A collective of Australian festivals, musicians, venues, promoters and record labels have launched a new campaign called ‘Your Choice’, in an attempt to help everyone have a fun and (more importantly) safe time when they’re out at a show.
Backed by the likes of Laneway Festival, Splendour In the Grass, Falls Festival and UNIFY Gathering — as well as artists like The Amity Affliction, Amy Shark and Bernard Fanning — ‘Your Choice’ is seeking to raise awareness of ongoing safety issues, as well as everyone’s personal responsibilities at live events.
Australia’s festival circuit has seen a number of distressing incidents take place in the last few years, including alleged sexual assaults at UNIFY Gathering and Rainbow Serpent Festival, as well as a horrific stampede and multiple alleged sexual assaults at Falls Festival.
In a statement, Splendour In The Grass and Falls Festival head honchos Jessica Ducrou and Paul Piticco say:
“’Your Choice’ is an important conversation to have… At its core, ‘Your Choice’ is a discussion about safety at gigs, concerts and festivals and how we can collectively have an inclusive, supportive good time at these shows.
“‘Your Choice’ will start the conversation and we hope, positively shift the behavioural culture that seems so prevalent these days.”
‘Your Choice’ is calling on all music fans and industry representatives to adopt a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to bad behaviour at shows, and has even developed a series of ‘Your Choice House Rules’, which you can view below.
“The goal of ‘Your Choice’ is to help influence a culture of positive behaviour through shared responsibility — together as industry organisers and patrons attending,” organisers say.
“Everyone has the right to a good time, without the actions of the minority coming at personal and/or public expense. We want to see an inclusive, supportive, safe, fun time had by all.”
The Your Choice website also contains a bunch of resources for venues, artists, festival and other industry peeps, and is being spruiked as “a place for conversation, education, debate and interaction between industry and policy makers”.
The ‘Your Choice’ campaign builds on work already completed by the likes of Victoria’s Sexual Assault Task Force and Camp Cope’s ‘It Takes One’ campaign.
With a focus on opening up dialogue, employing “preventative strategies” and working towards harm minimisation , organisers say they’ve already had positive discussions with Victorian Government ministers about the future of the campaign.
View the current list of ‘Your Choice’ supporters in full, below.
Your Choice ‘House Rules’ (Supplied)
Click to expand
Your Choice Supporters (As At 14/07/17)
123 Agency
170 Russell
5/4 Entertainment
A DAY ON THE GREEN / ROUND HOUSE
A N R Department
AAM
AIR
Airbourne
Alex Lahey
All Our Exes Live In Texas
Amrap
Amy Shark
Angie McMahon
APRA AMCOS
Astral People
Aus Music Week
Bake House
Barely Dressed Records
BBE
Beach Road Hotel Bondi
Beat
Bedroom Sucks Records
Bernard Fanning
Big Top Sydney – Luna Park
Bigsound
Birds of Tokyo
Bizarro Life
Black Bear Lodge
Bluesfest
Bob Evans
Bolster
Botany View Hotel
Boy & Bear
Brass Monkey
Brighton Up Bar
Brightside
Call and Response
Captain Cook Hotel
Caroline
Catherine Haridy Management
Cattleyard Promotions
Cloud Control
Code One Entertainment
Collarts
Collision Course
Comes With Fries
Corner Hotel
Crown and Anchor
Dan Kelly
Dark Mofo
Dashville Skyline
Death Proof PR
Dew Process
Down The Highway
Ecca Vandal
Edinburgh Castle
Elephant Tracks
ELKI
Engine Room
Exeter Hotel
Falcona
Falls Festival
Fascinator
Feel Presents
Festival Hall
Festival Of The Sun
Foghorn Media
FOMO
Footstomp Music
Future Classic
Gang of Youths
Gareth Liddiard
Grace Darling Hotel
Grass is Greener Festival
Green Buzzard
Groovin The Moo
Grow Yourself Up
Gum Ball
Habitat
Handshake Management
Hatchie
Heart Stop Music
Heritage Hotel
Howler
I know Leopard
I OH YOU
Jebediah
Jive
JMC
jones PR
Josh Pyke
Karen Conrad PR
Karova Lounge
Katy Steele
Kicks Entertainment
Kingswood
Laneway
Leadbelly
Lemon Tree
Let Them Eat Cake
Lismore City Hall
Live Nation
Look Out Kid
Lost Paradise
Low Brow Bar and Gallery
Lucky Ent.
Lunatic Entertainment
Lupa J
Macro Music
Mama Kin
Maric Media
MAX WATTS MEL, SYD, BRISBANE
Metropolis/Amplifier/Capitol
MGM Distribution
Michael Parisi Management
Mike Waters
Minor / Major PR
Miranda Hotel
Mistletone Records & Touring
MJR Presents
Mojos Bar
Mona Foma
Monster Management
Montaigne
Moonbase
Mother Ship Events
Mountain Sounds
Mucho-Bravado
MUSIC NSW
Music NT
Music SA
Music TAS
MUSIC VIC
Niche Productions
Nicholas Allbrook
North Byron Parklands
Northcote Social Club
NYE on the Hill
OKBadlands
Oztix
Pacific Hotel Yamba
Palais
Palms
Party In The Paddock
Paul Dempsey
Pete Murray
Peter Bibby
Philip Stevens Management
Pierce Brothers
Pigsty in July
PR Files
Premium Media
PS Music Group
Q MUSIC
Rad Bar
REMI
Remote Control Records
Respect the Rule
Revered Management
Riot House PR
Roadsick Apparel
Sahara Beck
Scrabble PR
Secret Garden
Secret Service Management
Secret Service PR
Secret Sounds
Secret Sounds Connect
Secret Sounds Touring
Select Music
Select Touring
SG Media
Shihad
Snowtunes Festival
Solbar
Some Velvet Morning
Something For Kate
Spender
Spilt Milk
Spinning Top
Splendour In The Grass
Sugar Mountain
Star Court Theatre Entertainment
Strawberry Fields
Tanks Arts Centre
The Amity Affliction
The AU Review
The Avalanches
The Cat Empire
The Chippo Hotel
The Drones
The Foundary
The Gasometer Hotel
The Grates
The Hills Are Alive
The Jezabels
The Lady Hampshire
The Lansdowne Hotel
The Lord Gldstone
The Music
The Music.com.au
The National Hotel
The Northern
The Operatives
The Paper Kites
The Plot
The Push
The Retreat Hotel
The Teskey Brothers
The Toff
The Waifs
The Zoo
This That Festival
Thornbury Theatre
Timberwolf
Tired Lion
Title Track
Toby Martin
Towradgi Beach Hotel
Triffid
triple j
Tropical Fuck Storm
Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm
UNIFIED
Unify: A Heavy Music Gathering
Valve Bar & Venue
Village Sounds
VVV MGMT
Waax
Waves Nightclub
Waywards
White Label Servicing
Winston Surfshirt
Winterman Goldstein
Wollongong Uni Bar
Wonderlick
Woodford Folk Festival
Your and Owls (Company)
Yours and Owls Festival
