2024 Festival

[gfa]

3 minutes ago, Benj said:

That’s what the return of the big tent is for. A nice alternative so everyone is happy 👍🏼

keep dreaming 😂

[Benj]

2 hours ago, Chad888 said:

100%

How do they walk it back now? It would be a marketing bomb.

There will be kids  19-22 that have only ever known the 6 headliners / 2-stage format.

Imagine telling those kids that they used to get 6 headliners and now they are only getting 3, but they get a tent which was asked for by the old timers that also want Download headliners every year and are about to celebrate their 35th birthday.

 

None of these kids ever go back anyway according to most on here so it shouldn’t be an issue…

It would obviously be a problem they’d need to counter but should be easy enough with “We’re giving you 60 more acts over the weekend instead of Lewis Capaldi and Imagine dragons” 

Ultimately the one and done kids are gonna go book whatever, it’s the returnees that have given up on the festival, due to it being much less of a festival than it used to.

The festival will die if it only aims to satisfy kids coming to party once in their lives, who see no value in ever coming back

[Benj]

12 minutes ago, gfa said:

keep dreaming 😂

It’s exactly what used to happen esp on the Sundays, as recently as 2019 with the Foo Fighters

The arena will be half empty 80% of the day if they try similar these days. Utterly dead festival vibe…

[Benj]

Also re the 6 headliners.

It will be easy enough to have a couple of days with Co-heads like in 2016 etc...

Paramore/ Rodrigo

QOTSA/ Royalblood

Blink

There you go 8 HEADLINERS!!!! (inc those in the big tent) and 60 extra acts over the weekend

 

 

[Chad888]

15 minutes ago, Benj said:

None of these kids ever go back anyway according to most on here so it shouldn’t be an issue…

It would obviously be a problem they’d need to counter but should be easy enough with “We’re giving you 60 more acts over the weekend instead of Lewis Capaldi and Imagine dragons” 

 

What good are 60 more acts when most people watch about 10 per day?

It gives variety, but the majority of kids want to go as a group of mates to watch their favourite band/rapper. 

Don't get me wrong - I WANT the big tent back, but it would be a sales bomb. People are stupid, they don't want the content or quality, or quantity, they want the headline. They want the flashy "I went here and there are 6 big names on this poster!".

We're talking about the same kids that would rather burn and abandon a £200 tent because they cba to take it home. They care more about drinking in a tent than watching the music. They care more about throwing bottles of urine than enjoying acts. They just want to point to a poster and say I was there when these big names played.

[Benj]

4 minutes ago, Chad888 said:

What good are 60 more acts when most people watch about 10 per day?

It gives variety, but the majority of kids want to go as a group of mates to watch their favourite band/rapper. 

Don't get me wrong - I WANT the big tent back, but it would be a sales bomb. People are stupid, they don't want the content or quality, or quantity, they want the headline. They want the flashy "I went here and there are 6 big names on this poster!".

We're talking about the same kids that would rather burn and abandon a £200 tent because they cba to take it home. They care more about drinking in a tent than watching the music. They care more about throwing bottles of urine than enjoying acts. They just want to point to a poster and say I was there when these big names played.

You get to see 10 acts you WANT to see, as opposed to 10 acts you're FORCED to see

The idea is that if someone else is on that someone in their group like, they'll stick around to watch it until the next massive thing is on, like what used to happen in the old days.

The arena is pretty much dead half the time these days. Reading was great because the atmosphere for most acts was always good, now its dead half the day and if you don't like whats on you just stand in a half empty field bored off your tits thinkign you should just be back at your tent watching Tiktok....Oh!

 

 

Maybe you're right and the kids today are a lost cause, in regards to them being interesting in actual music as opposed to memes. I like to think with a little effort the festival could keep them better engaged 

 

[Chad888]

44 minutes ago, gfa said:

keep dreaming 😂

They just need to revamp the current tents (We have MSE, MSW, Dance, 1xtra, FR, Alternative, Introducing)

1) Rename MSE as "The R&L Main Stage" and that can be your actual mainstage with a classic run of 10 acts.

2) Rename the MSW the "BBC R1 Main Stage" and have its own R1 tent style line-up that get airtime on R1, rather than alternating as a single stream with the other Main Stage, that kicks off the day with BBC Introducing style crowd pleasing acts.

3) The "Big Festival Tent" which is the music that needs a tent to get an electric atmosphere, Your Bicep Lives, Don Broco etc, with a Pit/Lock-up/FR stage rock metal and indie (download inspired) undercard, that kicks off the day with BBC Introducing style indie acts.

4) The "Dance Tent" which is entirely DJ sets, inspired by Creamfields, with the 1Xtra DJ sets included here.

5)The "1Xtra Urban Tent" which is the current 1Xtra style lineup, that kicks off the day with BBC Introducing style hip hop acts.

 

[Guest]

39 minutes ago, Benj said:

Also re the 6 headliners.

