Whether it's your first Bonnaroo or you’re a music festival veteran, we welcome you to Inforoo.
Here you'll find info about artists, rumors, camping tips, and the infamous Roo Clues. Have a look around then create an account and join in the fun. See you at Bonnaroo!!
Bonnaroo obviously has some sort of marketing strategy where they announce the initial lineup then keep adding artists and announcing activities all the way through late May, when they finally announce the schedule. Sometimes they even go so far as to announce future announcements. I see a handful of other festivals that add artists after the initial announcement, but it doesn't seem as calculated as Bonnaroo.
It seems they do this to keep up the excitement and to stimulate ticket sales after the initial on-sale date. Or is i that they don't actually have the festival fully booked yet? My guess is the former.
Is this even necessary? Is it effective? What if they just announced everything at once? Would it affect ticket sales or media attention?
Is this even necessary? Is it effective? What if they just announced everything at once? Would it affect ticket sales or media attention?
I think the insane amount of anticipating and guesstimating found on Inforoo is proof positive that it's effective in keeping the hype moving along. Also, with each artist addition and announcement, they get a fresh plug through entertainment websites, blogs, and other various forms of online chatter. With each mention, there's a chance of finding someone who wasn't already familiar with the festival, or maybe needed that extra prod from an artist addition to get them to pull the trigger.
I'd say it's VERY effective and VERY well calculated. While it may not seem perfect for the Roo obsessives, it's perfect for the masses. Plus, Inforoo would definitely die down a whole bunch if it wasn't for the dangling carrot of possibility that strings us along right into June.
"or maybe needed that extra prod from an artist addition to get them to pull the trigger."
What if they just announced everybody all at once? Wouldn't that give fans of "Band X" five months or so to get their stuff together and make the decision to attend instead of two months (or whatever the time period may be)?
Come to think of it, unless they add a HUGE name late in the game, is the media even going to pick up on announcements? I just checked Billboard.com and they didn't even run stories about any Bonnaroo additions so far.
I think the only people that REALLY care about artist additions are people already going or people that know everything about Bonnaroo, have probably been before, and are waiting for their favorite band to get added. But if that favorite band has already been added their decision would have been made already.
Coachella sold out in February and they announced their whole lineup at once, including which day every band plays. Maybe that strategy is better.
"I think the insane amount of anticipating and guesstimating found on Inforoo is proof positive that it's effective in keeping the hype moving along."
I think the hype only exists among the converted. While it keeps us Inforooers excited I don't think it leads to any increased ticket sales or media attention.
But if they add a big name why not do it in the beginning? If you're asking people to buy a $200+ ticket plus travel to TN and take days off of work it seems you would give people as much time as possible to make the arrangements.
Is it all just to keep the Bonnaroo faithful excited? I think only marginally.
Post by poopzilla33 on Apr 19, 2007 10:44:26 GMT -5
i see another stage caliber act being added, along with some good solid tent acts. this year additions are weak but last year not so. oysterhead made one of my friends go and so did the addition of the streets for another friend
But if those artists had been in the initial announcement would your friends have purchased their tickets earlier?
In 05 I considered not going until they added Herbie Hancock and Trey. The initial lineup didn't excite me enough. If they had just announced all that stuff initially I would have bought my tickets right when they went on sale.
I understand if they haven't finalized deals yet, but other than that I just can't see the advantage of making artist additions instead of presenting the full, stacked lineup at the beginning.
Post by stuckinutero on Apr 19, 2007 10:59:22 GMT -5
jtr210ny said:
"or maybe needed that extra prod from an artist addition to get them to pull the trigger."
What if they just announced everybody all at once? Wouldn't that give fans of "Band X" five months or so to get their stuff together and make the decision to attend instead of two months (or whatever the time period may be)?
Come to think of it, unless they add a HUGE name late in the game, is the media even going to pick up on announcements? I just checked Billboard.com and they didn't even run stories about any Bonnaroo additions so far.
I think the only people that REALLY care about artist additions are people already going or people that know everything about Bonnaroo, have probably been before, and are waiting for their favorite band to get added. But if that favorite band has already been added their decision would have been made already.
Coachella sold out in February and they announced their whole lineup at once, including which day every band plays. Maybe that strategy is better.
