The Pandemonium Rocks music festival, already clouded by the unexpected withdrawal of several headline acts, suffered a significant data breach that revealed the personal and banking information of hundreds of ticketholders. This breach occurred after attendees applied for partial refunds due to the cancellation of many key performances. with acts such as Placebo, Deep Purple, Dead Kennedys, Gang Of Four, Gyroscope and Petch no longer performing.
What has been leaked?
The affected data, which included names, contact details, and banking information, was publicly visible for a brief period. The festival organisers have committed to reaching out to the impacted individuals to advise next steps. Despite these obstacles, the festival saw a large crowd at its inaugural event in Melbourne and plans to continue to other Australian cities.
Will there be refunds?
Although ticket prices have been lowered and the festival is offering either a complimentary ticket, a partial refund, or a hoodie to ticket holders, there are still some disgruntled followers seeking a full refund.
“Examples of a major change might be where the headline act at a festival is changed, or where the location of a show is changed from one city to another.”
An Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) spokesperson.
“It would be regarded as a major failure if a reasonable consumer would not have purchased the ticket if they’d known of the changes,”
Dean of Griffith Law School professor Therese Wilson.
The Big Picture
On the brighter side, other fans are thrilled about the remaining acts and commend the attempts to keep the music scene alive. The relatively new festival takes place amidst a backdrop of multiple festival cancellations in Australia and has previously endured venue alternations.
Festivals have always carried a certain financial risk for organizers, as not many things need to go wrong to rock the boat. Having endured a global pandemic, rising economic pressures, and a whiplash in supply and demand, both organisers and attendees are continuing to adjust their expectations for such events.
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