxfw.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/292154/original/file-20190912-190044-elzxfw.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/292154/original/file-20190912-190044-elzxfw.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=559&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/292154/original/file-20190912-190044-elzxfw.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=559&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/292154/original/file-20190912-190044-elzxfw.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=559&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/292154/original/file-20190912-190044-elzxfw.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=702&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/292154/original/file-20190912-190044-elzxfw.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=702&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/292154/original/file-20190912-190044-elzxfw.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=702&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Drug experiences can be affected by lots of different things.</span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Some key risks at music festivals include:</p>
<ul>
<li><p><strong>hyperthermia aka heatstroke:</strong> MDMA <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5008716/">affects the body’s ability to regulate temperature</a> (it can increase body temperature and also make it harder to cool down). Environmental factors at festivals such as warm weather, crowds and dancing can significantly increase the risk of overheating (see <a href="https://dancesafe.org/heatstroke/">tips</a> for staying cool)</p></li>
<li><p><strong>hyponatremia aka water intoxication:</strong> MDMA can <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23476039">disrupt the body’s water/electrolyte balance</a> (can make your body <a href="https://cjasn.asnjournals.org/content/3/6/1852">retain water</a>). While you need water to avoid dehydrating, drinking too much can also be dangerous. Read up on these <a href="https://drugaware.com.au/getting-the-facts/staying-safe/#Dehydration-and-overhydration">guidelines</a> on dehydration and overhydration for more information</p></li>
<li><p><strong>dodgy on-site sellers:</strong> <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30541674">UK research</a> found people buying drugs on-site (inside the festival grounds) were more than twice as likely to buy drugs that did not contain what they thought. There have been cases where festival goers thought they were buying MDMA but actually bought N-ethylpentylone (a riskier stimulant linked to psychosis and <a href="https://www.dea.gov/press-releases/2018/08/31/dea-acts-against-dangerous-deadly-designer-synthetic-drug-linked-151">deaths</a>)</p></li>
<li><p><strong>policing or legal problems:</strong> festivals often have a heavy police presence with sniffer dogs and being caught with drugs can lead to possession or supply charges. However, it’s very important not to panic and swallow your drugs if you see sniffer dogs. This has been linked to at least three <a href="https://www.pedestrian.tv/news/defqon-1-drugs-death-reignites-sniffer-dogs-debate/">festival deaths</a> in Australia.</p></li>
</ul>
<h2>Worried about your friends?</h2>
<p>If you’re going to a rave or festival and suspect some of your friends might take illicit drugs, it’s important to be aware of the risks, look out for your friends and know where to get help. Here are some tips:</p>
<ol>
<li><p><strong>make emergency plans with friends:</strong> download the festival map, have a meeting point, make sure mobiles are charged, stick together and know where on-site support services are </p></li>
<li><p><strong>look out for <a href="https://drugaware.com.au/getting-the-facts/staying-safe/#Signs-someone-needs-immediate-help">red flag symptoms</a></strong> (for instance, feeling hot, unwell, confused or agitated) and never be scared to seek help from on-site medical or support services. They’re there to help you, not judge or arrest you</p></li>
<li><p><strong>be informed:</strong> <a href="https://drugaware.com.au/getting-the-facts/staying-safe/">Drugaware</a>, <a href="https://www.dancewizensw.org.au/patron/#block-yui_3_17_2_1_1524198824688_25530">Dancewize</a> and <a href="http://www.boomtick.com.au/listen-out-perth-save-a-mate-training/">Boomtick</a> all have great information about drugs and how to keep safe.</p></li>
</ol><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/122128/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jodie's doctoral research was funded by a scholarship from the Australian Government Department of Health. The National
Drug Research Institute at Curtin University is supported by funding from the Australian Government under the Drug and Alcohol Program.</span></em></p>A person’s drug experience can be influenced by many different things, such as heat, access to water and dosage.Jodie Grigg, Research Associate at the National Drug Research Institute, Curtin UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1219862019-08-22T20:06:01Z2019-08-22T20:06:01ZUnlawful strip searches are on the rise in NSW and police aren’t being held accountable<p>Being strip searched by the police can be intrusive, humiliating and harmful. Typically, strip searches involve being required to strip naked in front of police officers, who often give the direction to “squat and cough”, bend over or otherwise contort the body. </p>
<p>Strip searches are meant to only be used by officers if they suspect, on reasonable grounds, that it’s necessary “for the purpose of the search” and there are “serious and urgent” circumstances that make it necessary. But the law provides no other criteria to guide police.</p>
<p>In a non-policing context, having to perform such non-consensual acts would constitute a serious assault. This is why strip searches are meant to be a last resort and only used in serious and urgent circumstances.</p>
<p>But strip searches are on the rise in New South Wales. Earlier this year, <a href="https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/lc/papers/pages/qanda-tracking-details.aspx?pk=240971">questions on notice to NSW parliament</a> revealed strip searches in the field (this excludes strip searches in police stations) increased by almost 47% over four years. And on average, they found nothing 64% of the time. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/six-reasons-australia-should-pilot-pill-testing-party-drugs-34073">Six reasons Australia should pilot 'pill testing' party drugs</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Our <a href="http://bit.ly/rethinkSS">research on the law</a> also looked at strip search <a href="https://cdn.theconversation.com/static_files/files/687/24_July_and_26_July.pdf?1566349848">data obtained</a> from a freedom of information request and from the Redfern Legal Centre. </p>