You can't really compare Coachella sales to Roo sales. First and foremost Coachella is held in Cali which is much more populated than Tenn. Meaning there are ALOT more people who are a hop, skip and a jump away. For most people, Bonnaroo requires a bit of traveling.
Just because something isn't on Billboard.com doesn't mean its not getting coverage. Frankly, more people are getting their music news from sites like Pitchfork (Who does speak about Ornettes' appearance) and the millions of music blogs across the net.
I think their marketing plan is perfect. It keeps both those with tickets and without interested in whats going on week to week. The only flaw in it is people who are impatient, and those who think the original lineup isn't good enough because it's not complete.
Most fests just flat out drop their bombshells at once. Bonnaroo does that.... then does it again. I'm keeping my eye on May 2nd for that. Besides, the lineup is golden for me as it stands.
I was born in the back seat of a Yellow Cab in a hospital loading zone and with the meter still running. I emerged needing a shave and shouted 'Time Square, and step on it!
"or maybe needed that extra prod from an artist addition to get them to pull the trigger."
What if they just announced everybody all at once? Wouldn't that give fans of "Band X" five months or so to get their stuff together and make the decision to attend instead of two months (or whatever the time period may be)?
Come to think of it, unless they add a HUGE name late in the game, is the media even going to pick up on announcements? I just checked Billboard.com and they didn't even run stories about any Bonnaroo additions so far.
I think the only people that REALLY care about artist additions are people already going or people that know everything about Bonnaroo, have probably been before, and are waiting for their favorite band to get added. But if that favorite band has already been added their decision would have been made already.
Coachella sold out in February and they announced their whole lineup at once, including which day every band plays. Maybe that strategy is better.
I get what you're saying, but I can tell you as fact, that we have a fair amount of folks joining this board in May, having just bought a ticket. I'll admit, that the additions may not have been the reason, but there are a lot of folks (especially younger) who are on the fence up until the last minute.
As for the caliber of the additions, it's debatable. Billboard is hardly the outlet for most Bonnaroo attendees' desire for music news. Getting a plug on JamBase, blogs, or receiving another email from Bonnaroo that says something more than "don't forget about us" and offers up something that's worthy of it's sending, probably sparks a bit of attention.
Trying to compare Coachella and Bonnaroo isn't that practical. Coachella is much more accessible (see: close to LA) and much less of a commitment, in that most folks are day-trippers and avoid camping. Granted, those are my own theories, but I'm certainly not the first to bring those aspects up. Whether or not it truly explains the difference can be argued, but I still believe that Bonnaroo knows what they're doing. Call it blind faith.
Post by suitcasemurphy on Apr 19, 2007 11:39:21 GMT -5
I walk in to work throughout Jan- May and tell the cooks in the back (the music lovers) who just got added...... their response... "Damn Dude, I gotta go now...jesus...I can't believe that."
I think all the info overwelms people, and distributing week by week, lets it soak in. It still is overwelming, 100 plus acts, fire stations, a clown with balloons, interviews, cafe stages.. etc etc etc... . but we get a week to spread the word.
The best advertisement is word of mouth, and by giving us a little bit at a time...i think the accurate word is spread evenly!!
Post by stuckinutero on Apr 19, 2007 12:06:24 GMT -5
aquariumdrunk said:
jtr210ny said:
"or maybe needed that extra prod from an artist addition to get them to pull the trigger."
What if they just announced everybody all at once? Wouldn't that give fans of "Band X" five months or so to get their stuff together and make the decision to attend instead of two months (or whatever the time period may be)?
Come to think of it, unless they add a HUGE name late in the game, is the media even going to pick up on announcements? I just checked Billboard.com and they didn't even run stories about any Bonnaroo additions so far.
I think the only people that REALLY care about artist additions are people already going or people that know everything about Bonnaroo, have probably been before, and are waiting for their favorite band to get added. But if that favorite band has already been added their decision would have been made already.
Coachella sold out in February and they announced their whole lineup at once, including which day every band plays. Maybe that strategy is better.
I get what you're saying, but I can tell you as fact, that we have a fair amount of folks joining this board in May, having just bought a ticket. I'll admit, that the additions may not have been the reason, but there are a lot of folks (especially younger) who are on the fence up until the last minute.
