The over saturation of music festivals is not just a growing problem in EDM. Harvey Goldsmith, one of the most popular rock promoters in the world, said that Glastonbury Festival was in danger of being “over,” if they couldn’t find big enough acts to headline their infamous Pyramid Stage. According to Goldsmith, over 900 music events took place in the UK last festival season, but with everyone racing to book the same top acts, it’s become increasingly difficult to book legendary acts like The Rolling Stones and Queen. Modern acts haven’t reached that level yet, with Coldplay being the only act left that can put on a captivating, can’t-miss full live show.
That is a big, big problem in our industry. And we are not producing a new generation of these kind of acts – the likes of the Rolling Stones, Muse, even Arctic Monkeys – that can headline.
While Goldsmith focused more on festivals peaking because of not being able to book major headliners that can grab people’s attention, his point definitely touches upon the same problem happening in the dance music scene as well. Festival chains like Tomorrowland and Electric Daisy Carnival seem to add new locations every year, and as they continue to grow, the amount of mainstage headliners doesn’t grow at the same rate. And with more smaller festivals also competing to book (as well as livestreaming), fans have become choosier in which festivals they attend, causing ticket sales to finally drop. If Goldsmith is right, then festival season has finally peaked, and we could start to see a major change in the landscape of live music over the next few years. 
Source: Western Daily Press
Photo: Matt Cardy / Getty Images
