4- To the Fans

With all the alterations of the fabric of the music festival it important to see how the fans feel about many of these changes; in previous blog posts I've mentioned some of the types changes. The range of opinions vary from year to year and festival to festival because of their rapidly changing nature. Most music festival goers generally have good things to say but there are of course the occasional disappointed fans. Leaving fans with a positive lasting impression is crucial in establishing a lasting loyal fan-base.

Maria Gomes, a 19 year old and avid hardcore/metal concert goer, still recalls her first music festival from when she was 16. She went to the 2nd Mayhem Fest back in 2009 and called it "a defining moment" in her life. That year the line up included the legendary metal band Slayer alongside many big name bands of this era. Gomes said the concert had exceeded her expectations "It's was really intense. All the bands were so awesome but Slayer and Cannibal Corpse had the best sets," and she would gladly return the following year.

Steven Valentin, a 23 year old guitarist from Queens, recalled an unexpected experience he had at a music festival. In 2009 he had gone to The Bamboozle music fesitval with his girlfriend, who at the time liked pop rock music. Valentin expressed his feelings by simply saying "I don't listen to that stuff cuz it sucks," asserting that he only went to be supportive.The whole event was an ordeal for him, having to deal with young kids stepping on him and trying to push him around, to drunk parents chaperoning their children. Valentin stated his relief came at the end of the night "Just as we were finally getting ready to leave we heard the band one stage over starting their set, and it was Journey. I mean it wasn't Steve Perry singing, it was that new guy but still. And it was incredible" when he finally got to enjoy himself. Journey was a surprise guest that year, that many people had no idea would be there; so it came as a welcome surprise to those fans.

These stories are just two cases and there are many other like this. Some music festivals provide a venue for all kinds bands to reach a much larger audience, such as 80's rock band Journey playing a show geared towards a different generation. Among the big name bands that many people are familiar with, fans can also expect to see smaller local bands, which can be interesting; seeing your neighbor, friend or cousin performing on a big stage.

Music festivals have also served as a way for sponsors to promote new merchandise, giveaways, and contests. Schecter guitars used Uproar Fest '11 to promote their new signature model guitars, they hosted informational videos and brochures; along with employees to field any additional questions. They even allowed passerby's to pick up these new guitars plugin and play. Other tours like last years My Chemical Romance/Blink 182 Honda Civic Tour featured giveaways of a custom Honda civic as well as a custom Kawasaki Motorcycle. These sorts of things are usually all included in the admission price but generally do require you to sign-up on site; so it's just another reason for fans to get excited.

3- Making it possible

Putting a music festival together is a pretty full time job, and a year round one for such prominent figures like Kevin Lyman [of Warped tour fame]. Kevin Lyman is the creative force behind the concept of the Vans Warped Tour, Taste of Chaos, and Mayhem Festival. Going into it's 17th run, this story is a true testament to the will of making something unique for music fans everywhere.

Lyman's experience in the industry began "by booking gigs at school when I was a student at Cal Poly – Pomona and fell [I] in love with producing live shows1." This love of music would lead him on the many musical endeavors he is famous for, and push him (still) to try to come up with fresh new concepts for live shows; including [most recently] The Country Throwdown Festival.

Lyman isn't just an innovative idea man, he works hard to get every aspect of the set the way he wants; so to him the idea of selling out to a large promoter like livenation or a major label is out of the question. Being involved in every part of the tour is essential for Lyman to maintain the credibility and integrity that many music fans see in Warped Tour. Lyman handles everything from sponsors since "There are a lot of corporations that we don't work with because they don't fit with what we do. But there are others that work very hard to support us2" [because he wants to maintain those important relations] to handpicking the line up of bands each year [for the same reason] and reveals "There are 3,000 bands I had to say no to [but] when you're traveling with the Warped Tour, you're traveling with 700 or 800 people.2"

Those are just two examples of the bulk of Lyman's responsibility, to make it less burdensome, their website offers a online application process for everything; local bands that want to play, food vendors, sponsorship, etc... While he may not personally review all the information himself, he does get the final say. Also not previously mentioned are the tireless green initiatives that Warped Tour undertakes each cycle. Lyman is widely recognized for the variety humanitarian work that he does on and off tour and is something he known to be very passionate about. Needless to say Lyman's work is seldom ever finished and with this year's planning practically done the only thing left are the day to day operations. Which 17 years later would be less improvised much more formulaic and while it sounds like a lot of work, Lyman has always acknowledged loving his job.

