The early indicators have been there. A number of Australian music festivals scheduled for the Down Beneath summer season months have been cancelled. Then phrase began to come back out of Britain about extra festivals that wouldn’t occur due to numerous monetary and logistical points.
However the greatest wake-up name got here when Coachella 2024 did not promote out immediately like in years earlier than. It took months to promote all of the tickets for the primary weekend; at the same time as late as this previous Thursday, tickets have been nonetheless out there for the second weekend, one thing that might have by no means occurred previously.
And it’s not simply Coachella. There appears to be an amazing lack of enthusiasm for nearly each main pageant this summer season. Lollapalooza has gone all hip-hop and pop. Apart from the Purple Sizzling Chili Peppers, Bonnaroo’s lineup doesn’t really feel very thrilling. Osheaga has Inexperienced Day, Noah Kahan, and SZA, however lacks the celebrity punch of earlier years. Similar factor with Competition d’Été de Québec.
There have even been moans about Glastonbury, a pageant that sells out in hours, months earlier than anybody is aware of who will probably be performing. “These are the perfect headliners you may get?” appears to be the dominant criticism. Oh, it’ll nonetheless be the mud-and-booze-and-drugs riot it all the time is, however I doubt that Glastonbury 2024 will make anybody’s prime 10.
So what’s the issue? Why are so many main music occasions affected by a “meh” downside? A number of causes.
It is the tip of funflation
Going to a pageant prices lots. Between the value of a day or weekend go, it’s good to get to the positioning (typically an actual problem), discover lodging (for those who’re not the tenting type or if that’s not out there), after which reserve money for meals, drink, and merch.
TikTok is filled with messages about food and drinks costs (US$64 for 2 burritos and a juice and US$28 for a double vodka). That may have been doable within the period of funflation, that post-COVID time when many people determined to make up for the lockdown years by spending no matter was essential to journey and have enjoyable. We could have reached our limits on that — no less than so far as music festivals go.
Gen Z is not taking part in alongside
Boomers, Gen X and Millennials have been all avid festival-goers. Gen Z? Perhaps not a lot. “Technology Wise,” as they’ve been known as, isn’t into the social gathering way of life as a lot as their predecessors — no less than they don’t see this as a precedence. Even those that do go to a pageant, a research says that simply 5 per cent of Gen Z is happy about consuming alcohol or doing medicine.
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This tracks with different issues I’ve noticed about this era. They’re all about residing wholesome and fascinating in social points.
And though members of this cohort like hanging with their buddies, they like to remain inside their small circle, a cushty community of like-minded buddies. And this circle doesn’t should be IRL; they are often digital buddies, individuals with whom they solely work together on-line. It’s doable mixing in with giant teams of strangers makes them really feel uncomfortable.
In the meantime, Boomers, Gen X, and even many older Millennials are carried out with standing in a subject for a weekend.
There’s an rate of interest downside
Festivals thrived all through the 2010s when rates of interest have been low, making it straightforward for promoters to borrow the start-up capital to stage a pageant. These days are gone. Until you’ve got actually deep pockets (or have entry to Saudi Arabian cash), you’re both being pushed out of enterprise or gained’t even trouble making an attempt to begin a pageant.
Now we have a giant music downside
I’ll say it for the one-thousandth time: The music business has carried out a fully awful job of making new superstars for the twenty first century when put next with many years previous. Those that do exist — Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, et al — don’t want the effort and restriction of showing at festivals. They’ll make oodles extra money and have extra management by launching their very own headlining excursions. For instance, Bey was paid US$4 million for her 2018 Coachella gig in 2018. She will gross a number of instances that for every present she performs when she excursions alone.
Heritage acts from the Nineteen Nineties and earlier — suppose Madonna, Inexperienced Day, blink-182, Bruce Springsteen, Metallica, Device, Pearl Jam — know this, too. They might reasonably exit on the street by themselves than be burdened with cutting down a present for a pageant look. On the identical time, the super-heritage acts like The Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, and The Eagles are stepping into their 80s. Suppose they wish to spend a weekend at a pageant? There are different older acts to select from, however they’re (a) not going to get Boomers out of their homes; (b) not interesting to younger pageant followers; and (c) dying off.
So who’s left? Artists who previously can be thought of giant cult acts. Lana Del Rey a Coachella headliner? I imply, she’s good, however that is Coachella slot as soon as crammed by the likes of Eminem, Weapons N’ Roses, Girl Gaga, AC/DC, Radiohead, and Muse. Tyler, The Creator, one of many prime names at Lollapalooza? Fred Once more.. within the large font on the Bonarroo poster? Competition promoters want to determine how one can get these A-level performers on their facet once more.
Complicating matter is that Gen Z, which grew up with on the spot entry to tens of tens of millions of songs on Spotify, are massively fickle in relation to music. Are they into rock? Perhaps right this moment, however then tomorrow, it’ll be all about hip-hop. Or pop. Or EDM.
Large festivals are booked utilizing the “inexperienced bananas” precept. The aim is to signal younger, rising acts that can hopefully be exploding simply because the pageant weekend rolls round. They might be in a small font on the poster when tickets go on sale however may transfer up a couple of factors by the point the gates open. What outcomes are pageant lineups which might be largely made up of second-, third-, and fourth-tier acts. Promoters want higher crystal balls in the event that they’re going to e-book acts that can enchantment to numerous Gen Zers.
Music continues to get narrower and narrower in relation to enchantment. Immediately’s greatest acts are nowhere close to as large as acts was once again within the day (Taylor Swift and Beyoncé excepted). Within the Nineteen Sixties, ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s, document labels prepped and promoted a couple of acts for the lots. Immediately, know-how has lowered the entry barrier so low that anybody can launch and distribute their music globally. The issue is that over 100,000 new songs get uploaded to the streaming music providers day by day.
There’s no centre to music anymore, no consensus, no act that everybody is aware of and might sing no less than a couple of track lyrics. Ask any random dozen individuals to call songs by SZA.
So are festivals going extinct? Not the massive ones. They’re well-funded and have sufficient historical past to maintain the momentum going for some time. There are additionally many smaller specialised occasions that draw modest by diehard crowds.
Personally, I’d contemplate going to Merciless World in Pasadena, Calif., on Could 11 to get my repair of traditional different bands like Duran Duran, Blondie, Easy Minds, and Mushy Cell. Sonic Temple in Columbus sounds excellent for steel and arduous rock followers (Disturbed, Pantera, Slipknot, Judas Priest, Sum 41, Royal Blood, and a pair dozen extra.) Las Vegas has Sick New World (System of a Down, Alice in Chains, Primus, Killing Joke, Lamb of God, and plenty of extra). Napa Valley’s Bottlerock has booked Pearl Jam, Ed Sheeran, Stevie Nicks, and Queens of the Stone Age, amongst others. And for those who’re an outdated emo child at coronary heart, When We Had been Younger will probably be again in Las Vegas this fall with My Chemical Romance, Jimmy Eat World, Fall Out Boy, Easy Plan, and a military of others.
Otherwise you may wish to take a music-themed cruise (Monsters of Rock, The 80s Cruise, Emo’s Not Lifeless, Rock the Bells, Headbangers Boat, Soul Prepare, The Outlaw Nation Cruise, The Final Disco Cruise, and the 700,000 Tons of Metallic Cruise.
Festivals will probably be with us for some time. It’s simply that they aren’t what they was once, ? Now get off my garden.
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Alan Cross is a broadcaster with Q107 and 102.1 the Edge and a commentator for World Information.
Subscribe to Alan’s Ongoing Historical past of New Music Podcast now on Apple Podcast or Google Play