It will be easy enough to have a couple of days with Co-heads like in 2016 etc...

Paramore/ Rodrigo

QOTSA/ Royalblood

Blink

There you go 8 HEADLINERS!!!! (inc those in the big tent) and 60 extra acts over the weekend

 

 

This is basically the 2014 lineup.

[Guest]

A lot of older people complaining about a festival that's clearly not meant to be for them anymore.

[Benj]

1 minute ago, Chad888 said:

They just need to revamp the current tents (We have MSE, MSW, Dance, 1xtra, FR, Alternative, Introducing)

1) Rename MSE as "The R&L Main Stage" and that can be your actual mainstage with a classic run of 10 acts.

2) Rename the MSW the "BBC R1 Main Stage" and have its own R1 tent style line-up that get airtime on R1, rather than alternating as a single stream with the other Main Stage, that kicks off the day with BBC Introducing style crowd pleasing acts.

3) The "Big Festival Tent" which is the music that needs a tent to get an electric atmosphere, Your Bicep Lives, Don Broco etc, with a Pit/Lock-up/FR stage rock metal and indie (download inspired) undercard, that kicks off the day with BBC Introducing style indie acts.

4) The "Dance Tent" which is entirely DJ sets, inspired by Creamfields, with the 1Xtra DJ sets included here.

5)The "1Xtra Urban Tent" which is the current 1Xtra style lineup, that kicks off the day with BBC Introducing style hip hop acts.

 

We've already mooted having MSW run at the same time and and worked out it probably wouldnt be possible.

Having an alternative style venue is hugely important too I think.  The monotony of watching crap you don't want to on the exact same stage layout adds massively to the turgidity of it all, theres a reason Boomtown etc, create loads of different outdoor environs to mix things up.

[Benj]

1 minute ago, SomeoneListeningIn said:

A lot of older people complaining about a festival that's clearly not meant to be for them anymore.

This is the problem though, it was clearly for everyone up until 2021...

The festival is also clearly trying to get back lost returnees with the loyalty scheme... 

There is no replay value in the current format, people are not going back, why?

[sacred shape]

3 minutes ago, SomeoneListeningIn said:

A lot of older people complaining about a festival that's clearly not meant to be for them anymore.

Yeah well it didn't sell that well this year so maybe it needs to go back to catering to them...

[jcarb]

3 minutes ago, SomeoneListeningIn said:

A lot of older people complaining about a festival that's clearly not meant to be for them anymore.

Some casual age shaming. 😂 

All jokes aside you’re right to some degree and I don’t think the festival will truly care about returning punters that much. It’s not like there’s not another huge group of school leavers the next year, the year after and so on that will attend…

[Benj]

7 minutes ago, jcarb said:

Some casual age shaming. 😂 

All jokes aside you’re right to some degree and I don’t think the festival will truly care about returning punters that much. It’s not like there’s not another huge group of school leavers the next year, the year after and so on that will attend…

Bar the fact they've just introduced a loyalty scheme, showing that they obviously very much realised less people were coming back than they were used to AND need them back...

You can't run a large music festival based on a single demographic, esp one that has little disposable money. Fashions change or parents suddenly bulk at the cost or bad PR and GAME OVER....

It would be fascinating to know how much less they made in bar sales this year.

 

 

Edited September 6, 2023 by Benj

[Guest]

10 minutes ago, Benj said:

This is the problem though, it was clearly for everyone up until 2021...

The festival is also clearly trying to get back lost returnees with the loyalty scheme... 

There is no replay value in the current format, people are not going back, why?

No, it's always been predominantly for 16-18 year olds. I went to the festival from 2014-2018 (16-20) and I remember feeling like one of the oldest people there in 2018. Of course there were people way older than me too, but they were far and few between.

[Guest]

10 minutes ago, jcarb said:

Some casual age shaming. 😂 

All jokes aside you’re right to some degree and I don’t think the festival will truly care about returning punters that much. It’s not like there’s not another huge group of school leavers the next year, the year after and so on that will attend…

Not shaming anyone. It's a festival that books acts popular with people in their late teens.

[Benj]

12 minutes ago, SomeoneListeningIn said:

No, it's always been predominantly for 16-18 year olds. I went to the festival from 2014-2018 (16-20) and I remember feeling like one of the oldest people there in 2018. Of course there were people way older than me too, but they were far and few between.

it depends where you are, the majority are clearly kids but there always LOADS of oldies back behind the second set of speakers

Just looked back through my pics to see if I could find any random ones I had of the crowd. This is from 2017, a year you were there. 

Busy crowd by the looks of it and mobbed full of old fogues

 

EDIT - just trying to work out who it was before/ during and looks like it was Gallagher, so explains the old folk.  They're there though, or rather, they were...

 

Edited September 6, 2023 by Benj

[p0sterb0y]

Here is what I think they should do but they won't.

