Melbourne Fringe Festival Rejects Artists' Request for Fair Pay

By Alexandra Alvaro

Topic: Arts Events

Monday, June 1, 2026, at 5:15 am

This year's festival will run from September 29 to October 18.

In short:

Melbourne Fringe artists asked for a fair share of the money, but the festival board said no.

The artists wanted the festival to take a smaller cut of the ticket sales, from 35% to 30%.

The festival board said they cannot make this change because of rising costs and fewer opportunities.

The Melbourne Fringe Festival will not reduce the fees it charges to artists.

Many artists signed a letter asking the festival to give them a fair share of the money.

The artists believe in the festival's mission to make the arts available to everyone.

The artists think the current rules are unfair and make it hard for them to participate.

The letter asked for two main changes to the festival's rules.

The first change is to reduce the cut the festival takes from ticket sales at festival-managed venues.

The second change is to stop charging fees on fees, which means the festival should only take its cut after other fees have been paid.

The festival board has rejected both of these requests.

One of the artists behind the campaign, Lukas Meintjes, will not participate in the festival this year.

Lukas Meintjes thinks the increased fees are unfair and will hurt many artists.

He believes that only artists with a lot of money will be able to keep making shows.

The festival board chair, Michael Kantor, said the board understands the artists' concerns but cannot make the changes they asked for.

The board said the festival is operating in a difficult environment with rising costs and fewer opportunities.

The festival has provided more information to artists about their concerns.

The festival said it is not trying to make a profit, but it needs to reduce its losses.

If the festival does not make some changes, it may not be able to continue operating in its current form.

Performers are calling for change in the way the festival is run.

One comedian, Andy Balloch, said the festival took 48% of his earnings last year.

This year, he thinks the festival would take around 60% if he performed at a festival-managed venue.

Andy Balloch believes the current system is unfair and puts too much risk on the artists.

He thinks the festival is passing on all the risk to the artists and taking none itself.

The cost of living crisis is making it even harder for artists to perform at the festival.

Andy Balloch has decided to perform at a different venue this year because of the costs.

He said performing at the festival's main venue, Trades Hall, would give him more exposure.

However, many artists do not have the same options as him.

He believes the arts scene is at risk of becoming only for rich, white people.

The festival says it is working to make the arts more accessible to everyone.

The festival's CEO, Danny Delahunty, defended the festival's current system.

He said the claim that the festival is charging fees on fees is a misunderstanding.

The festival uses a standard system to share costs between artists.

Changing this system would not reduce the costs, but would require the festival to find other ways to cover them.

The festival provides subsidies to some artists, which helps to reduce their costs.

However, the festival's CEO said that changing the system as the artists have requested would likely hurt the most vulnerable artists.

The Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance has been talking to the festival's CEO about the artists' concerns.

The alliance's president, Ursula Searle, said the talks have been productive.

The alliance is still surveying artists to understand their concerns.

So far, the survey has shown that many artists think it is too expensive to participate in the festival.

The cost of living crisis and cuts to funding are making it hard for artists and festivals to survive.

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