1^ http://thealternativepress.com/articles/interview-with-warped-tour-founder-kevin-lyman

2^ http://www.punknews.org/article/33989

3^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbwpuf8lC5o

5- Big Names

For many music fans the main draw to a music festival are the Headliners; big name headliners are crucial in making or breaking a tour. These are the acts that most people came to see and are usually the last to play. Suitable headliners vary depending on a number of factors ranging from; money, who's releasing new material, who's trending, and even who is willing to? With so many variables for tour organizers to consider how does it come together?

The summer (going into fall) is a very big concert season (in america), looking at Livenation's website, so it can be very difficult to book certain acts. The only real difficulty for an organizer with booking a trending artist is born out of the high demand, and offers being made by competitors. Recently there's been a noticeable spike in booking artist that are trending or just a tier above a new band. For example this year's Bamboozle Festival will feature sets by DJ Pauly D and rapper Kreayshawn. Pauly D, while a DJ, isn't really something you'd really expect to encounter at Bamboozle. And while Kreayshawn has become an artist rap enthusiasts are looking out for, she is hardly a big industry name; with no album released to date. However they will likely garner the attention of pop culture followers, who will no doubt receive a broader exposure to music by going to see these artists; similarly, these artists will be able to reach a different audience.

For some big name bands, they don't need to be convinced, they really want to do it. They either want to give back to the fans, or simply keep in touch with their roots by playing these types of shows; or both. Some artists got their big breaks riding the festival circuits by building up their fan base, and eventually going on to headline their own tours. Some of the most well known examples being acts like Avenged Sevenfold and The All American Rejects. Both bands played the 2005 Warped Tour, since then they have enjoyed chart topping album releases and their own tours. They also had brief spots on "The Warped Wednesday" show on Fuse. When they played Warped they weren't new bands anymore, however, their careers were just beginning to reach their present day peaks.

In 2008 Avenged Sevenfold released a dvd of their live show in their hometown of Long Beach. In the dvd the band retold some of their difficulties and expressed their gratefulness to their fans at those early "formative" shows. In 2011 the band headlined Uproar Fest, playing alongside other big hardcore acts; including Bullet for my Valentine, 3 Days Grace, and Escape the Fate. Now garnering attention for the complexity of their music, it's hard to believe they're the same band that "completely choked" on their first live show.

The All American Rejects have attained a similar level of buzz thanks to the broad exposure of festivals. Throughout the band's career, they have actively played festivals; including festivals overseas. Some past gigs have included the 2003&5 Warped tour, Summerfest 06, and Leeds festival. Presently the band is also set to play this year's Bamboozle Festival, as well as kicking of their independent north american tour. It may be stretching themselves a bit thin but these bands really don't seem to mind going above and beyond for their fans. Considering the humble beginnings of most bands, they do really express a great deal of gratitude towards their fans. And while some bands may not (or ever) frequently play festivals, doesn't mean they don't like their fans, but may simply have to do with the difficulties of a music festival.

1- http://2012.thebamboozle.com/lineup

2- http://www.last.fm/music/The+All-American+Rejects/+events/2003

3- Avenged Sevenfold Live in LBC, dvd

2- What's Changed Over the Years?

In an age ruled by digital media, the idea of something as old as a music festival standing the test of time relies on its ability to adapt to the changing landscape. Today more than ever fans need to be offered something they can't get by listening to the album on their I pods. So how much has actually changed over the years and how much has stayed the same? In my " Abridged Look at Music Festivals" I mentioned the [historical] shift from competition to consumerism in music festivals which is something still evident today.