• 6 Headliners With No Clashes
• Return of The Radio 1 Stage - probably rebranded with a different name
• Return of The Pit

Go back to the exact 2019 format with the only difference being the main stage is two stages side by side (Main Stage Right and Main Stage Left). The main stage will still have 8-10 acts each day like 2019 but they will alternate between left and right. Sub headliners will be billed as "headliners" because they are technically headlining Main Stage Right. An act like Travis Scott would not want to co-headline with Royal Blood, which is why they are the actual Main Stage Headliner (but technically Main Stage Left Headliner).

The budget will be exactly the same as 2019, the only additional cost would be making the main stage twice as big. I'd suggest scrapping the alternative tent to fund a bigger main stage.

It could look something like this. Ignore the smaller names I haven't replaced them from 2019.

 

 

Edited September 6, 2023 by p0sterb0y

[Benj]

Why would you need two stages side by side if you only had 9-10 acts on.

Extended sets would be nice in certain cases (less so in others) but can't people just Tiktok/ have a piss/ get something to eat/ have a chat during the 30 mins break? 

[p0sterb0y]

15 minutes ago, Benj said:

Why would you need two stages side by side if you only had 9-10 acts on.

Mainly so they can get away with having 6 headliners and just 1 main stage (2). If it was just 1 main stage some acts wouldn't want to co headline

Usually the side by side stage is used so acts can play straight after the other but I don't think they would be able to fund that throughout the whole day whilst maintaining quality acts. I think they should have gaps between acts like it used to be.

Edited September 6, 2023 by p0sterb0y

[Chad888]

11 minutes ago, Benj said:

Why would you need two stages side by side if you only had 9-10 acts on.

Extended sets would be nice in certain cases (less so in others) but can't people just Tiktok/ have a piss/ get something to eat/ have a chat during the 30 mins break? 

Because it sells. Market as 2 headliners, but it is actually a headliner with a sub.

It is one stage, 14 acts, split across 2 platforms.

It gives each stage time to set up for the next act while there is a performer on the other.

It makes some acts look bigger than they actually are, so you can book them for MSE next time to save some money and justify it as they already have headlining pedigree, and it gives them a step up to making the big main stage in the future (previous setup had a glass ceiling a lot of bands hit at subbing).

 

[FeverDream]

30 minutes ago, Benj said:

Why would you need two stages side by side if you only had 9-10 acts on.

Extended sets would be nice in certain cases (less so in others) but can't people just Tiktok/ have a piss/ get something to eat/ have a chat during the 30 mins break? 

I assume the main benefit would be that the 2 headliners both have full use of a stage to implement their setup that the current format affords. In the old format with 2 co-headliners the one that played before, take Fall Out Boy in 2016 for example, probably didn’t have the same freedom to implement a stage setup as Biffy Clyro given Biffy were playing after and had quite a substantial setup. It’s still glorified subs, mind. 

Edited September 6, 2023 by FeverDream

[Benj]

1 minute ago, p0sterb0y said:

Mainly so they can get away with having 6 headliners and just 1 main stage (2). If it was just 1 main stage some acts wouldn't want to co headline

Usually the side by side stage is used so acts can play straight after the other but I don't think they would be able to fund that throughout the whole day whilst maintaining quality acts. I think they should have gaps between acts like it used to be.

Don’t think it would be a problem if billed as a headliner. The only difference in reality is that they’d be on 30-40 minutes earlier in the day

It wouldn’t be worth spending the money otherwise and there’s not really anyway they can make side by side at reading without two markedly smaller stages 

[Benj]

7 minutes ago, Chad888 said:

Because it sells. Market as 2 headliners, but it is actually a headliner with a sub.

It is one stage, 14 acts, split across 2 platforms.

It gives each stage time to set up for the next act while there is a performer on the other.

It makes some acts look bigger than they actually are, so you can book them for MSE next time to save some money and justify it as they already have headlining pedigree, and it gives them a step up to making the big main stage in the future (previous setup had a glass ceiling a lot of bands hit at subbing).

 

Except it didn’t sell this year…

Worst sales in a decade

[gfa]

2 hours ago, Benj said:

It’s exactly what used to happen esp on the Sundays, as recently as 2019 with the Foo Fighters

The arena will be half empty 80% of the day if they try similar these days. Utterly dead festival vibe…

I meant dream on about the big tent

Foos having their own day is a good idea as it pushes ticket sales for an act who's audience would otherwise not bother as its full of kids - Travis Scott's fanbase should in theory be at least considering the fest anyway

Its quite different imo

2 hours ago, Benj said:

Also re the 6 headliners.

It will be easy enough to have a couple of days with Co-heads like in 2016 etc...

Paramore/ Rodrigo

QOTSA/ Royalblood

Blink

There you go 8 HEADLINERS!!!! (inc those in the big tent) and 60 extra acts over the weekend

 

 

This would sell even worse than this year 😂