Music festivals of the future

Written by Rahma Yulita | Read in Indonesian

Prambanan Jazz, Synchronize Festival, Soundrenaline, Pestapora, Joyland; these names are certainly familiar to fans of music festivals in Indonesia, right?

Citing the Whiteboard Journal, creator of Archipelago Festival and co-founder of Sounds From the Corner, Teguh Wicaksono, said that there are more and more forms of festivals with diverse content and music.

This statement is supported by data from the Indonesian Music Promoters Association that there were more than 100 national or regional-scale music festivals in 2022. The figure increases this year, encouraging more promoters to organise more diverse music festivals, so that the public has more choices of festivals that suit their taste.

The existence and development of music festivals globally

Talking about music festivals, one of the interesting topics is the brief history of the first music festival. Various sources believe that music festivals date back to Ancient Greece.

According to The Music Studio, the first music festival was held in 582 BC with the Pythian Games. The event, which lasted for six to eight nights, featured musical events such as hymns addressed to Apollo, the god of arts and music.

Even though the Pythian Games are said to be the first music festival recorded in history, it is believed that such events have existed long before that; only in a different form.

As time goes by, more music festivals emerge; starting from classical music festivals in the 17th century, the Woodstock festival in 1967, to other festivals that we enjoy today.

One of the most prominent music festivals is the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival which is held annually in California. The festival was first held in 1999. The event is not only graced by music lovers, but also celebrities, thus attracting more and more people to come.

This year, Coachella managed to attract more than 500 thousand visitors over two weeks, doubled compared to last year. According to InEvent, Coachella 2023 is estimated to generate more than $1.5 billion (around Rp23 trillion).

Post-pandemic is a “heaven” for music festivals in Indonesia

Citing from Kompas.id, Prambanan Jazz CEO Anas Alimi said the surge in music festivals stems from the audience's enthusiasm, where in 2022, tickets sold out only two weeks before the event.

Meanwhile, ticket sales for Prambanan Jazz in July 2023 sold out in just one day with a larger audience capacity.

However, Joyland Festival's Program/Music Director Ferry Dermawan explained the challenges faced by music festival organisers in this post-pandemic era.

Due to the huge number of music festivals, the audience no longer cares to find information about the people behind a festival. Consequently, when there is a failure, other promoters also bear the brunt.

This is apparent in the cancellation of Greenlane Festival music festival which was scheduled for 5 November 2023 at Laswi Heritage, Bandung after an organising committee member embezzled Rp1.5 billion from the budget.

Ferry said that after the pandemic, many festivals were re-established with full force. There are also plenty of new festivals to meet the increasing demand.

"It seems that the trend is the audience comes to several festivals, and in the end they have many options and can choose the festival which performance characteristics suit their taste," he said.

Although the line-up is important, music festivals must be able to convince the audience that they offer something beyond the line-up, namely experience.

Inclusion and sustainability, the key to future festivals?

Presenting an inclusive festival environment is also a challenge for promoters.

Moreover, this issue has received quite intense attention abroad. Citing insights from Irwin Mitchell, the "State of Access Report" showed that only around 44% of venues provide barrier-free access or functional entrances that are disability-friendly.

In addition, 95% of respondents admitted that they had difficulty ordering tickets online, because they usually had to order by phone at certain hours.

In the UK, only around two in 10 music events allow people with disabilities to book tickets online. This prompted the emergence of the “FestivalsWithoutBarriers” campaign, which is an effort to improve access for audience members, artists, employees and volunteers with disabilities.

Even though it doesn't seem to be a major concern in Indonesia, the hope of having an inclusive festival - whether for audience members with disabilities or for those of all ages - has become an aspiration that promoters in Indonesia seek to realise.

According to Ferry, he and the Joyland team continue striving to create a more inclusive festival environment even though it is quite difficult to do. For example, the majority of sponsors in Indonesia are still cigarette companies.

He said that it will take several years to set a fairer example so that music festivals have a rule that people can only smoke in designated areas.

"There are many examples of this at major festivals around the world, where alcohol can only be bought and drunk in designated areas and is prohibited to be brought out of those areas. We are trying to implement it in Joyland, where cigarettes and alcohol are only allowed in certain areas," he explained.

He added that the cigarette sponsors for Joyland Bali can comply with this policy because they understand Joyland's market. "It seems like they don't want to damage the environment that we have set. In the end, it is not impossible to create such a position for cigarette sponsors at certain festivals."

To create a festival that is more inclusive and suitable for families, Joyland also created an event specifically for children.

"In addition to improving our existing programmes, now at White Peacock we also plan a parade for children," said Joyland Managing Director Lintang Sunarta.

Lintang Sunarta & Ferry Dermawan | Source: Joyland

Apart from the programme side, presenting a diverse line-up can also drive inclusivity. This is not only important for the sustainability of music festivals, but also for expanding the exposure of local musicians.

"That's why at Joyland we try to consciously choose artists from regions outside Java, so that they get more exposure too. Because we see that there are many interesting ideas throughout Indonesia, but the platform is not yet available," said Joyland Creative Director Gisela Ruslim.

Another issue that is often raised at various festivals is sustainability. Coachella, for example, uses 100% renewable energy for the entire festival, from implementing a recycling programme to water refill stations.

Live Nation, the world's leading live entertainment company, has even ended the sale of single-use plastic at all of its event venues since 2021 as part of its efforts to curb the audience's carbon footprints.

What is the future of music festivals in Indonesia?

Lintang relayed her hope that every music festival will have strong DNA, just like Joyland: held in a park, it is relaxed and the audience is not in a rush to join the activities.

This is important so that they can continue to compete amidst the increasing number of music festivals. "So the characteristics are varied and they are not just 'following the trend'. The audience can also have many choices," she said.

"Pay more attention to the experience, because if we just focus on the line-up, the content will lack variety," Gisela added.

Music festivals in Indonesia certainly have bright prospects if every owner or promoter is able to offer and accommodate exciting ideas that could become the highlight of the festival.

“The number of festivals from 2022 to 2023 increases, and most of them are held outside big cities. Maybe they observe the trend in Jakarta, so if those in Jakarta fail to offer or show something fresh, I think their audience will also become bored," Ferry concluded.