By José Gandue @spinning zone

Cover art by Zonagirante Studio 

Let's begin with two undeniable truths. The first is that, no matter what I write about massive private festivals, those produced by big businessmen (and by big I mean in terms of size, not any qualitative assessment), It'll go in one ear and out the other for them. The other irrefutable truth is that, no matter how much criticism I may level against these types of events, some of the most exciting moments of my life have been experienced attending these kinds of shows., I saw and listened to bands that marked my life like that, head-on, and enjoyed every second of their concerts. What I'm about to say isn't against artists who, when it comes down to it, are still, in most cases, the weakest link in a business that, far from being romantic, is an abusive and unfair structure. Let's begin:

– One of the least important factors in the festival business is the music..

That old image where the organizer of an event of this type made the effort to complete a lineup of musicians and bands that had a particular appeal, due to issues of sound, artistic coherence, or intellectual identity It no longer exists, and, if we ramp up our sarcasm to higher levels, perhaps it was never there. Are there exceptions? Perhaps, but the truth is, festivals with big letters on the marquee They are a sum of names that attract a certain number of fans, which are added to others that have nothing to do with it, period.. Don't be mistaken, this isn't an idyllic discourse on tolerance and diversity, showing that people no longer believe in labels and follow what's in the wind and that kind of nonsense. In many cases there is no curatorship. Call me naive, or even a functional imbecile of anti-capitalism or something like that, but to put together, just because, for example, Galy Galeano with Tool, It's a vulgar opportunism. I have no problem with any of the fans of these musical proposals, but here you can see the promoters' greed, pretending to be liberal and understanding. Many of these festivals were born with a beautiful idea (I defend the value of this word, without being sentimental) of reaching an audience that needed to verify its existence and size, being disregarded by the mainstream media., and now they are simply wild cards in an economic transaction, to complete an Excel table as if it were nothing.

– Now the merchandise for sale is «the experience»

These days, going to these kinds of festivals It's like going to a large open-air shopping mall, where the music is background noise that we occasionally pay attention to. At these kinds of gatherings, the most important thing is that you bring your cell phone, and like a zombie, take all the photos and videos you can, and add the hashtag #melaestoypasandobien, either #produzcoenvidialosquenovinieron And instead of watching the concert of such and such an artist, you dedicate yourself to recording a few seconds and, with that, report your presence at the venue. You already paid for the ticket, now, without realizing it, You are paying, with your interaction on social media, to the sponsors who put the latest Coca-Cola, the multinational beer, the "sports" clothing with the three stripes that matches your headphones, right in front of your eyes., The bank that allowed you to pay the exorbitant bill in several installments, etc., etc., etc. Without realizing it, you paid more than you actually spent. One clarification: I insist, I perfectly understand the circumstances and the need to convince sponsors to finance these concerts, But what they sell you least is the music. What you're buying is the possibility of taking a selfie in front of a stage where someone is playing whose name, most of the time, you won't remember.

-«Experience» is discriminatory

I know that many of you go to a festival because one of your favorite artists is going to perform, and they have saved up to make that moment one of the best of their lives. I saw New Order, one of my all-time favorite bands, twice, and I must confess that the first time, without realizing it, I cried with emotion as soon as the first song started. Regret. But these types of competitions, unfortunately, It attracts people who only want to be there for status reasons, warning in his speech that they pay to avoid associating with those who "contaminate" free festivals.«It's a different world.", They say, repeating the slogan of one of these events, and that's where they come together with «"equals"», where «"the air is purer"», where "«"You can have a whisky without some despicable person bothering you.", «"where everything sounds better, even though we're not paying attention to the musician.". The "experience" is discriminatory, aspirational, and after a few days, it's a puff of smoke that quickly dissipates. Just like the genius Diego Armando Maradona said, «"Idiots are like ants, there are tons of them and they'll never run out."», And business owners know that.

-Coming from abroad is not the same as being a local artist.

No one is a prophet in their own land, as they say. But playing at home in a festival often means... to endure hardship, be mistreated, and, in many cases, not receive the corresponding payment. One of you will say, quite rightly: «"Gandour, someone has to open the event, and nobody is obligated to go from the beginning.". Obviously, and that role belongs to those who are making their way in the music industry. Totally understandable. But it's so common to hear that "due to lack of time,", These artists are forced to perform their show before the venue doors have even opened. Others take to the stage without having done a soundcheck, or change their plans because the headlining band arrived and demanded that no one move their instruments. Most of these novices hear the fallacious argument that the organization isn't going to pay them, because «They are being given an opportunity that no one else is going to give them." Ultimately, the authors' society, which collects royalties for the use of the songs at the event, will pay them what they are owed. And, in the worst cases, the festival producer claims their share from the artist, since «"It is unfair that the person who put up all the money should stand idly by in the face of such a tax.". However, none of these characters were seen using the same trick with the headliners of its programming.

-And the women?

Of course, the statistics have improved, But female participation in the organization of competitions remains extremely limited.. There's a common misconception that women attract fewer people than men. And that's where Zonagirante.com asserts its belief that a large part of The most interesting music today is being made by women and sexual dissidents. There is a lot of work to be done on this.

-Do artists give their best performances at festivals? No.

Let's lower the volume of our excitement a bit, and admit that, if one goes to these shows for musical interest, one plans a route and tries to see as many recitals as possible. But, for obvious reasons—time constraints, structures, and budgets—the best show from most artists will not be seen in these venues. As a personal anecdote, I listened to Trent Reznor, in his performance with Nine Inch Nails at Estereo Picnic, exclaimed that it had been the worst show of his life, due to all the sound and lighting problems he had on stage that day. If you have the chance to see your favorite bands in different kinds of venues, all the better. Plus, you won't have to put up with the clueless person who, in the middle of the anthem you've always wanted to hear from your idol, asks who's playing or says they don't understand anything and are bored.

-Finally, the journalists

No one is required to provide media accreditation to attend festivals. That's a self-evident truth. But neither does the business owner have the right to mistreat and demand nonsense from someone who wants to review the event. It's one thing to get through the accreditation process and tell the organizer you plan to do a review during the event; And another thing is putting up with the businessman's ridiculous demands, as if one were his promoter and not someone who wants to cover the event. Some "colleagues" have forgotten that, their dignity easily sold for a badge. They'll know what to do with their lives.

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Did I say too much? I'm sorry. I believe there are other ways of doing things, and that they benefit all parties. It's a business, but it can have a better sense of ethics, opportunity, and taste. I believe private sector involvement in the music industry is essential, but everything that's happening leads us to the sad conclusion that Live music has become a commodity for the very few, and the vast majority of musicians lose out due to the damage inflicted on local circuits. 

So what needs to be done? Encourage the artistic community itself to come together and organize the activities they need collectively., to grow, and collectively become increasingly independent from what is imposed on them by employers. The road is long and full of disappointments, but not doing it means depending on people who don't share the same drive as the music scene.

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We started to fantasize, and using the tools we have at Zonagirante Studio,We envisioned festivals with a fun, curated lineup and designed their posters. Thank you for your attention.