How Social Media is Transforming the Music Festival Experience

Bonnaroo, Coachella, Firefly, Governors Ball, Lollapalooza, Ultra, Electric Daisy Carnival…

I’m sure that if I were to ask you for an example of how social media has fundamentally changed consumer behavior, none of the above events would be a part of your answer.

However, I am here to tell you that social media has not only changed the process of consumers choosing music festivals, but has actually changed the music festival experience itself. With the kickoff of festival season only a few weeks away, it got me thinking about how digital these events have become compared to the Woodstocks of yester-year.

As a music lover (or snob), I look forward to going to shows year-round, but none more than music festival season. These experiences are one-of-a-kind.

The teams behind these events work year-round to build hype, drive sales, create experiences, and ensure that people come back year after year, in turn  transforming the event into more of a brand than a simple gathering. Each festival, like any brand or product, has a different culture and they use social media to stay connected to their fans.  Here are a few things any brand can learn from music festivals when it comes to social media:

1. Build a community worth coming back to

Even though a festival can be 1-5 days out of the entire year, the conversations about the event continue year-round. Channels like Facebook and Twitter keep the conversation going with topics like: “Who is your favorite artist?” and “Who would you like to see at next year’s show?” Social media channels also help create a community that encourages fans to share tips or tricks about attending the event with first-timers.

Festivals also use social channels as a practical way to communicate with attendees in real-time. Last year, when I attended Governors Ball, the first day got cut short due to a massive rain storm that left concert-goes walking through a sea of mud for the following two days (quite the experience to say the least!). During that time, Governors Ball was constantly posting on all channels to answer questions, post cancellations, educate on resources, deal with complaints, etc.

2. Create Buzz, and lots of it!

Creating buzz is something that festivals are really great at because they have to get people excited for an event for an entire year – and then do it all over again.

The majority of the communication festivals have with fans prior to the event is through their social channels and they are getting more innovative and creative every year. Festivals are announcing details about their event with tactics like promoting countdowns, announcing headliners one at a time, giving clues for fans to guess who the artists are, releasing exclusive information regarding ticket sales, and giving away promotional items all through channels like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, among others.

During the event, even people who are not physically there can join in on the social conversations. Festivals like Coachella and Bonnaroo offer live streams for people at home to watch performances and encourage them to join the conversation via hashtags.

3. Hyper-Connectivity

The people attending these events are demographically younger, and are heavy users of social media. Their hyper-connectivity means that they will be posting their experience along the way. From considering what festival to go to, to a screen shot of their ticket confirmation, countless filtered pictures and videos of their time there, and the aftermath – the world will see it.  Documenting these events as an attendee has now become an integral part of the whole experience. Festivals are even starting to partner with social media channels like Facebook and Instagram to do cool things like automatically check you into events when you arrive or show your Instagram pictures on jumbo screens.

Some of these festivals have even developed their own phone apps to provide attendees with all the event information they need like lists of food stands, lineups, maps, and emergency info along with ways to connect to their social accounts to easily post pictures or statuses through the app.

Social media has transformed the music festival industry. These music event brands are continuing to offer rich experiences that last year-round. If you’ve never gone to a music festival before – consider it. And don’t forget to bring a phone charger. All the checking-in, picture/video sharing, tweeting, and posting sure drains your battery.

See you out there!