The Australian company behind Splendour has a rich parent – so why does it need millions in public money?

As recently as February, the NSW government was scrambling to broker a grants package to ensure Splendour in the Grass (pictured in 2023) went ahead this year. Photograph: Matt Jelonek/Getty Images

The New South Wales and federal governments have propped up the private company behind Splendour in the Grass music festival, recently cancelled for this year, with millions of dollars for years as the festival’s multinational parent company recorded multimillion-dollar profits.

Since Covid crippled the live music sector in 2020-21, Secret Sounds and its parent company, Live Nation Australia Festivals – the owners of some of Australia’s largest music festivals including Splendour, Spilt Milk, the Falls festival and Harvest Rock – have received more than $16m in government grants, including $1.09m for a 2021 festival that was subsequently cancelled and $2.6m for a partially washed out 2022 festival.