<p>We found that strip searches increased from used 277 times in 2005-2006, compared to 5483 in 2017-2018, an almost twentyfold increase in fewer than 12 years.</p>
<p>Strip searching raises serious police accountability concerns. And reported experiences of being strip searched raise urgent questions about the legality, fairness and harmful effects of the practice in NSW. There are recent examples of people being forced to strip in <a href="https://www.sydneycriminallawyers.com.au/blog/aboriginal-elder-strip-searched-on-busy-sydney-road">public view</a>, of police not following their own <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/nsw-police-admits-breaching-strip-search-laws-20190620-p51zny.html">internal guidelines</a>, and of strip searches triggering <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/i-felt-completely-helpless-woman-s-strip-search-revives-trauma-of-sexual-assault-20190530-p51svp.html">the trauma</a> of sexual assault.</p>
<h2>By the numbers</h2>
<p><a href="http://bit.ly/rethinkSS">Our study</a> found the law regulating strip searches in New South Wales was not strong enough to protect people’s rights and keep police accountable for unlawful strip searching. </p>
<p>Our findings indicate there are systemic issues about how the law is applied, not simply the misunderstandings of a handful of officers. The key issue is with how police understand the requirement that a strip search only be used in serious and urgent circumstances.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/drug-laws-on-possession-several-countries-are-revisiting-them-and-these-are-their-options-121221">Drug laws on possession: several countries are revisiting them and these are their options</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>According to NSW Police data, 91% of strip searches conducted in the 2018-2019 financial year were for suspected drug possession. But only 30% of strip searches end in criminal charges. </p>
<p>Eighty-two per cent of charges related to drug possession, while only 16.5% were for drug supply, and 1.5% for dangerous weapons. </p>
<p>While we did not have access to the narrative accounts that police are meant to provide in the NSW Police database (COPS), these figures alone suggest routine unlawful practices. On its own, possessing a drug doesn’t give rise to the serious and urgent circumstances required in law to justify a strip search. </p>
<p><iframe id="eI1Xf" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/eI1Xf/1/" height="400px" width="100%" style="border: none" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<p>Almost half (45%) of all recorded strip searches are of young people 25 years and under. This includes strip searches of young people at festivals, driven by drug detection dog operations.</p>
<p>But there are also long standing concerns about the overuse of personal searches, including strip searches, against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. </p>
<p>Ten per cent of all strip searches in the field, and 22% of all strip searches in police custody in a station, are of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.</p>
<h2>What’s happening in other states?</h2>
<p>There is no single model of best practice in Australia. The law in some states is just as permissive of police, if not more so, than in New South Wales. </p>
<p>The Northern Territory and Western Australia have few limits on police search powers. But there are helpful elements of the regulatory frameworks in South Australia, Victoria, the ACT, Tasmania and Queensland. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/new-research-shines-light-on-sexual-violence-at-australian-music-festivals-104768">New research shines light on sexual violence at Australian music festivals</a>
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<p>These include restrictions to strip searches in the field by offence type or post-arrest, repeated advice that only general searches should be used, and mandatory safeguards for privacy, without exceptions. </p>
<p>But in NSW, agencies have already begun to investigate the unlawful use of strip searching. The Law Enforcement Conduct Commission is <a href="https://www.lecc.nsw.gov.au/news-and-publications/news/lecc-investigation-of-nsw-police-force-strip-search">investigating</a> strip search practices by NSW Police. </p>
<p>The Coronial Inquest into the deaths of six young people at music festivals in NSW is <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/jul/18/music-festival-deaths-inquest-police-to-be-pushed-to-release-strip-search-protocols">questioning</a> police use of strip searches. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-hard-is-it-to-say-no-to-drugs-111536">How hard is it to say 'no' to drugs?</a>
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<p>And in June 2019, an internal NSW Police analysis reportedly <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/nsw-police-admits-breaching-strip-search-laws-20190620-p51zny.html">disclosed concerns</a> that strip searches were being conducted unlawfully, and about the lack of clarity around key laws.</p>
<h2>Law reform for accountability</h2>
<p>Our research makes recommendations for law reform to better guide police practice.</p>
<p>The law needs to clarify what the <a href="http://www8.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdb/au/legis/nsw/consol_act/leara2002451/">“seriousness and urgency of the circumstances”</a> that makes a strip search necessary, means. We argue strip searches should only be considered if police have a reasonable suspicion of a dangerous weapons offence, or drug supply offence and there is an imminent risk to personal safety. Drug possession should not be used as a reasonable suspicion for drug supply.</p>
<p>The definition of a strip search should also be made more explicit and include the range of practices currently used by police to aid visual inspections of the body, such as lifting up a person’s shirt, pulling clothing away from the body or the partial removal of clothing. (Contrary to the <a href="https://www.2gb.com/police-commissioner-says-strip-search-powers-are-here-to-stay/">police commissioner’s belief</a>, a strip search is not taking off your socks and shoes). </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/three-charts-on-who-uses-illicit-drugs-in-australia-110169">Three Charts on who uses illicit drugs in Australia</a>
