The Future Of Download

[jamin96]

Wouldn't be surprised if Queens of the Stone Age would headline in the next couple of years either

[t8yman]

I suggest people listen to the "thats not metal" podcast from friday 11 dec. Andy Copping is on, talking about just this topic. He is considering fewer bands, staggered stages a 'la sonisphere, and talking about the next wave of potential headliners. It was pretty interesting, although all of the questions were softball.

fewer bands = cost saving. however, he sold it as "you get to see the bands you love for longer sets, with fewer clashes.

[5co77ie]

if Download was more like Soni I'd consider going back

[t8yman]

Its cashless scottie.

[5co77ie]

ah yes - no I'm never going

[eFestivals]

On 15/12/2015 at 5:44 AM, t8yman said:

I suggest people listen to the "thats not metal" podcast from friday 11 dec. Andy Copping is on, talking about just this topic. He is considering fewer bands, staggered stages a 'la sonisphere, and talking about the next wave of potential headliners. It was pretty interesting, although all of the questions were softball.

fewer bands = cost saving. however, he sold it as "you get to see the bands you love for longer sets, with fewer clashes.

I always thought that the explosion of stages at festivals wouldn't be able to be sustained in all directions, and thinking about it, a fest that's (compared to others) limiting who they might book via genres would obviously (if everything else is equal) be the first to need to go that way.

But, I think, it also changes how people interact with what's on offer as one of its unintended consequences, so that there's less running around having to catch this band and that band, and also more time spent at no bands. That's going to suit some festivals & festival-goers more than others.

They'll probably get harder to sell, too. Because the bigger the list of names, the more people will be able to find that makes going attractive to them. If you shrink the number of names, you also shrink the attractiveness across all of the possible audience.

I wish him the best with doing it (if that's what he does) tho, because festivals will need to find a way to negotiate a way of downsizing in one way or another but without that change making the festival look like it's failing (cos looking dead normally has dead happen).