Feeding the Music Festival Line-up Rumour Mill.

The headliners and line-up announcement for a music festival can be a key factor in the ticket purchase decision. Organisers prefer to keep the identity of line-ups secret until they are ready to make an official announcement. Many media channels often claim to have obtained leaked information on possible headliners, but all may not be as it seems.

An increasingly used tactic by many music festival organisers is to sometimes leak details of their headliners intentionally. This can generate media coverage and increased festival-goer engagement on social media channels due to the interest in discovering the line-up early. Intentional leaks are a marketing tactic designed do build audience anticipation and generate early interest in ticket sales. Why would festival organisers choose to use such a tactic and how do they implement such leaks? 

Hype and Media Coverage. 
For many large music festivals, the speculation about headliners and line-ups for future events can be rife amongst fans. Purposely placing the name of a leaked artist can get coverage in the media and can be amplified by social media sharing. For organisers this can form part of their word-of-mouth marketing activity to create buzz around a festival as rumours circulate. In a crowded music festival sector, any increase in coverage and engagement activity can keep the focus on that festival rather than competing events. 

Testing. 
For some organisers leaking a named artist whilst publicly denying any confirmation can be a good way to measure festival-goer reaction. The higher the media coverage and social media engagement the better fit an artist may be. If the response is subdued it helps organiser's decision to perhaps focus on alternative artists. 

Selective Influencers. 
Any official leak will have to originate somewhere, and this is where organisers utilise specially selected influencers to help spread rumours. Alternatively, an insider ‘fake’ festival-goer can post rumours in social media channels to fuel engagement. This approach can make social media posts appear authentic and credible rather than obvious marketing tactics. Festival organisers may have exclusive relationships with media outlets and journalists where making a comment about a proposed headliner that is ‘off the record’ can be agreed to make it look like a leak from an official source without ever naming that source. 

Social Media Campaigns. 
In more sophisticated social media campaigns organisers may choose to make a partial line-up announcement along with suggestions of proposed headliners to be confirmed soon. Organisers get instant feedback on any artists confirmed and can monitor engagement to see how rumours develop. Other tactics used can include using cryptic clues to help fuel speculation which for organisers is a balance between an official announcement and an inside leak. In some cases, organisers even make ‘accidental’ announcements which may appear for several hours on social media channels and their website before being removed. Music festival organisers are becoming more creative in how they announce headliners and line-ups to generate hype and engagement with the ultimate aim of generating increased ticket sales earlier. 

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  Andrea Piacquadio via Pexels

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