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<p>The humiliating practice of police directing people to strip naked on their lower half and “squat and cough” must stop. It is an unlawful cavity search that only a court should be able to order as a “forensic procedure”.</p>
<p>Across Australia, there is little accountability or transparency around police search practices. This is in stark contrast to the UK, where the police are required by law to provide quarterly public statistics. </p>
<p>NSW Police and other state police can provide routine data on how they exercise their powers, and it is in the public interest that they do so.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/121986/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Vicki Sentas was commissioned on a pro-bono basis by Redfern Legal Centre’s Safe and Sound Campaign for the study discussed in this article.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Michael Grewcock was commissioned on a pro-bono basis by Redfern Legal Centre’s Safe and Sound Campaign for the study discussed in this article.</span></em></p>In a non-policing context, having to perform such acts would be a serious assault. This is why strip searches are meant to be a last resort and only used in serious and urgent circumstances.Vicki Sentas, Senior Lecturer, UNSW Law, UNSW SydneyMichael Grewcock, Senior Lecturer, Criminal Law and Criminology, UNSW Law, UNSW SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1201612019-07-18T00:50:41Z2019-07-18T00:50:41ZThe profile of festival drug takers might be different to what you expect<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/284245/original/file-20190716-173355-jec7mx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The average festival goer is young, white, well educated and employed.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://unsplash.com/photos/cEUl-0DSM9s">Gbarkz</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>A <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/music-festival-deaths-inquest-set-down-for-july-20190228-p510sz.html">NSW Coronial Inquest</a> investigating a series of drug-related deaths at Australian music festivals has heard evidence of festival goers <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/jul/08/festival-overdose-victim-took-multiple-pills-before-event-to-avoid-police-detection">taking multiple concurrent doses</a> of MDMA to avoid police detection and not receiving <a href="https://www.news.com.au/national/nsw-act/courts-law/doctor-reveals-hellish-scene-as-he-battled-to-save-man-who-overdosed-at-festival/news-story/9cb71e88be6c3908f40f024131676567">adequate medical attention</a>. </p>
<p>But a lack of knowledge about the drug use patterns and demographic profile of festival goers has stymied capacity to develop evidence-informed policy responses. </p>
<p>Yesterday we published two <a href="https://socialglobal.org.au/cms/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/emt-gds-report.pdf">data reports</a> to inform the inquest and shed light on these patterns. Both <a href="https://ndarc.med.unsw.edu.au/resource/bulletin-no-28-australian-music-festival-attendees-national-overview-demographics-drug-use">reports</a> are based on data from more than 5,000 Australian festival goers who completed the <a href="https://www.globaldrugsurvey.com/">Global Drug Survey</a> from late 2018. </p>
<p>It suggests common assumptions about Australian festival goers and the risks they take may be wrong. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/testing-festival-goers-pills-isnt-the-only-way-to-reduce-overdoses-heres-what-else-works-118827">Testing festival goers' pills isn't the only way to reduce overdoses. Here's what else works</a>
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<h2>Who goes to music festivals and what drugs do festival goers take?</h2>
<p>Most Australian music festival attendees we sampled were young (with a mean age of 22.4), male (55%), heterosexual (76%) and white (87%). </p>
<p>They were well-educated and most were employed (85.6%). Very few reported having a criminal conviction (6%). </p>
<p>And while it’s often assumed that people going to festivals are “hardcore” or regular attendees, almost half (49.6%) reported going to only one or two festivals a year. </p>
<p>The most common drug they took, unsurprisingly, was alcohol. Of the illicit substances, the most commonly used were MDMA, cannabis and cocaine.</p>
<p>We asked about drug use in all settings, not just festivals, and not just on the day of the festival. </p>
<p>While nearly half (44%) reported drinking alcohol weekly or more often, 64% typically drank at least five standard drinks.</p>
<p>Festival goers who used MDMA typically reported use ten times in the last 12 months. Those who used cocaine typically did so five times in the last 12 months. </p>
<p>Although MDMA use is the focus of the NSW Coronial Inquest, and public debates about festival safety, our data show that alcohol remains the biggest contributor to drug-related harm among festival goers.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/284247/original/file-20190716-173351-a7fo6c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/284247/original/file-20190716-173351-a7fo6c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/284247/original/file-20190716-173351-a7fo6c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/284247/original/file-20190716-173351-a7fo6c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/284247/original/file-20190716-173351-a7fo6c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/284247/original/file-20190716-173351-a7fo6c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/284247/original/file-20190716-173351-a7fo6c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Festival goers who reported using MDMA typically took the drug ten times in the past year.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://unsplash.com/photos/DSB1MZWsGco">Krists Luhaers</a></span>
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<h2>Festival goers’ experiences with policing</h2>
<p>Our analysis showed most festival goers (75%) reported they encountered police in relation to their drug use in the last 12 months. Some 69% reported drug dog encounters at festivals. </p>
<p>This is a concern because encounters with drug detection dogs are often traumatic and can lead to more harmful practices, such as taking multiple doses to avoid detection. </p>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-drug-detection-dogs-are-sniffing-up-the-wrong-tree-57343">Why drug-detection dogs are sniffing up the wrong tree</a>
