Bonnaroo Joins Live Nation - good or bad?

So the Devil has bought a share of Bonnaroo. I think I would have preferred MTV.

Terrible news.

You hear that? It's the sound of my heart breaking.

I like that the article mentions upgrades to the site. I think the partnership will help with the lineup but I hope Roo doesn't lose some of the things that makes it unique like the quality direction they have been taking in the lower top and middle card electronic booking, the showcasing of world music, and the Sunday bluegrass tent.

Live Nation wanted to buy it but was like "Wait....why are bands starting so early? And why are you booking them for so long? Change that up, right now".

As a long time Lollapalooza goer, I was very concerned with where Lollapalooza was heading over the last few years. Line-ups were dragging and the environment was starting to suck. This year is the first controlling year of Live Nation at Lolla- it yielded Metallica and Macca! We will see if the vibe improves now.

So I would say Live Nation is a good thing for a music fest. Live Nation is powerful and controls a lot of interests in the music industry- especially from a live platform. I think this move is one for sustainability for Roo. Deeper pockets to bring in acts, more permanent upgrades to the farm, and probably more commercialized (can be taken as a bad thing) in the end. But for a grown-up, this is probably good news for me.

That's a good point I hadn't considered yet. Not looking forward to that.

Well there is your explanation for everything: price hike, weak lineup, abbreviated schedule. They were trying to attract a corporate buyer and it all came down to revenue per share, return on investment etc. I am not saying it wasn't for profit before, but when you get into these kind of corporate deals, these kind of moves are common to affect share price, etc.

I am not against anybody making money, and obviously this was always a business, but the problem is that when you squeeze or cut, you can only do it once. You can only cut the set times so much, you can only make the lineup so weak, you can only raise tickets so high. But until you hit that tipping point, expect a SQUEEZE.

If you want to see what a festival is like when ran by bean counters, check out Woodstock 99. That festival was obviously planned by MBAs in a Manhattan Office based solely on dollars and "sense" who had never been to a festival before.

Maybe I am over-reacting, but even if I am only partially correct, it is still a bad trend and this is bad news for everyone.

Yeah I'm gonna hope for the best and not freak out yet. There is still time for announcements of improvements to the Farm and schedule even this year, and I'm excited overall with what we've got already.

Appreciate the thread, OP!

More than a share, though. A "controlling interest."

Site improvements! We could get permanent bathrooms! I'm also eager to see if they use the farm site for other shows/festivals outside of Bonnaroo.

I'll hold judgment until I see what (and if any) changes are made.

Yes, I was confused why they would hike tickets so high this year all at once, rather than gradually. But now I think they ARE increasing them gradually. I bet they are expecting a much larger correction than they have let on. I would except a similar increase next year, perhaps the next several years, until they feel they've reached a market correction. Then it will go back to being gradual for a while.

This will likely occur regardless of the lineup, regardless of improvements, regardless of anything - unless there is a massive drop off in attendance. But they know exactly what the per cap is on each ticket holder - how much they spend on merch, concessions, etc. and can factor a massive drop off.

Look at movie theaters for comparison. Movie attendance has been dropping by 10% or more a year but revenue per customer goes up almost every year. Everyone hates going to the movies, ticket costs, concessions, etc. but they still go. But in fact, you have many more options for viewing movies. You only have one Bonnaroo, with the camping, 24 hour experience. I think they will have a lot more freedom to increase ticket prices and SQUEEEEZE.

It will only matter to those of us who have been going for a while. Every year a new crop of college kids comes along with no frame of reference, so they can get by with only a temporary backlash.

I might be focusing on the wrong thing here but... Does this mean we're gonna get Aramarked? I would be pretty crushed if we started to lose some of the food vendors so that Aramark could microwave us some pizza and nachos

No you are not. Food is damn important. I would actually prefer if they had more options like at Coachella. That food was so good.