festivals
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Ms. Lauryn Hill, Summer Walker and Muni Long will be among the all-star lineup when Mary J. Blige and Pepsi bring the Strength of a Woman Festival and Summit back to Atlanta this year. The second annual event, in partnership with Live Nation Urban, will take place May 11-14.
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Highlights of the upcoming festival and summit include two nights of music at Atlanta’s State Farm Arena. In celebration of Hip-Hop 50, a special “MJB B-Sides” set will feature rarely performed hits by the nine-time Grammy Award winner and friends — including Jodeci, Busta Rhymes, Jeezy, Jadakiss, Method Man and DJ Drama — on May 12. The following evening will be an R&B showcase starring Hill, Walker, Long, Lucky Daye and Coco Jones. Bookending those evenings will be a City Winery performance by Glasper on May 11; May 14’s lineup includes a gospel brunch and concert followed by that evening’s closing event, The Purpose Ball. This newly established festival event in honor of the LGBTQAI community will feature a special performance by Saucy Santana. Comedian-actor Mike Epps will headline a comedy night showcase that Sunday as well.
Making the announcement in tandem with the Wednesday (March 8) global celebration of International Women’s Day, Strength of a Woman founder Blige said in a statement, “Having the opportunity to continue to uplift, inspire and build amongst a community of women is the reason why we created this festival. I’m so grateful for all of the support from our performers and participants and, of course, Live Nation Urban, Pepsi and our additional partners who are committed to celebrating and creating community for Black women.”
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In keeping with its debut last year, the Strength of a Woman Festival and Summit will also present impactful and empowering programming for BIPOC women. These workshops will address subjects such as wellness, technology, financial literacy and beauty. Returning and new sponsors include Mielle Organics, CVS Health and Twitch.
In addition to Blige, the all Black and women-helmed festival and summit team includes her longtime business partner Nicole Jackson, vp of MJB Inc., and Ashaunna Ayars, founder/chief marketing officer of The Ayars Agency. “The popularity and impact of the [2022] inaugural Strength of a Woman Festival and Summit successfully showed how and why Black women are the blueprint for cultural relevancy and inclusion,” stated Jackson in a press release. “Being able to look back and see the global reach the festival had through our livestream and billions of media impressions is confirmation that we are filling a void in the festival space. Mary, Ashaunna and myself are overjoyed to be back in Atlanta again and look forward to continued expansion in our programming and partnerships.”
Added Kent Montgomery, senior vp, PepsiCo Industry Relations and Multicultural Development, in the same release, “The Strength of a Woman Festival and Summit is a testament to the power of amplifying Black women and their voices – starting with Mary, someone whose vision and presence has been instrumental in its success. As a brand and company rooted in celebrating culture and uplifting communities, we are thrilled to show our support and continue to provide new ways to elevate the festival experience for guests throughout the expanded weekend of activities, all while highlighting and supporting the remarkable women of the Atlanta community.”
Presale tickets will become available at noon ET March 8; general on-sale begins on March 10. For ticket information, visit: www.soawfestival.com.
Outside Lands is returning to San Francisco, Calif., this summer with headliners Kendrick Lamar, Foo Fighters, Odesza, Lana Del Rey, The 1975, Megan Thee Stallion, Zedd, Janelle Monáe, Maggie Rogers and Fisher. The annual festival will return to Golden Gate Park from Aug. 11 to 13.
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This year’s lineup will also include Lil Yachty, Noah Kahan, Cigarettes After Sex, J.I.D., Interpol, Willow, Father John Misty and Tobe Nwigwe. The stacked lineup continues with Orville Peck, Beabadoobee, Soccer Mommy, Trixie Mattel and many more.
“When we started Outside Lands back in 2008, we had a vision to create a unique festival experience that had never been done before,” Allen Scott, co-founder of Outside Lands and president of concerts and festivals at Another Planet Entertainment, said in a press statement statement. “Fifteen years later, Outside Lands continues to be a bright spot for the city of San Francisco and pushes boundaries in music, food, drink, art and cannabis programming, as well as providing space for environmental and social initiatives.”
Three-day tickets for Outside Lands go on sale on the festival’s website here on Wednesday (March 8) at 10 a.m. PT, with fans able to choose from GA, GA+, VIP, Golden Gate Club and Payment Plan options.
See the full lineup below.
A new music festival is coming to the Catskills this fall in New York state.