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<p>NSW festival goers were 1.3 times more likely to report encounters with drug detection dogs than those from other states (79% versus 62%). This is notable, given our earlier analysis showed encounters with drug detection dogs are already <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0955395918300756?via%3Dihub">seven times higher</a> in Australia than in New Zealand. </p>
<h2>Who seeks medical treatment?</h2>
<p>Few festival goers we sampled sought medical attention. Just 280 respondents (6%) reported seeking medical help after alcohol or other drug use at least once in the last 12 months. We cannot tell from these data where these young people were located when they sought medical help, whether at a festival or in the community.</p>
<p>Young women aged 16 to 20 years were the most likely to report seeking medical help after drinking alcohol or taking other drugs (8.7%), followed by young men in the same age group (7.3%). Just 4.9% of men aged 21 and over and 5.2% of women in the same age group reported seeking help. </p>
<p>Festival goers who had problems with alcohol were more likely to seek help (4.3% of users) than those who were struggling after using other drugs including MDMA (2.5%), LSD (1.48%), cannabis (0.96%) and cocaine (0.67%).</p>
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<p>
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<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-does-mdma-kill-109506">How does MDMA kill?</a>
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<p>Festival goers seeking help for alcohol consumption typically drank 15 standard alcoholic drinks. </p>
<p>The most commonly mentioned symptoms here were nausea or vomiting (45%), accident or trauma (40%) or passing out (37%). Some 65% reported being admitted to hospital. </p>
<p>Those seeking help after taking MDMA typically consumed three pills or 0.4g during the session. The majority (56%) reported taking a larger than usual dose of MDMA on that occasion. </p>
<p>Just 28% reported starting the session with a smaller “test dose” of MDMA.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/284249/original/file-20190716-173325-14djqrv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/284249/original/file-20190716-173325-14djqrv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/284249/original/file-20190716-173325-14djqrv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/284249/original/file-20190716-173325-14djqrv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/284249/original/file-20190716-173325-14djqrv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/284249/original/file-20190716-173325-14djqrv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/284249/original/file-20190716-173325-14djqrv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Festival goers commonly mixed alcohol with other drugs.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://unsplash.com/photos/IB5bld_weak">Marvin Meyer</a></span>
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<p>Most (81%) reported combining MDMA with alcohol and or other illegal drugs. And most of those who drank alcohol with MDMA said they were “already drunk” before taking the MDMA. </p>
<p>The most common symptoms they experienced were confusion (40%), anxiety and panic (40%) and very low mood in the days afterwards (40%). Almost half (48%) reported being admitted to hospital.</p>
<h2>What does this data tell us?</h2>
<p>Despite the understandable focus on the harms from illicit drugs, most illicit drug use among Australian festival attendees appears to be occasional and isn’t problematic. </p>
<p>Nevertheless, there is a small but notable group of young people who experience higher rates of drug-related harms. </p>
<p>To reduce these harms, we should expand access to peer education services, such as those provided by the <a href="https://www.dancewizensw.org.au/about-us">DanceWize</a> team. DanceWize provides credible information about safer partying. It delivers harm-reduction services, including crowd care services (water, sunscreen and information). It also hosts a safe space for festival goers. </p>
<p>We should also expand trials of on-site drug checking services at festivals and outside these settings (for example, drop-in services at urban centres). <a href="https://ndarc.med.unsw.edu.au/resource/bulletin-no-24-global-review-drug-checking-services-operating-2017">Drug checking (or pill testing) services</a> invite members of the public to anonymously submit drug samples for forensic analysis and then provide individualised feedback of results and counselling as appropriate.</p>
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<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/heres-why-doctors-are-backing-pill-testing-at-music-festivals-across-australia-109430">Here's why doctors are backing pill testing at music festivals across Australia</a>
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<p>Given their high rates of policing, particularly with drug detection dogs, Australian festival goers may be reluctant to seek medical advice or support if they are afraid of being detected in possession of drugs. </p>
<p>Reducing the use of drug detection dogs at festivals, as well as expanding non-criminal alternatives for personal use and possession offences, should be prioritised to reset the balance between public health and public safety.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/120161/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Monica Barratt receives funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council, the Marsden Foundation (NZ) and the National Institutes of Health (US). She is the lead Australian researcher on Global Drug Survey. In addition to her academic research role, she volunteers as Director of Research at Bluelight.org and as Victorian Strategic Engagement Coordinator at The Loop Australia.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Adam Winstock is the owner and founder of Global Drug Survey Ltd, an independent research organisation based in London. GDS received remuneration from both the NSW Coroners Office and WA Mental Health Commission to support data access and report preparation that underpins many of the issues discussed in this article. GDS revives funding from research organisations, government and corporate groups to provide data based reports and harm reduction tools that offer data collection and local data reporting such as the Drinks Meter. No oversight was provided nay any funding body in the preparation of this article.