FredRock music festival faces uncertain future

FredRock organizers say the weak Canadian dollar could force them to pull the plug on the summer music festival in downtown Fredericton.

The concert series has attracted dozens of acts, including Blue Rodeo, Joel Plaskett and Billy Talent, to the city since it began in 2009.

Nick Zildjan, who co-founded the music event with Mike Babineau in 2009, said FredRock is facing financial pressures outside of his control.

"The Canadian dollar has been a big factor,"Zildjansaid.

Zildjansaid he prefers booking Canadian talent for his concerts.

But the weaklooniemeans other Canadian festivals are looking for more homegrown artists for their shows and that competition is driving up the price.

Zildjansaid he intends to make a decision by March 1 on whether to bring the festival back in 2016.

In recent years, the concert organizers have tried different options, including switching to new venues, to improve the summer festival.

"Mike and I, from day one, have put our blood, sweat and tears into it. Only some of our close friends and family really know what we've gone through to make sure that it's gone on for seven straight years," he said.

All that effort has not always resulted in the music festival turning a profit.

The cash crunch faced by festival organizers is not going unnoticed by the artists that play at these concerts.

Troy Arseneault, a guitarist with the Halifax band, Alert the Medic, said it would be a shame if the plug was pulled on the FredRock festival.

"The bands were well taken care of, the staging was ample, the production was good, the tent was wicked," he said.

Even if FredRock folds, Zildjan said he will always be involved in live music.

Be it with local artists or something a little bigger.

"If Kanye [West] called me up, I would probably haggle on the price quite a bit," he said.