Music Festival Line-up Announcement Season.

For many European and North American festival organisers who run events in the summer months the autumn and winter is a busy period for line-up press announcements. This is not some random act by organisers but is part of a well-orchestrated strategy that requires multiple elements to come together to maximise sales revenue.  

Festival-goers are generally aware that organisers will make their first wave line-up announcements in the autumn and winter months so there is always a sense of anticipation during this period. Festival organisers do not rely on any single factor to determine when they make announcements but are balancing a variety facets that will determine when a press release is issued. What are these key elements driving the announcement dates? 

Artist Curation Scheduling. 
Many desirable headline acts will schedule their European tours well in advance and this can ultimately drive the availability of performance artists for festival appearances. The curation process will include the shortlisting of desirable acts and checking with artist’s managers if they can be scheduled for next year’s festival. Artists are always keen to schedule appearances at well-known festivals so this can dictate when announcements are made as they should coincide with the artist’s own press releases. This puts considerable pressure on festival curators who may not be keen to announce a single headliner but want to include a selection of artists. Festival organisers are also competing with other festival entities who are all trying to secure the same artists because they are likely to draw an audience. 

Cash Flow Generation. 
It is not unusual for festival entities to suffer cash flow issues and announcing line-ups early can help to drive early bird ticket sales and much needed revenue. There is sometimes a fine balance between the line-up announced and festival-goer reaction especially if the line-up is not perceived as strong which can deter early ticket purchase. If done well an announcement can help to build hype in the media further increasing early ticket purchases. In addition to ticket sales an early line-up confirmation can help to secure much needed sponsorship revenue as potential sponsors and brands get the opportunity to be associated with any announcement. Most organisers also add additional impetus to generate early ticket sales by offering time limited discounted rates to festival-goers. 

Timing. 
It can be incredibly difficult to get the timing right for making line-up announcements as organisers need to make sure they have a strong line-up before releasing details. This is because festival-goers want to compare the line-ups between different festivals before making a purchase decision, too weak and they may delay purchase. Festival-goers generally prefer to make an early decision about which event to commit to because it allows them sufficient time to book holidays and arrange transport and accommodation for example. 

Marketing Considerations. 
Any line-up announcement should be a coordinated exercise that includes releases to media outlets and posting on the festival's own online and social media presence. In addition, they can leverage relationships with sponsors and artists to ensure announcements are made at the same time. Organisers should monitor any fan engagement as this can be a good measure of reaction to a particular line-up announcement. Running timely promotions can also increase social media followers and engagement. Limited offers and ticket availability can increase demand for tickets especially if organisers can create FOMO (fear of missing out) among their audience. 

For festival organisers planning their next events using a software management platform like Festival Pro gives them all the functionality they need manage every aspect of their event logistics. The guys who are responsible for this software have been in the front line of event management for many years and the features are built from that experience and are performance artists themselves. The Festival Pro platform is easy to use and has comprehensive features with specific modules for managing artists, contractors, venues/stages, vendors, volunteers, sponsors, guestlists, ticketing, cashless payments and contactless ordering.

Image by westphotoandvideo via Pixabay

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