Brent Eccles: Eccles Entertainment founder on the cancellation of the One Love festival

A promoter says concerts in New Zealand have a bright future, despite some high-profile cancellations. 

Tauranga reggae festival One Love and Taranaki's WOMAD have called off their 2026 showings.

Promoter Brent Eccles says other festivals like Electric Avenue are doing very well. 

He says there are plenty of future opportunities. 

"And I think you'll find that next year, with this new Government scheme that's going on, a lot will be announced."

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
The twenty twenty six edition of One Love Festival in
totunger has been canceled. The organizer said on social media
that because of the cost of living crisis and the
unforeseen developments behind the scenes, they've made the decision not
to hold the festival this time around, and they're going
to try again in twenty twenty seven. But and there
is a big butt here. One Love is owned by
one of the organizers of Juicy Fest and the Timeless

(00:21):
Summer Tour. And you know what happened with that? A yeah,
they both got canceled too. Brent Ekkeles doesn't have anything
to do with One Love, thank the good Lord. But
he is a concert promoter who knows this stuff, and
he's with us. Now, Hi, Brent, how are you doing now?
I'm very well, thank you. So what do you reckon?
Is this about the economy or is this about this
lot being part of a group of people who seem
to be organizing festivals to just get canceled.

Speaker 2 (00:44):
I think festivals have run a course, and One Love
has been successful quite some time. It may have just
have to pause to regroup. And I think that the
promoters have had a rough run recently. So that perhaps
licking their wounds and working out the next steps.

Speaker 1 (01:02):
I think, okay, is it a difficult time to be
running festivals at the minute.

Speaker 2 (01:08):
Well not if you're Electric Avenue, which is the most
successful festival in Australasia. And I think that you know,
Rhythm and Vines are doing very well with them else
doing very well. You know, it depends. I mean that
the festivals. What is the festival? Is it just a
lineup of artists or something with an ethos? And I
think festivals have an ethos. The ones that stick around,

(01:30):
they stick to that and they do quite well. Electric
Gavenue is a great example. I think with One Love
they seem to have an ethos at the start, but
it seemed to fade and they've got themselves in a
spider bither. I think they'll read group and come back.
But nothing to do with the economy, I don't think.

Speaker 1 (01:47):
Ah, okay, So does that mean then, brit If you
don't think it's got anything to do with the economy.
If you were a punter out there who's got a
ticket to a festival over summer, not this festival obviously,
but any other one, you don't need to stress out
it should be okay.

Speaker 2 (01:59):
No, actually be fine, you know, particularly the bigger ones.
If it's if it's a brand new festival, maybe you
want to think about who's running that. But I think
I think in the word I hear out there that
they're all doing pretty well.

Speaker 1 (02:12):
Okay, now tell me what to do. Tell me what
to do if you are a punter, because what happened
to me, Brent is I bought tickets to Snoop Dogg, right,
and yes, yeah you remember, and there was this lot
who was involved with Snoop Dogg as well, And then
of course I'm like, oh lord, here we go, and
then canceled. Is there a way, so this is like
the fourth cancelation in recent times for this crowd. Is

(02:32):
there a way when you when you see something being
promoted to actually double check whether the people are legit
or this crowd?

Speaker 2 (02:41):
I think, look at who the ticket is, and it's
a reputable ticket of someone you know, then that's a
good starting point. And have a look at who the
promoter is and just google them and see what their
reputation is like. Well, I think that the realm in
which some promoters work, like in reggae or things like

(03:02):
Snoopers kind of. It's always a bit hit and miss anyway,
and I don't think with that particular example, Snow it
was the promoter's fault that just he just decided not
to come on.

Speaker 1 (03:11):
Oh what if a brand you're being um, sure, you're
being far too kind, because it was it was, it
was announced and it was going to be on the
next month, and it was it was old mate Paso
again and I just looked at it and I thought,
I'm taking a chance with my dollars here.

Speaker 2 (03:25):
Yeah. Yeah, Well, I mean to check out who the
promoter is, if the reputable s, if they've done lots
of shows. I mean, that's what he can do.

Speaker 1 (03:30):
As Now, what happened with Snoop was fascinating was that
actually everybody could get their money back because the money
had not actually gone to the promoter, but it had
been held in a trust or something like that had
been ring fenced. Is that something that should we be
doing that in any case just as a matter of course.

Speaker 2 (03:45):
Well, that's probably because the venue Snoop was playing was
controlled by Auckland Stadiums, who would have insisted in money
it goes through Ticketmaster, that Ticketmaster hold the money in trust.
Other tickets don't. That gives it back to the promoter.
And I've been saying this for years, this is going
to be a disaster here, and it certainly had happened
with with with the Juicy Fest and the other one.

(04:09):
So but the promoters hold their money in trust, ticket
Marster's ticket, check access, a couple of others. That's safe.
But how these other guys are allowed to give them
money back to the promoters or a Ponzi scheme? How
how does the government allow it allow it to happen.
I mean there's been a noise about it for rases
and nothing's happened. They still doing it.

Speaker 1 (04:31):
Yeah, yeah, Now listen, Brent. I don't know about you,
but I am just loving all the concerts we're getting
at the moment.

Speaker 2 (04:36):
You you, is it just me?

Speaker 1 (04:38):
Or is it actually quite like a Is there a
little bit of a thing going on?

Speaker 2 (04:43):
Absolutely? I mean New Zealand is a great destination and
you know there are lots of shows coming. I mean
I can't keep up. And I think you'll find next
year with the new government scheme that's going on, a
lot will be announced. Yeah, that will come through, not
maybe in the first half of next year, maybe next summer.
There'll be a lot comes through. Very exciting. Thanks.

Speaker 1 (05:02):
I'm loving it, Brent. Thanks very much, Brent Echles, concert promoter.
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