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Caitlin Hughes has received funding from the Australian Research Council, Commonwealth Department of Health, National Drug Law Enforcement Research Fund, Australian Institute of Criminology, ACT Government and the Irish Department of Justice and Equality. She is visiting academic at the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre which receives funding from the Australian Government under the Substance Misuse Prevention and Service Improvement Grants Fund and Vice President of the International Society for the Study of Drug Policy. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jason Ferris is part of the core research team for the Global Drug Survey. He receives funding from Australian Research Council and Australian National Health and Medical Research Council, grants from State (Tasmania, Victoria, Queensland) and Federal Governments, National Drug Law Enforcement Research Fund, Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education, University of Queensland, National Institute of Health, Global Drug Survey. He is affiliated with the Global Drug Survey and the Queensland Mental Health Commission. </span></em></p>Most drug use among Australian festival goers appears to be occasional and isn’t problematic. But a small group experience higher rates of drug-related harms.Monica Barratt, Vice Chancellor’s Senior Research Fellow, Social and Global Studies Centre, RMIT UniversityAdam Winstock, Honorary Clinical Professor, UCLCaitlin Hughes, Associate Professor in Criminology and Drug Policy, Centre for Crime Policy and Research, Flinders UniversityJason Ferris, Associate Professor, Program Leader for Research and Statistical Support Service and Program Leader for Substance Use and Mental Health, The University of QueenslandLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1201982019-07-11T13:13:32Z2019-07-11T13:13:32ZThe environmental cost of abandoning your tent at a music festival<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/283571/original/file-20190710-44437-l2rz7v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C1%2C1326%2C651&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Abandoned tents after a festival: definitely not going to charity.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lionheartphotography/3781342394">lionheartphotography</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>After years of depressing images of huge fields strewn with abandoned tents and rubbish in the aftermath of music festivals, it was heartening to hear Glastonbury Festival organisers claim that 99% of festival-goers’ tents were picked up after the festival. For a festival of 200,000 people this is a huge achievement. But really it should be normal. Hopefully this bodes well for future years, because the Association of Independent Festivals estimates that a <a href="https://aiforg.com/initiatives/take-your-tent-home">quarter of a million so called “single-use” tents are abandoned</a> at music festivals across the UK each year.</p>
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<p>There is a popular belief that most tents left behind after festivals are collected and sold by charities or sent to good causes. But this is wishful thinking: most of it <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/newsbeat-48184756">end up in landfill</a>. The practical and cost overheads for festival organisers and charities of collecting thousands of tents are just too much. All the elements of the tents – pegs, poles, sheets and bags – need to be present, undamaged, and the tent sufficiently clean and functional to be reused. </p>
<p>After a festival, security typically flatten those tents still standing to insure no one has been left behind, or even – as this year – to discover whether anyone has died during the event. This makes it harder to easily identify the tents that are potentially reusable in a field full of them. It’s also likely they’ll be damaged in the process.</p>
<p>It’s been reported that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1108/IJEFM-11-2013-0031">tents make up 17% of waste from UK festivals</a> that ends up in landfill. Cheap tents are often made out of polyester or nylon with a coating of silicone or acrylic polyurethane, with poles made of carbon fibre and pegs made of aluminium. Synthetic fibres such as nylon and polyester are polymers derived from fossil fuels and generally <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0887302X06293065">do not biodegrade</a>. Polymers have exceptionally high stability and durability, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18337047">which is precisely why such materials are so popular</a> and so suitable for making tents.</p>
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<p>The concentration of plastic waste in landfills results in the <a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full/10.1098/rstb.2008.0284">release of contaminants into the environment</a>. While well-regulated landfills minimise the impact on the surrounding environment, there are still <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2873020/">long-term contamination risks</a> to the soil and groundwater. As it is, the UK is fast running out of landfill capacity – a <a href="http://www.esauk.org/application/files/6015/3589/6453/UK_Residual_Waste_Capacity_Gap_Analysis.pdf">recent report</a> estimated that England has less than seven years capacity for non-hazardous landfill.</p>
<h2>The cost of single-use tents</h2>
<p>Even before accounting for disposal, tents take a fair amount of energy to make. Based on <a href="https://www.energy-revolution.org.uk/association-of-independent-festivals-launch-no-single-use-tent-campaign/">estimations by consultancy Julie’s Bicycle</a>, the manufacture of typical 3.5kg tent emits the equivalent of as much as 25kg of carbon dioxide, and contains the <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/newsbeat-48184756">equivalent of around 8,750 straws or 250 pint cups of plastic</a>. This is about the same amount of CO<sub>2</sub> emitted by a car driving 100 miles – without even taking into account the additional energy it takes transport the tent to shops, or to transport it to landfill.</p>
<p>Today, tents and pegs made out of biodegradable materials such as cardboard and biodegradable plastics are available. But these products are sometimes less portable, less resilient to the deluges so common at British festivals, and may sometimes take years to actually biodegrade – especially in tightly packed landfill sites with limited oxygen supply.</p>
<p>At the time of writing, Argos, Aldi, Tesco and Halfords all sell tents for £20 or less – hardly a major investment – especially when seen against the price of festival tickets in the UK that are often around £200. Outdoor equipment – and tents in particular – are often <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1468797619832308">produced in sweatshop conditions</a>. Standing in a sunny field it is easy to forget the inhumane working and living conditions of the workers half a world away that have toiled to make these tents.</p>