These days sponsors are slapping their names on anywhere people might see, the stage, event name, websites, etc... It's become something to expect a lot of because of the driving cost and without sponsors the festivals would probably go on hiatus, like Lollapalooza did1. However money isn't the only thing sponsors can contribute, as was the case with the Fuse/Warped Tour sponsorship.

In the summer of 2007 Fuse aired a series entitled "Warped Wednesday2," every Wednesday the titled show would air among other rock themed shows, alongside "Warped Hall of Fame2." These shows provided near full coverage of the 2007 Vans Warped Tour and included artist interviews and performances; the series got moderate acclaim but wasn't renewed for another run. For fans everywhere the series became the corner stone of Fuse's afternoon block and introduced avid TV watchers to a world they may have not known about.

While the Warped Tour success stories are somewhat unique, they aren't the only festival that branched out to other platforms in order to reach a wider audience. Earlier I mentioned how the digital media may be antiquating the concept of going to concerts, however, digital marketing is also helping to keep them going. The events have everything from websites, twitters, myspaces, youtube channels,etc ; in hopes of offering visitors anything they may want. The sites are active year round, but most active around the time of the event, allowing discussion and excitement to build year round. The bamboozle site has even taken the idea of fandom to another level by creating a leader board with points fans can earn [on the basis of spending money]; in the past other sites have also featured contests during the off period of the tour.

One of the most interesting advent, however, has been the use of twitter by tours such as bamboozle. The website for bamboozle features a twitter widget that displays most #bamboozle2012 tweets. Twitter has also been frequently used to announce additions to the tour, among other changes. So despite all the money being pumped into tours we see a very viral marketing plan that, so far, seems to be working well. Despite these types of changes to some of the operations, the day to day and overall thematics of the festivals remain in tact. They still seek to appeal to their niche audience by delivering the best array of the music their fans love.

1^ http://www.usatoday.com/life/music/news/2004-06-22-festival-canceled_x.htm

2^ http://www.imdb.com/company/co0132950/

1- An Abridged Look at Music Festivals

The Music Festival is a time honored tradition for all types of music fans everywhere; not just America. They provide a forum for like minded individuals to indulge in a variety of different activities ranging from: listening to their favorite artists, meeting new people, discovering new artists, buying merchandise, just to name a few. With the media shift to digital, things like solid state albums are becoming obsolete because of high production cost, and the ease of making a single every few months, so Festivals offer fans something they can't get elsewhere.

In American Pop Culture music festivals can easily be traced as far back as Woodstock, however, the idea has actually been around much longer. The origin of the Music Festival can be traced as back as the Pythian Games in Ancient Greece, which actually included a musical competition1 . That sort of tradition carried on from that time and place, giving way to others like the Salzburg Festival which sought to further promote the work of Mozart2. So there has a notable shift from an environment of competition to one of commercialism and consumerism. Many festivals have some kind of common theme throughout to attract their specific demographic whereas others strive to appeal to the widest array of music lovers.

Today, the largest [and one of the most notable] Music Festival is Summerfest in Milwaukee Wisconsin; taking place every year around fourth of July time. While this festival is held annually, in the same location, there are others that travel with varying dates; such as Bamboozle or Warped Tour. These tours have a various stages sponsored by various companies to show case a wide array of mainstream as well as local talent; other contemporary festivals like Uproar feature only one stage were all the acts perform. The life blood of any music festival is trying to remain culturally relevant and to date with all things current. One such success story would include the 2011 Summerfest in which "the final attendance figure [was]- 878,636 over the 11 day run- [was] 2.6% higher than the turn out in 20103." With the rapidly changing landscape of music, we are constantly seeing changes to these cultural linchpins.

1^ Scott, Michael. Delphi: The Bellybutton of the Ancient World. BBC 4. 20:56 minutes in. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=En25VkbXE8E>.

2^ Eisen, Cliff & Keefe, Simon P., eds. (2006). The Cambridge Mozart Encyclopedia, p. 443. Cambridge University Press. Print.

3^ Held, Tom. Summerfest Posts Increase in Attendance, Revenue. 18 July 2011. Journal Sentinel Online. <http://www.jsonline.com/news/milwaukee/125764688.html>.