The skirmish between Fairfax Media and the Big Day Out continues with further allegations of mismanagement during BDO 2014. According to the report, several punters have raised complaints with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) over the event’s VIP tickets.
The ‘Like A Boss’ tickets were priced at $285 — an extra $100 on top of the general admission prices — and offered punters “more than the usual experience” like “exclusive boss main stage viewing areas” and “real boss amenities, including bars, toilets and more,” as well as lounge areas.
However, according to Marc, a 25-year-old investment banker from Melbourne, the Like A Boss experience led him to file complaints with the ACCC and its online counterpart, SCAMwatch, saying that he had a better view of event headliners Pearl Jam from the general admission area.
Sydney-based musician and salesman Mark Littler, who has been to every Big Day Out since 1993, told Fairfax the VIP viewing area was “the worst vantage spot in the whole arena” and that he received “nothing for the extra money,” citing a lack of proper amenities or added convenience.
As FasterLouder reports, comments left on the Big Day Out Facebook echo the sentiments of the two men, with one commenter alleging “false advertising” after finding “Less shade, less sitting areas, less food options, no lockers, no free water, no mc, no lucky prizes, [and] no atmosphere.”
A Big Day Out spokeswoman reportedly told Fairfax that “No Like A Boss issues have been raised by Fair Trading or ACCC.” The article implies that the mismanagement of the VIP area was a result of the festival’s cost-cutting measures, which also saw headliner Blur cancel their set.
According to writer Chris Johnson, Blur were to be paid $4 million for their BDO appearances but cost-cutting measures intervened. Promoter AJ Maddah has refuted the estimate, telling a follower on Twitter that the Britpop icons “were paid more than that” and further criticising Fairfax Media.
Responding to a question raised by a follower over comments made in the piece about Big Day Out CEO Adam Zammit‘s wife, Michelle Leslie, Maddah tweeted, “My guess is that [Chris Johnson’s] partner is hideously fat, ugly and stupid; so [this was] probably done out of jealousy.”
Maddah criticised Fairfax during an interview with Triple J on Friday, saying, “the thing about Fairfax is they’re essentially just enablers for gossip mongers and people with an axe to grind,” insisting that their allegations of insolvency and nonremittal were “absolutely nonsense.”
@balrog16 No. They were paid more than that.
— AJ (@iamnotshouting) February 9, 2014
.@moventura My guess is that @mrcjohnston's partner is hideously fat, ugly and stupid; so probably done out of jealousy.
— AJ (@iamnotshouting) February 9, 2014