<p>Regardless of what it’s made of, using a tent repeatedly is more environmentally friendly than one discarded after a single use. By dumping their tents, festival-goers help normalise this type of wasteful behaviour. People are social animals that tend to copy their flock, so festival-goers observing others leaving tents behind are much more likely to leave their own. On the other hand, a clean field of the sort captured by Emily Eavis’s drone in the image above should help nudge even tired festival-goers to take home the equipment they brought with them.</p>
<p>The images of abandoned tents are more than just a comment on the environmental and ethical impacts of the festival itself. They are a visually dramatic symbol of our throwaway culture – just as images of clean fields at Glastonbury are a refreshing vision of hope for what could be.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/120198/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Aurore Julien is an environmental assessor with A Greener Festival.</span></em></p>Festival-goers increasingly treat tents as disposable, imagining they are put to good use when discarded. They’re wrong.Aurore Julien, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Design, University of East LondonLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1199702019-07-10T11:32:43Z2019-07-10T11:32:43ZMusic festivals: how to get more women on stage (and it’s not just 50/50 quotas)<p>By all accounts, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/jun/30/kylie-at-glastonbury-2019-review">Kylie Minogue was fabulous at Glastonbury</a> this year. What she wasn’t though – <a href="https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/whats-on/music-nightlife/glastonbury-2019-tickets-lineup-poster-2649862">contrary to promotional material</a> – was a headline act. Unlike Stormzy, The Killers and The Cure, who all topped the bill on successive nights on the main Pyramid Stage, Kylie appeared in much less prominent spots on the festival line-up – similar to Janet Jackson, who had also been promoted as a headliner.</p>
<p>This controversy aside, Emily Eavis deserves credit for her efforts in getting <a href="https://graziadaily.co.uk/celebrity/news/glastonbury-2019-women/">women into 42% of slots</a> across a four-day festival – a considerable increase since 2015 when women occupied only 14% of the line-up.</p>
<p>The push towards gender balanced line-ups, or so-called “50/50” pledges, is led by the <a href="https://keychange.eu/">PRS Keychange initiative </a> which calls for equal numbers of male and female performers at high profile festivals and music events by 2022. Some 250 music organisations have already signed up and Primavera Sound, held in Barcelona in May 2019, was the <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/newsbeat-48484558">first music festival to achieve a 50/50 gender balance</a>.</p>
<p>But the move is controversial – which may seem surprising when we know that high-profile role models are an important part of the psychology of inspiring women to <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1037/gpr0000059">enter male-dominated occupations</a>. Actively recruiting women into visible public positions should be welcomed by all, surely?</p>
<p>The problems begin when we look more closely at what happens when quotas are used to address gender inequality. The argument is that without legislation requiring organisations to appoint a set number of individuals from the minority group, change will not happen fast enough. The 2011 <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/women-on-boards-5-year-summary-davies-review">Davies Report</a>, commissioned by the UK Government, calculated it would take 70 years for men and women to achieve equality on company boards if the status quo wasn’t challenged. </p>
<p>Yet these quotas can result in women’s recruitment to less influential positions. In countries where gender quotas for company boards are already mandatory, it is not uncommon <a href="https://www.diw.de/documents/publikationen/73/diw_01.c.550590.de/diw_econ_bull_2017-01-1.pdf">to find women in non-executive positions where their power is limited</a> – impression management rather than real change. We can see this happening at Glastonbury, too. </p>
<h2>Entrenched advantage</h2>
<p>Another criticism of diversity quotas is an assumption that choosing people because of their gender – whether to perform at a festival, or lead a company – means ability and talent matter less than getting enough of the underrepresented group to meet the target. This “tick box” view has damaging effects for everyone.</p>
<p>Men feel aggrieved that they may have lost out unfairly, while women feel they have only been chosen because of their sex, and not their talent. </p>
<p>But filling quotas does not have to be at the expense of ensuring a top quality bill, providing there are sufficient numbers of men and women in the talent pools you’re drawing from. You set the barrier high, then choose equal numbers of men and women who can jump it. </p>
<p>We can apply this approach to ethnicity, sexuality, age – and any number of individual characteristics, too. There is also an argument that, if we are serious about addressing inequality, then the dominant group will (and should) necessarily lose its entrenched advantage.</p>
<h2>Filling the talent pool</h2>
<p>But this is where it gets interesting. Because in music, as with many other creative and tech industries, the talent pools are far from equally sized. A recent report from the <a href="https://annenberg.usc.edu/research/aii">Annenberg Inclusion Initiative</a> studied 700 popular music songs released in the US between 2012 and 2016. Women made up 21.7% of artists, 12.3% of songwriters and only a tiny 2.1% of producers, suggesting that as creative roles become more techie, already low female participation rates fall sharply.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/283302/original/file-20190709-44505-123rhdb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/283302/original/file-20190709-44505-123rhdb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/283302/original/file-20190709-44505-123rhdb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=865&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/283302/original/file-20190709-44505-123rhdb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=865&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/283302/original/file-20190709-44505-123rhdb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=865&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/283302/original/file-20190709-44505-123rhdb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1088&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/283302/original/file-20190709-44505-123rhdb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1088&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/283302/original/file-20190709-44505-123rhdb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1088&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Quite a line-up: Glastonbury 2019.</span>
