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.