As for the caliber of the additions, it's debatable. Billboard is hardly the outlet for most Bonnaroo attendees' desire for music news. Getting a plug on JamBase, blogs, or receiving another email from Bonnaroo that says something more than "don't forget about us" and offers up something that's worthy of it's sending, probably sparks a bit of attention.
Trying to compare Coachella and Bonnaroo isn't that practical. Coachella is much more accessible (see: close to LA) and much less of a commitment, in that most folks are day-trippers and avoid camping. Granted, those are my own theories, but I'm certainly not the first to bring those aspects up. Whether or not it truly explains the difference can be argued, but I still believe that Bonnaroo knows what they're doing. Call it blind faith.
Edit: Yeah, what utero said. ;D
I've never been to Coachella personally, but I know easily 2 dozen people who have. Every last one of them has said that the folks there are not festival goers at all. Most people there are more concerned with the way they look and how dirty their sweatbands are going to get.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but don't they also sell tons of 1 day passes? Last I heard they sell about 30,000 tickets for each day, then add them up as 90,000 overall or something of that nature. And yes, the VAST majority of people who go to Coachella do the hotel thing....... Thats not a festival to me. Not to mention the fact that they have a BS 12 o clock curfew.
If Coachella was in the middle of nowhere it wouldn't do half as well.
I was born in the back seat of a Yellow Cab in a hospital loading zone and with the meter still running. I emerged needing a shave and shouted 'Time Square, and step on it!
"I can't think of any other major fest that doesn't end their initial line-up announcement with "...and many more to be announced""
ACL, Lollapalooza and Jazzfest for starters.
Good call - all great fests.
I'm not in total agreement with stuckinutero that it's not a festival without the onsite camping, but I was thinking along the same lines. ^These three could be more easily lumped in with Coachella than Bonnaroo.
10klf, Wakarusa, Langerado, Summercamp, GOTV, & Allgood were what I had in mind with the original post.
Post by unplugdacusticaz on Apr 19, 2007 14:37:52 GMT -5
I don't mind the system that Bonnaroo has. They're one of the most well-known festivals out there. They could probably get close to selling out the festival even if they didn't advertise. Didn't they sell out their very first year with hardly any advertisement?
One thing I can understand that people would have against it is the fact that they spread out their artist announcements. If I remember correctly, last month, wakarusa had three hefty additional artist announcements inbetween Bonnaroo's one. Granted, Bonnaroo has a lot more to announce and what not, but Wakarusa was just firing them out left and right. We'd probably see the same if the lineup hadn't been leaked early, but I guess they felt that since the lineup was leaked, they need to make a splash early.
I for one enjoy the spread out announcements, if they knocked everything out at one time....Bonaroo would be some voidless black hole for 4 months unil the festival started. That'd be recockulous.
And Coachella can't even be compared to bonnaroo! Infact, I don't think any festival is on the same level that Bonnaroo is at. You aren't going to find a camping festival with over 100 bands playing longer sets and late night sets. You just don't find that too many places.
Does Bonnaroo advertise??? i still think that they don't. They get publicity....but there are no ads in a newspaper, tv, radio is there????
They have magazine ads and make their presence felt all over the internet, but really, at least from what I know, there aren't too many fests (other than radio station sponsored events) that use formal radio ads or tv ads.
these guys don't run one of the highest-grossing concerts in the country by guessing at what's gonna work guys believe me, i'm sure they have developed a highly practical/effective methodology behind releasing artist additionss and strategically placing their advertising to maximally impact the festival's success.
i actually just flipped through my program for langerado this year and 'roo has a full page ad, along with wakarusa/all good/10klf and all the other big summer fests. they're just not placing ads where those most likely to purchase a festival ticket aren't going to see them, thats all.
Maybe I'll throw myself to the dogs, but my back's not to the wall Maybe I'll lay some bricks for the man, but the days just aren't that long So if I settle back and chill will I see far enough to feel the angel's dream? I thought it was the Story of the World!
believe me, i'm sure they have developed a highly practical/effective methodology behind releasing artist additionss and strategically placing their advertising to maximally impact the festival's success.