Obtaining a Media Pass for Music Festivals.

Music festival entities like to get coverage in the main media outlets about their events irrespective if it is before, during or after the live event dates. Attendance at a festival for members of the media is strictly controlled, especially as they are usually given an access-all-areas pass, and organisers can be sensitive about what can and cannot be covered.

An accredited member of the media can potentially have access to a large relevant audience, and this is attractive to organisers. As the lines blur between traditional journalists, photographers and content creators, the process for approving a media pass to attend and cover a festival has become increasingly competitive. Organisers are being more selective and thorough when conducting the application and accreditation process.

The Coveted Media Pass.
An approved member of the media will typically gain no cost admission to the festival and be given priority access through dedicated gates. Organisers will usually construct a media centre where there are quiet zones with workplace facilities that allow journalists to write articles, process images, and coordinate coverage with the organiser’s own press representative. This can include arranging exclusive interviews with artists and attending press briefings plus letting photographers gain access to photo pits in front of stages. The media pass is highly sought after due to the extensive access they are given to a festival site including backstage zones.

Entitlement.
Traditionally media passes were only issued to qualified or certified journalists who work for recognised media outlets like newspapers, radio stations, TV broadcasters and trade publications. However, the growth of digital media has seen a rise in the number of independent journalists and content creators who sometimes have large audiences, making them serious contenders for consideration by organisers. Whoever the applicant for a media pass is, organisers will typically look for media outlet affiliation with an editor’s assignment letter along with a published portfolio of work demonstrating previous festival coverage. In addition, organisers like to see coverage proposals including articles and features along with interview requests, photo objectives plus publication dates, and expected audience reach. The audience metrics submitted in any application must show website traffic, social media followers, engagement statistics, and subscriber numbers.

Typical Application Processes Organisers Use.
If someone believes they fulfil the entitlement criteria, festival organisers still follow a thorough vetting process. Even for those meeting requirements, organisers will still set clear content delivery expectations which will be monitored. Organisers will open applications for media passes anywhere between 2 and 6 months before the live event dates depending on the size of the event and number of media passes being allocated. A late application is rarely successful except in unusual circumstances. When assessing applications from qualified individuals organisers will also check the relevance of stated audiences along with the quality of previously written articles, photography, videos and the overall professionalism of reporting standards.

Accreditation Process and Pass Issuing.
Most festival organisers will have an online application form on their website along with contact details of their media representatives who will probably be making the final decision on who to approve. Once applicants have been through the vetting process and subsequently meet the set requirements for a media pass, organisers will create a separate list of accredited and approved individuals for media passes. They may issue the passes in the form of a QR code sent by email to successful applicants which is scanned at the designated media entrance gate on the festival site. In addition to an RFID wristband with appropriate access control, many organisers also issue preprinted press pass identification cards on lanyards which they are expected to wear at all times. This makes it easier for security staff to instantly recognise those issued with a media pass.

Trends and Application Rejections.
With the number of applications for media passes outstripping supply organisers have started relying more on data driven decisions. Demonstrating a relevant audience with quality engagement has become a key factor along with great historical content performance. In addition, organisers are increasingly using more sophisticated media coverage monitoring tools to assist in making accurate assessments. This is extending to the monitoring of real-time content publication too which has been enabled by advances in digital and connectivity technology. If the media pass applications are oversubscribed the chances of rejection increase so it is imperative that applications are well prepared. A professional qualified journalist can be rejected by simply not having a demonstrable relevant audience reach, or they just lack any previous festival experience. It is tempting for organisers to select an independent content creator over an established journalist from an approved media outlet simply because they have delivered quality content to large relevant online audiences.

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