Facing the Music: The Logistics of Music Festivals Industry report
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Parcelhero’s music festival logistics report – Facing the Music – may be a ‘golden oldie’, it was first published in 2016, but many of the points it raises are still alarmingly valid.
The survival of UK music festivals is still balanced on a knife’s edge.
(NB: This report is from our archives and all information and values given correct to summer 2016)
1. The costs don't add up
Coachella, the biggest festival in the world, sells 198,000 tickets and pulls in $84 million for the Californian event. The UK’s largest festival – Glastonbury – has a turnover of £37m but sees profits of just £86,000: less than 50p per ticket.
2. When the music stops
In the wet summer of 2012 57 UK music festivals were cancelled. It’s a tough business: famous events such as The Big Chill, Sonisphere, Oxegen and Cloud 9 have all fallen silent recently. This year Austin’s 3-day Levitation Festival, Manchester’s All Today’s Parties festival and the Forgotten Fields 2016 Festival have already joined their ranks.
3. More popular than ever
This year 14 million UK residents plan to attend a festival, (3.5 million music festivals alone). Around 1,000 festivals are planned in the UK for 2016 and, with the average ticket price being over £200 for major events, it’s a £2.3bn industry!
4. Heavy metal
The logistics behind a big event are amazing. The five stages at Download weigh 278 tons and require 57 artics to transport them. There are also 160 tons of lights, sound and video equipment to move.
5. A load of rubbish
You might think festivals are green, but they generate 23,500 tonnes of waste and less than 32% of material is recycled. Music festivals are responsible for 20 kilotonnes of C02e onsite and 100 kilotonnes of CO2e including audience travel. No wonder Festival 6 spends £30,000 simply taking waste away.
6. Big bucks
Artists aren’t cheap. Organisers pay over $1m for Bruce Springsteen, Justin Bieber and Madonna; however, Bob Dylan can be hired for $150,000, Ed Sheeran $125,00, the Kaiser Chiefs are a snip at $25,000, and MC Lars is just $2,500. (Remember, these are 2016 figures!)
7. Not so easy riders
Stars also have some unusual riders: Adelle asks for six large tea mugs and a packet of Marlboro Lights; Kanye West requires a barber’s chair; Madonna insists on a new toilet seat, and Paul McCartney won’t have any animal products– even his black limo can’t have leather seats. But Van Halen’s notorious rider that they should never be given brown M&Ms was a test to see if organisers were reading contracts!