Opinion: Now, you may have seen last week that the New Years' festival - Rhythm and Vines - announced its final lineup.
There are some incredible acts playing – Chase and Status, Alison Wonderland – the icon that is Sir Dave Dobbyn – but they also announced someone that I am not thrilled about.
That's UK grime artist Dizzee Rascal.
Don't get me wrong - I really like some of his music - and I've definitely partied to his song 'bonkers' a fair few times in my life.
But back in March, he was convicted of assaulting his ex-girlfriend.
He was handed a 24-week curfew, a restraining order and an electronic tag.
And moments after a jury found him guilty, he walked out of court and smashed a photographer's camera.
Those 24 weeks have been and gone – but my question is, in a country where domestic violence is rife – why can't R&V take a moral stand and book another artist?
Now – The festival's director - Hamish Pinkham - spoke to Stuff after the announcement.
He said they are aware of Dizzee Rascal's history and while it is a "red flag" – the rapper's team is looking to book tours for him again.
But Hamish Pinkham didn't stop there – no.
He said:
"As we say, he's done the crime, done the time, and now it's time to do the grime".
Granted – a couple of days after that, another festival spokesperson apologised for that "inappropriate" statement – but Dizzee Rascal is still going to play.
And look - they're separating the art from the artist – but again, given the domestic abuse rates in our country, what kind of message is this sending?
Other industries have taken a stand before –
After the comedian Louis CK was booked to play across the country, the decision was condemned by the New Zealand Comedy Guild –
This is a guy who was accused - by multiple women - of sexual misconduct...
A lot of New Zealanders still wanted to see his show – but the Comedy Guild took a stand – they released a statement saying "he is not welcome here".
And hey, maybe R&V booked Dizzee Rascal for cheap – and the music industry has certainly had a tough couple of years – but when it comes to domestic abuse and doing what is right – the price is irrelevant.
