Music content makers take total control
What happens when music’s biggest stars partner with brands and create their own music festivals asks Ben Shepherd.
There can be no denying the popularity of the music festival. It has become an absolute rite of passage for the millions who attend these events.
Many festivals are bigger brands than the artists who headline. The Big Day Out, Future Music Festival and Stereosonic are significant undertakings which see approximately 200,000 people pass through the gates and gross takings upwards of $25m.
So what happens when the talent that headline these events decide they no longer want to headline someone else’s festival – instead they want their own event? This isn’t a new occurrence. Ozzie Osborne started OzFest while Groove Armada launched the Lovebox Festival. Now Jay-Zwants to get into the game and has partnered with Live Nation
– the touring group that owns Ticketmaster – and Budweiser to create the ‘Made in America’ festival. This sort of undertaking makes sense on paper. Large corporates realise music is a great connector for their audience.
But the concept raises questions. Can a headliner become a music festival brand on their own? And if so, perhaps large-scale talent can become media brands on their own. A festival promoter is the equivalent of a media network or publisher. They are the conduit through which talent and punters connect. Does removing them from the equation signal
the emergence of an era where powerful talent seeks full control?
Instead of being the story, they want to own the publication that runs the story.
Instead of being the headliner, they want to be the festival.
And what happens if the big talent, the big sports leagues, the things people really care about, decide that they want full power over how they’re represented?
If content really is king, does that not make the subjects of this content God?
This piece first appeared in Encore magazine. Subscribe to the print edition here or download the iPad edition here.
