Beats & Bytes: Artist Curated Festivals Work

In Beats + Bytes by Matt Voyno

In two weeks Chance The Rapper will launch the first ever Magnificent Coloring Day Festival at U.S. Cellular Field on Chicago’s Southside.

The show has a great lineup and is breaking every attendance festival record at the White Sox Stadium. A team that Chance is artist ambassador for and a stadium that hasn’t had a show in 15 years.

Chance put up his own money, took the risk and is paying off majorly. He’s even clawing back the scalpers. I’m very impressed with Chance’s movement as he re-writes the industry as an independent artist. I’m also a big fan of artists’ curating their own festivals.

Odd future does a great one, Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival in California. Roots Picnic in Philly is always legendary and this fall they are expanding into Bryant Park in NYC too. And of course Drake’s OVO Festival is always a summer staple.

I love this model. It not only gives artists the ability to expand their brands but also partner, build out more IP, create an awesome experience for their fans and surround themselves with their favorite rappers.

I guess when I think back, Lollapalooza was the brainchild of Jane Addictions’ Perry Farrell. It only makes sense that all of these great artists continue the tradition. I would love to see more of this in other cities. Artists are the greatest vehicles for change and the magnet for great events. I hope to see more and more in the hands of the artists and their collective teams.

This week you can find us at first ever Mondo Conference. Brooke’s leading a conversation on Wednesday and my panel is on Thursday.

Also another good conference coming up is the NY Media Festival (NYME) September 26-29, 2016. NYME brings together games, music, television and video leaders, brands and marketing execs as well as investors and start-ups over three days for Digital Music Forum (Sept. 27), NY Games Conference (Sept. 28), Future of Television Summit (Sept. 29), and Innovation Summit (Sept. 27 – Sept. 29).

The events focus on networking, meetings and deal-making and the conferences feature two tracks with fireside chats, panels, VR/AR and innovation demos and presentations on digital content creation, distribution, marketing, investment and monetization, meeting areas for power networking and receptions/after-parties. Check it out.

And here’s the discount code for 20% off: HOTINTECH

– @JesseKay


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