The labour of love? No Volunteers = No Festivals

Let’s face it: without volunteers, most of the festival business would not be sustainable. That’s particularly the case for small to medium festivals, the ones with courageous bookings and formats, who prioritise cultural and social missions over financial profit. Are we making money on the back of motivated, passionate music fans? Or are we delivering a service to the community and should actually be funded for that? Or should the volunteers be thankful because we’re providing access to the music ecosystem and ‘awesome' experiences? Ethical treatment of volunteers including rights, rewards, certification, security… a structural discussion is overdue.