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<p>This is especially so in electronic music, which is the field I’m currently researching. Accurate figures on the numbers of female producers are hard to come by, but <a href="http://www.carosnatch.com/women-in-electronic-music-female-music-producers/">estimates sit between 5% and 10%</a> of producers released by labels. I undertook a gender analysis of the tracks in the <a href="https://www.beatport.com/top-100">Beatport Top 100</a> one Sunday in May to test this. Sure enough, 91% of them were made by men. And of the nine tracks with women listed as an artist, it appeared only five of them were written and/or produced by a woman as opposed to “just” featuring a female vocalist. These are tiny proportions.</p>
<p>Driven by the digital revolution in music production, writing and producing the music that you play, not just performing it – is a vital part of being a credible artist. From <a href="https://inthekeyofshe.org/">my research</a>, it is clear this is fast becoming the most important criteria in electronic scenes. Without your own catalogue of releases, you’ll struggle to get booked to play the mid-range festivals that are the grassroots of the industry.</p>
<p>It is these events that produce the next generation of A-listers that headline the major festivals. So even if women are great DJs and put on an amazing show, if they are not writing and producing their own music they will lack the reputational capital they need to be taken seriously and our pipeline of future female talent runs dry.</p>
<p>So 50/50 line-ups do provide a great opportunity for female artists, offering role models to inspire girls and women to pursue musical careers. But they also risk reinforcing difference through the divisive nature of quotas. That is not to say we should abandon the idea, but we also need longer term solutions to break down stereotypes about music/technology. </p>
<p>Initiatives such as Toolroom’s <a href="https://www.toolroomrecords.com/news/wearelistening-2/">#WeAreListening</a> project, Hospital Records’ <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/635444013546242/?ref=pages_profile_groups_tab&source_id=773275239513448">Women in Drum and Bass Facebook group</a>, the <a href="https://www.shesaid.so/she-grows">SheSaid.So</a> mentoring network as well as educational projects such as <a href="https://theconversation.com/women-in-sound-addressing-the-music-industrys-gender-gap-85132">Women in Sound on Sound</a> are all examples of programmes that give women a leg up in music production so that they can compete for the top slots. </p>
<p>Offering safe spaces to learn, connect with other women for support, to network and get noticed: these are things that will create sustainable change for a more inclusive music industry of the future.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/119970/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Samantha Warren receives funding through a Fellowship from the Leverhulme Trust (2019-2021). She is affiliated with the Association for Electronic Music, SheSaidSo and DJ artist collective SISU. </span></em></p>Why 50/50 festival line-ups are not an easy solution to gender inequality.Samantha Warren, Professor in Organisation Studies and HRM, and Departmental Research Lead, University of PortsmouthLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1197572019-07-03T07:36:34Z2019-07-03T07:36:34ZGlastonbury 2019: Stormzy and Attenborough a barometer for a generation’s urgent concerns<p>There’s little doubt that <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/topics/glastonbury-11219">Glastonbury</a> is one of the UK’s – perhaps the world’s – most iconic music festivals. It always generates headlines and while the vagaries of the British seasons often mean that many of these focus on the weather, Glastonbury’s centrality to the live music calendar means that it also acts as a faultline for broader tensions in popular music culture. In particular, it embodies the collision of popular music and politics.</p>
<p>Emerging from the “free festival” movement of the 1960s, Glastonbury began in its current form in the 1970s – first as the Pilton Festival organised by Michael Eavis of Worthy Farm and then, in 1971, as the Glastonbury Fayre. That event was co-promoted with Andrew Kerr and Arabella Churchill – granddaughter of Winston – as a free “<a href="https://books.google.com.au/books?id=erMoi-fp-RYC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false">fair in the medieval tradition</a>, embodying the legends of the area, with music, dance, poetry, theatre, lights and opportunities for spontaneous entertainments”. </p>
<p>After a hiatus, it reemerged under the supervision of Eavis as an impromptu stopover on the way to Stonehenge in 1978 and a charity event in 1979, after which it has run almost continually, with occasional “fallow years” to let the fields recover.</p>
<h2>Counterculture to mainstream</h2>
<p>Despite growing into an infrastructural behemoth attracting more than 200,000 people – even at £250 for a full weekend ticket – and broadcast live by the BBC as a mainstay of an <a href="http://livemusicexchange.org/blog/risky-business-the-volatility-and-failure-of-outdoor-music-festivals-in-the-uk-chris-anderton/">otherwise volatile festival market</a>, it has managed to retain a sense of countercultural appeal. If this appears somewhat contradictory, then that is partly because of longstanding paradoxes in rock and popular music culture.</p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/282272/original/file-20190702-126340-cek16k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/282272/original/file-20190702-126340-cek16k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=360&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/282272/original/file-20190702-126340-cek16k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=360&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/282272/original/file-20190702-126340-cek16k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=360&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/282272/original/file-20190702-126340-cek16k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=452&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/282272/original/file-20190702-126340-cek16k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=452&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/282272/original/file-20190702-126340-cek16k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=452&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Hippie heaven: Pilton Festival at Worthy Farm, Glastonbury, 1970.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/brizzlebornandbred/35604023262">Paul Townsend via Flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
