In case you haven’t noticed, Consequence of Sound spends a great deal of time covering the latest news and rumors of all music festivals. I am by no means an insider, but having spent countless hours staring at a computer screen looking for the any relevant content, I’d like to at least think I have some idea of what’s currently going on.

I figured it would be appropriate to take some time to answer some of the most commonly asked questions regarding not only this summer’s U.S. music festivals, but the state of the average music festival as a whole. Think of it as, well… a sort of “State of the Union,” festival style, only it’s not coming from anyone of any real relevance.

Q: Where do you get your information from?

A: This is probably our most frequently asked question. All the confirmations and rumors you see on both the front page and in Our Summer Festival Outlook are as a result of just plain hard work. As mentioned, we spend countless hours a day searching for the latest festival related news. We use sites like Pollstar and Jambase, various festival specific message boards, and other music blogs. Occasionally, we even get a scoop. But nothing complicated, nothing you couldn’t do yourself. We just make it simple and easy, compiling everything in one central place.

With that being said, we do not post anything onto CoS without being 100% certain that the information is accurate. We research everything ahead of time. And in the end, it looks as if this cautiousness has payed off.

Just look at the results: We were the first blog to post 10,000 Lakes Official Lineup. Everyone of our early Bonnaroo and Coachella confirmations appeared on the festival’s respective lineups. We have the most complete and accurate confirmation list for this year’s Summerfest.

It’s not like we’re making up this stuff. Even when it comes to rumors, we don’t list it on the site unless it makes sense (ie., open tour dates, currently active, have a new album). We stress accuracy because without it, what would seperate us from everyone else?

Q: Why are some festivals not listed on CoS?

A: We try to cover as many festivals as possible and by no means, ignore any specific one intentionally. With that being said, we will not list a festival in the Outlook Page, if there is no relevant, relating information. In other words, if a festival is six months away, it likely won’t have any confirmations or rumors, and thus, there would be nothing to post.

Let patience be your friend.

Q: What is going on this summer? It seems like every lineup has been a disappointment?

A: Unless you are a fan of Jack Johnson, Pearl Jam, or Metallica, I can certainly see how some of the recently announced lineups have been a bit disappointing. In my mind, this is a result of a few things.

1. There are just too many festivals: The festival market is being saturated. There is no doubt about it. In just the last two months, at least five new major festivals have been announced. Vineland even got postponed because of the announcement of All Points West. Sometimes more isn’t better.
2. More festivals + same number of musicians = trouble: There are more festivals, but not more artists and bands. Thus, there becomes more overlap and less uniqueness. And while, promoters like Goldenvoice, C3 Presents, and Superfly still have to create competitive and appealing lineups, the benchmark of quality seems to have gone down this year. One can only do so much in terms of uniqueness when it’s competing against 20 other festivals for the likes of maybe, what 1000 available acts?
3. The bands just aren’t as exciting: In recent years, festivals featured the likes of Daft Punk, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Radiohead, Rage Against the Machine, and the Police. Those are all “wow” bands, who by name alone excite people. This year, there doesn’t seem to be any of these bands. Pearl Jam? Roger Waters? They don’t offer anything we haven’t seen before.
4. The Radiohead factor: I think everyone was expecting Radiohead to come and save the day. Well, that happened, but instead of headlining just one U.S. festival, they could end up headlining at least four. The saturation problem becomes an issue again.
5. The Led Zeppelin factor: Lets face it. Most people were expecting Led Zeppelin to make an appearance this summer. Superfly was probably even banking on them for Bonnaroo. But when the band announced they weren’t touring over the summer, it left another festival scrambling to contest for the available headliners.
6. The economy: The struggling economy doesn’t at all help the pricing of these festivals. Ticket prices are increasing, the quality of lineups are decreasing, and in the end, a lot of people don’t feel the price warrants the lineup.

In summary, a combination of saturation, overlap, and just too many new festivals are the most likely results for the rather lackluster lineups. While this could all change next year depending on who will be touring touring (Led Zeppelin, the Kinks?), it would do some good to eliminate a few of these things.

Q: What is with Jack Johnson this year?

A: Honestly, I have no idea. He must have some pretty revealing photographs or someone. I just don’t understand how having Jack Johnson headline almost every festival is either a good idea or appealing.

Q: Does Consequence of Sound have any influence on who plays where?

A: While the question is certainly flattering, please remember we are just a blog. All we do is cover these things. I’d be very surprised if any of the promoters even knew who we are.

I hope this post answered some of your questions and provided you with a pretty good explanation of what is currently going on when it comes to this summer’s music festivals. If you have any more questions, please post them in the comments section and I’ll try to answer them.

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Categories: Festival News/Rumor, News
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