Aus Festivals Thrown Into Uncertainty As Major Ticketing Company Goes Dark
Billboard reports that numerous concert promoters have been left “unpaid” for “hundreds of thousands of dollars” worth of tickets.
Lost Paradise 2023 (Credit: Jordan Munns)
Lost Paradise and Rabbits Eat Lettuce festivals are just two Australian music events facing uncertainty after ticketing company Lyte suddenly went dark last week.
If you check the Lyte website now, you’ll see a notice that says it is undergoing “scheduled maintenance.” Lost Paradise organisers have postponed the accommodation on sale as ticket links for both festivals now lead to a maintenance page.
The website notice contains a message that reads “Be Back Soon” with smaller text reading, “Our website is currently undergoing scheduled maintenance. We should be back shortly.”
Source: Lyte website
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Teams for both festivals are actively investigating the issue, but Rabbits Eat Lettuce organisers say they’ve been unable to contact Lyte for clarification.
That may be because, as Billboard reports, Lyte has suddenly shut down after ten years of operation, with the company’s founder and CEO, Ant Taylor, confirming his resignation.
According to Billboard, staff have been laid off, and potentially numerous concert promoters have been left “unpaid” for “hundreds of thousands of dollars” worth of tickets.
Taylor told the publication that an “emergency board/creditors effort [is] underway” to find a potential buyer to repay punters and promoters affected by Lyte’s sudden shutdown.
In addition to Lost Paradise and Rabbits Eat Lettuce, international festivals, including Pitchfork Music Festival, Newport Folk Festival, and others, have also used Lyte.
What’s most concerning about the shutdown is this: if Lyte has gone out of business without paying its primary clients’ revenue from ticket sales, smaller event organisers—Lost Paradise and Rabbits Eat Lettuce would likely be described as primary clients and smaller event organisers—could be losing nearly all of their revenue.
In a statement, Lost Paradise told The Music, “Lost Paradise are aware Lyte is offline, and are actively investigating the issue. They will update their channels once they know more.”
UPDATE 11:45 AM Thursday, 19 September: Rabbits Eat Lettuce organisers have shared a statement with The Music, writing:
“We have received correspondence from a Lyte representative, who has advised us Lyte Ticketing has suspended operations. Therefore, we have made the necessary move to change ticketing providers for REL2025. We apologise for this inconvenience Lyte has caused, and will be working to ensure a smooth transition, with all existing tickets transferring to the new provider.”
Adding that all tickets and glamping items purchased will be transferred to a new ticketing system, Humanitix, who the event worked with since 2021, the statement continued, “After this experience with Lyte we have decided to put our trust in a locally based Australian company for stability, peace of mind and reliable service.”
Tickets and any extensions, including glamping, will be automatically transferred to the Humanitix system and reissued to the same email of purchase. You won’t need to contact Rabbits Eat Lettuce, as you should receive your Humanitix REL2025 ticket within the next week.
However, those who purchased tickets via a payment plan should email Rabbits Eat Lettuce (info@rabbitseatlettuce.com.au) with the following:
- forward your Lyte confirmation email detailing the tickets/products you purchased
- include your full name in the email
And put “payment plan” in the subject line.
On the Lyte Instagram account, punters have been commenting on the company’s most recent post—shared on 4 September—writing that they’ve been trying to look at their pending request for days and alleged that customer service has stopped responding.
The showrunner of the New Jersey-based hip-hop festival Puerto Rock Steady (PRS Fest) claimed that they haven’t received a response from Lyte regarding the current situation, pointing out that Taylor has left the company.
This is a developing story.
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