Switzerland continues to swelter. In fact, the whole of Europe is. The climate crisis is noticeably worsening and is taking a scorching toll on summer festivals. The hardcore festival Defqon.1 was called off after just one day, and in France, the Solidays Festival was forced to cancel its 28th edition entirely, as reported by IQ Magazine. Other festivals have been cancelled either partially or in full, whilst others have moved to a different venue.
And if it’s not the extreme heat, the increased risk of violent thunderstorms threatens to disrupt schedules, as it has already happened with multiple open-air events this year, like Southside. At this year’s Abyss Festival at Lake Gruyère, headliner Napalm Death had to play without their singer, Mark Barney Greenway, as he was stuck in London: A storm prevented any plane from taking off.
Festivals are a high-risk business. Alongside rising costs, climate change might ultimately destroy many events. Nobody enjoys a show at 40 degrees, neither the artists nor the fans. And festivals would do well to act on the understanding that this summer will be the coolest in the coming years.
While the climate crisis needs global action, the local music business has its own challenges. PETZI’s awareness campaign on the club crisis is receiving some general acknowledgement in the media. However, concrete solutions still remain fuzzy. Meanwhile, a partisan effort in parliament seeks to ensure visibility and discoverability of Swiss music on digital platforms. I do have some thoughts on that.
Headlines
KIFF takes important hurdle in covering additional costs
Aarau Town Council backed with a large majority to contribute to the additional costs of the new construction project with a non-repayable grant of 1.62 million Swiss francs. The IG KIFF association thanks the Town Council for its clear yes, the statements from the parliamentary groups, and the debate that arose from them, as they wrote on Instagram. The final vote on this grant will take place on September 27th.
Bandboard launched publicly
Initiated by Beurre’s Chadi Messmer, Bandboard aims to organise the administrative work of running a band. He writes on Instagram: “Infos scattered everywhere. Budget in a spreadsheet, logistics in a chat, documents impossible to find when you need them. Every grant application felt like starting from scratch. […] I couldn’t find a tool that actually fit how an independent band works. So I built one.”
Messmer further states on the website:
“I built bandboard because I was tired of managing my band through a group chat and a dozen half-finished spreadsheets. For the tour, for the recording, for everything a band prepares. I wanted one calm place where the whole team sees the plan — nothing more. No growth dashboards, no upsells, no noise. Just the project, organized, so we can get back to playing.”
Currently, Bandboard offers an early-bird rate of CHF 10.50/month/band, with a 30-day trial. Learn more here.