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<p>With its status as an expensive site of mainstream consumption – and simultaneously an emblem of escapism from the everyday – Glastonbury’s politics are both implicit and explicit. The genre politics of popular music authenticity have been played out in debates about headline acts – remember when it was announced that rapper Jay-Z was to headline the festival in 2008. “<a href="http://drownedinsound.com/news/3162787">I’m not having hip-hop at Glastonbury. It’s wrong</a>,” complained Noel Gallagher, an objection that was largely (and wisely) ignored. </p>
<p>Shifting genre categories and consumption patterns in the age of streaming have diluted rock’s standing as the central sound of resistance and, by 2011, Beyoncé’s set <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2011/jun/27/beyonce-glastonbury-2011-review">passed without controversy</a>.</p>
<p>The broader relationship of Glastonbury to British live music is debatable. On the one hand, it’s a huge showcase of talent. On the other, there’s a massive <a href="https://www.facebook.com/musicvenuetrust/posts/congratulations-if-you-got-a-glastonbury-festival-official-ticket-we-are-very-ha/980101778863876/">opportunity cost</a> in terms of attention for the smaller venues and festivals that are the foundation of local music scenes. </p>
<p>But if it isn’t as explicitly about “<a href="https://www.somersetlive.co.uk/whats-on/music-nightlife/glastonbury-festival-statistics-reveal-average-1952547">youth culture</a>” as some might assume, Glastonbury’s prominence also makes it a bellwether for broader political concerns, through both guest appearances and the surrounding political context. </p>
<h2>Mixing the messages</h2>
<p>In 2017, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, riding high on a better than expected general election result, was cheered on by the signature tune of the White Stripes song Seven Nation Army <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/glastonbury-2017-radiohead-jeremy-corbyn-song-crowd-useless-politicians-thom-yorke-a7808506.html">recycled as a crowd chant</a>: “Oh, Jeremy Corbyn.” </p>
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<p>But <a href="https://oupacademic.tumblr.com/post/66321507640/misquotation-a-week-is-a-long-time-in">a week is a long time in politics</a> – never mind two years. Corbyn’s ambivalence over Brexit – and failure to recreate his triumph at the <a href="https://theconversation.com/labour-live-why-even-jeremy-corbyn-struggles-to-sell-a-pop-and-politics-mashup-98496">2018 Labour Live festival</a> – illustrate some of the practical complications of politicians mixing pop into their operations.</p>
<p>Indeed, <a href="https://www.independent.ie/au/world-news/and-finally/antibrexit-campaigners-take-aim-at-johnson-with-glastonbury-billboard-38256808.html">qualms about Brexit</a> were a perhaps unsurprising backdrop to the musical festivities in 2019. But <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/jun/29/stormzy-historic-glastonbury-performance">Stormzy’s lambasting</a> of would-be prime minister Boris Johnson – and his highlighting of the inequalities in the criminal justice system – showed that both the music, and the festival itself, are as politically potent as ever.</p>
<p>Another keynote of this year’s festival, as in the news and on the streets at large, was climate change. So the signature non-musical speaker this year was <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ru5JYf7X5Ck">David Attenborough addressing climate change</a>, while both the <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-somerset-48793814">Extinction Rebellion protesters</a> and the festival’s <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/jun/30/greenest-glastonbury-david-attenborough-climate-crisis-plastic">own attempts</a> at more sustainable practice chimed with that theme.</p>
<p>This, of course, is a challenge that applies far beyond a single music festival. Another one is the problem of sexism in the music industry and Emily Eavis – who inherited the stewardship of Glastonbury from her 83-year-old father – has noted the difficulties she faces <a href="https://metro.co.uk/2019/06/24/glastonbury-organiser-emily-eavis-admits-men-music-industry-refuse-deal-10040654/">in getting some men to acknowledge</a> that she is now in charge of booking the main stages.</p>
<h2>A broad church</h2>
<p>From its <a href="https://www.glastonburyfestivals.co.uk/areas/left-field/">Leftfield</a> speakers’ tent to the unabashed pop presence of Kylie Minogue on the main stage, Glastonbury’s sheer scope allows it to straddle the nitty-gritty of current affairs and the peaks of popular music’s ability to throw a party. </p>
<p>That scope also means that one of its functions is as a prism through which to view the larger political, as well as the popular cultural, picture. The oppositions between art and commerce, anti-establishment politics and mass culture, and the grassroots and mainstream have long been a feature of popular music. Glastonbury’s sometimes uneasy journey from resistant counterculture to media-friendly centrepiece of British musical culture suggests they’re unlikely to be resolved any time soon. </p>
<p>But the longstanding affection in which it is held, and its consequent capacity to pinpoint the urgency of matters such as climate change or inequality, suggest that perhaps they don’t need to be.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/119757/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Adam Behr has received funding from the Arts and Humanities Research Council</span></em></p>From the hippie heaven of the 1970s to the massive mainstream event it is now, Glastonbury has always found a way to fuse popular culture with a potent political message.Adam Behr, Lecturer in Popular and Contemporary Music, Newcastle UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.