Sustainability Governance in European Music Festivals: A Comparative Analysis of Organizational Models and Regulatory Frameworks

This thesis investigates how governance models and national regulatory frameworks shape the implementation of sustainability in European music festivals. Employing a qualitative-comparative methodology, the research analyzes six major festivals across four countries: Roskilde Festival (Denmark), Lollapalooza Berlin (Germany), Kappa FuturFestival and Umbria Jazz (Italy), and Les Eurockéennes and Main Square Festival (France). A key structural finding distinguishes mono-model countries, where one organizational form dominates (non profit in Denmark, commercial in Germany), from dual-model countries (Italy and France), enabling controlled intra-national comparison. The analysis reveals consistent cross-national patterns: non profit festivals demonstrate stronger social sustainability focus and transparency, while commercial festivals adopt environmental technologies more rapidly and pursue ISO 20121 certification as credibility mechanisms. Public funding emerges as the most effective driver of comprehensive sustainability reporting, surpassing both regulatory requirements and voluntary certification alone. The research validates Gohoungodji and Amara's six-factor framework, proposing distinctions between funding sources, accountability structures, and partnership types. The findings suggest that effective sustainability governance requires combining baseline regulations with binding funding conditions, while acknowledging that governance models and national contexts produce legitimate pathway diversity rather than a single optimal approach.