As the debate rages on how new NSW Government licensing controls on music festivals will hurt live music in NSW - the Deni Ute Muster has announced its 2019 show is bigger and better than ever.
US country superstar Tim McGraw will be part of the big music line-up with already Early Bird and Adorer tickets sold out for the October 4-5 event, that normally attracts more than 20,000 people to the Riverina town of Deniliquin.
Backing up Tim McGraw on the main stage will be Lee Kernaghan, John Williamson, Beccy Cole, Ross Wilson, Travis Collins, Adam Harvey, Sunny Cowgirls, Ben Ransom, Aleyce Simmonds, Round Mountain Girls and Mustered Courage. Day Stage artists are yet to be announced.
The star line-up is part of Deni's "coming-of-age" 21st birthday celebration.
It's good news for live music in regional NSW after a torrent of bad reaction to new live music festival regulations to be imposed from March 1 by the NSW Government. The new regulations were brought in after a number of deaths at music festivals, mainly in Sydney at house music events where pill-based drugs are commonplace.
The live music trade brings in more than $350 million in tourism to NSW each year and already the Byron Bay Blues Festival says it may move its venue to Queensland as the new licensing requirements will cost it an extra $200,000 a year.
The Tamworth Country Music Festival appears to be exempt from the new regulations as it is defined as a "hallmark event" that covers a whole city and most of its live music occurs in licensed premises, but still TCMF festival director Barry Harley said the government's new licensing rules were a "knee-jerk" reaction.
"What the government has forgotten is that live music is one of the few ways musicians can make a living these days because of the illegal downloads of music on the internet," he said.
"We have done everything we can to reduce anti-social behaviour and we know that has been a success."
Mr Harley said live music events were important for regional residents as they often did not have access to music that city people did.
It is believed the new regulations that require festival organisers to pay for policing and medical facilities does not apply to any live music event that has under 2000 people. It is not sure as yet how this may effect live music events at country race meetings such as Duck Creek races at Narrrabri.
Deni Ute Muster general manager Vicky Lowry said it was business as usual despite the controversy over new NSW live music festival event regulations.
"All I will say is that the Ute Muster is on, bigger and better than ever. The stars are booked and are coming," she said.
"We always work well with police and medical people as we always do and public safety is our number one priority."
Ms Lowry said she didn't know what financial impost the new licensing regulations would have on the Festival - one of the biggest yearly events in the Riverina.
"This event is very important for people on the land. It brings people together and especially in the time of drought they can forget about things and have a good time. It is also a family event now and safety is our priority. We have many other attractions such as the bull ride, a circus and circle work."
The Deni Ute Muster involves 1000 volunteers, with $100,000 donated back into local community groups.
The first ute muster actually occurred during another bad drought. "Back in 1999, a group of community minded locals came together with the aim to start a rural themed festival to bring visitors to Deniliquin, a beautiful vibrant town on the edge of the outback, which was struggling with a crippling drought," a Deni Ute muster release said.
"The first Deni Play on the Plains Festival, as it was known at the time, took place in October 1999, on the flattest, natural, open plains on earth, and with “ute culture” being an intrinsic part of Deniliquin, it was unanimous that it would play a major part of the festival and hence the Deni Ute Muster burst into the national psyche.
"In its first year, the Deni Ute Muster had approximately 5,000 patrons and set a new Guinness World Record for the most number of legally paraded utes at 2,839 – a record which still stands today. Since 1999 the Deni Ute Muster has become the region’s biggest tourist drawcard and a celebration of all things Australian.
"The 2019 Deni Ute Muster line-up includes some new artists and many all-time favourites."
Tim McGraw is one of the world's big country music stars with 16 No 1 albums with more than 50 million records sold.
General Admission tickets are available at www.deniutemuster.com.au.
John Ellicott
journalist and author
journalist and author
