Festival Renaissance

(Via Monsters and Critics)

Following the trend enjoyed by--well, everyone else in the world- the US concert industry has decided to expand its focus on festivals. With the recent success of Lollapalooza, Coachella, Bonnaroo, Austin City Limits, and many others, this sector has proven too profitable to ignore. According to the article, the big four festivals grossed a combined $40 million, and the Virgin Festival (which was held for the very first time only last year) grossed $3.5 million.

"There is a real market for an event built around a number of solid artists," (Peter) Luukko (of Philadelphia's Global Comcast) says. "I think we could put together events and have many artists, price it properly and go all day. I really feel there`s a market out there for that."

In addition to the aforementioned festivals, many other big events are planned for this year such as an AEG produced country-music festival on the Coachella grounds (AEG's Goldenvoice group produces Coachella), the second annual (Live Nation produced) Bamboozle festival, and possibly a festival on the grounds of Churchill Downs racetrack in Kentucky. The Churchill Downs space would come equipped with many of the facilities festial producers normally have to order in, such as toilets, food stands, and running water. These facilities are always a costly overhead and it is for this reason, and for reasons of stability that Boonnarroo producers , Superfly Productions, moved ahead this week with plans to purchase their own fairgrounds. According to a January 10th press release,

"We are really excited about making this investment," Superfly's Jonathan Mayers said. "It's an incredible property that can lend itself to many different kinds of events and gatherings. Our hope is that this will become one of the premier event sites in the world. We plan to work closely with all local officials as we determine what types of events will be a good match for this site. We are very open-minded about working with anyone interested in using the property," Mayers continued.

While no acts have been announced for this summer's Bonnarroo, the festival's first allotment of tickets sold out lightening fast in December. As Bonnarroo seems to be leading the festive pack, we can expect to see many other promoters following suit. More producers and promoters working hard to create truly great fan experiences can only be a good and FUN thing.