The music industry has changed.
Just ask Professor of Political Economy Gary Wolfram, a man who came of age in the Berkley music scene, surrounded by bands like The Who, Van Morrison and Grateful Dead.
“At that time concerts drove the record sales,” Wolfram said.
Lower ticket prices encouraged concert goers to purchase the band’s albums once they were at the show. Wolfram noted the shift from album revenue to concert revenue.
“Today you give away the album, but you pay for the ticket,” he said. “The festival is the best deal.”
Wolfram describes music festivals as smorgasbords compared to nice dinners. He prefers focusing on one band and skipping the festival scene. His son Wyatt, however, works in the music industry and is a loyal attendee.
Is the energy right? Is the lineup right?
These are keys questions to ask. If your answer is “Yes,” Production Manager and Lighting Designer Michael Beyer says “Go.”
Over the years, Beyer has attended dozens of festivals including Wakarusa, Rothbury, Electric Forest, All Good, and numerous smaller Midwestern festivals.
He prefers the small festival, where the music is the focus and friends are easy to make.
“You get more of a community and family feel at the smaller ones,” Beyer said.
He has purposefully avoided Bonaroo in Manchester, Tenn. He called it “the Wal-Mart of music festivals.”
When searching out the right lineup, Beyer keeps his “ear to the ground all year.”
He treats lineup season –– when festival promoters announce headliners –– like some people treat deer-hunting season. He hears about festivals through news boards, tour announcements and by word-of-mouth.
Beyer recommends looking for festivals that cater to a community and attract a good crowd.
This summer he’s bought tickets to All Good in Thornville, Ohio for its “jam” vibe. The lineup includes Allman Brothers Band, Phil Lesh and Friends, and the Flaming Lips.
For the past four summers, senior Diana Eberhart attended Blissfest, a small eclectic festival in the woods of northern Michigan.
The festival in Goodheart, Mich. is about 40 minutes from her hometown, Petoskey, Mich.
Eberhart speaks about “Bliss” with a fondness. Like Beyer, Eberhart appreciates the grass-roots feel of the festival.
“At Blissfest you can camp all weekend,” Eberhart said. “It makes for an awesome experience.”
Unlike Lollapalooza in Chicago, which she attended in the summer of 2010, she always goes to Blissfest with numerous friends and family.
Plus, after days staying up late dancing, Eberhart and her friends can make the short drive over to Sturgeon Bay for beautiful scenery and “lake baths.”
“Because more people are able to afford it,” she said, “you can enjoy the festival with a big group of friends.”
pmorgan@hillsdale.edu