Cave Mountain Catskills Music Festival will take place on Sept. 15-16 at the Windham Mountain ski area with a lineup that includes Weezer, Joe Russo’s Almost Dead, Dinosaur Jr., Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Albert Hammond Jr., Lee Fields, Courtney Marie Andrews, Sheer Mag, and more. The festival is organized by the team behind Brooklyn Made Presents and Crush Music.
“When Bob McLynn of Crush Music came to me with this idea, it was a no-brainer to jump in and partner on this amazing event.,” says Brooklyn Made president and CEO Anthony Makes. “We can’t wait to present this festival to all of New York’s incredible music fans this fall.”
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Tickets for the festival go on sale Friday, March 10th and are expected to sell out quickly. Fans can purchase general admission and VIP tickets at the festival’s website or through Ticketmaster.
The festival offers a wide range of food and beverage options, local craft vendors, as well as the opportunity to experience the beautiful setting of Windham Mountain in the Catskills.
“We want to create an experience that is about more than just the music,” adds Makes and McLynn. “We want to create a community where people can come together and have a great time.”
For those who want to experience the festival in style, there is a VIP ticket option available. VIP ticket holders will receive a dedicated entrance, exclusive prime viewing locations, special access to private lounge areas, commemorative festival poster, and other exclusive amenities.
VIP ticket holders will also have access to The Club, Windham Mountain’s exclusive private lounge with expansive mountain views. The Club provides a luxurious setting for guests to relax, unwind, and enjoy the best of what Windham Mountain has to offer.
For more information about the festival, visit the festival’s website.
Movement has revealed the complete lineup for its 2023 fest.
Basement Jaxx has been added as the three-day events third headliner, joining Charlotte de Witte and Underworld. Also joining the lineup is Skrillex, Bonobo (who’ll play a DJ set rather than a live show), Zeds Dead playing as their new Altered States project, Adam Port of Keinemusik, a reunion set from Detroit legend Cybotron, Kaskade doing one of his underground Redux sets, hip-hop stars Three 6 Mafia, techno queen Ida Engberg, Jersey Club star Uniiqu3, and techno pioneer Ricardo Villalobos.
Altogether nearly 150 artists will play across the event.
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With Detroit of course the hometown of techno itself, Movement 2023 will return to its longstanding base in the city’s Hart Plaza from May 27-29. Tickets are currently on sale.
Movement is produced by Detroit-based Paxahau, which launched in 1998 as an underground party promoter. The dance-focused company has produced Movement for the past 17 years, helping it gain global renown as one of the world’s premiere techno festivals.
“It was truly joyful to be back in the city for the many of us who fell in love with Detroit through Movement and its music,” Billboard contributor Ana Monroy Yglesias said of the festival last year. “The event also marked a triumphant family reunion for the techno all-stars and superfans who call Detroit home. Altogether, it was a stellar three days of techno, house, hip-hop, love, connection, positive vibes and dancing, and a much-needed respite from the pain of current events.”
See the complete 2023 Movement lineup below.
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J. Cole and his Dreamville team are ready to bring their hip-hop magic back to Dorothea Dix Park in Raleigh, N.C., with the third annual Dreamville Festival. Starting April 1 and 2, the two-day affair features a stout lineup headlined by J. Cole and special guest Drake on Sunday night, with Usher bringing the R&B flare the day before.
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Dreamville Fest will be the first time Cole and Drake will headline a show together; the two hip-hop luminaries are considered the pillars of the 2010s rap era. Their first collaboration goes back to Cole’s 2010 Friday Night Lights standout “In the Morning.” In 2013, Drake and Cole united again on the braggadocio track “Jodeci Freestyle.” According to the Dreamville press release, they will perform a medley of hits from their standout catalogs.
Aside from Drake and Cole sharing centerstage, Burna Boy will enjoy a headlining set of his own on a separate stage Sunday night. On the heels of his NBA All-Star Game halftime show performance earlier this month, Burna Boy will continue his fiery run after a dominant 2022 headlined by his Billboard Hot 100 hit “Last Last.” Summer Walker, J.I.D, GloRilla, Bas, Waka Flocka Flame, Mario and more will also perform April 2, while day one will have Lil Durk, Ari Lennox, City Girls, Sean Paul, Earthgang, Jessie Reyez and Key Glock.
GA, GA+ and VIP two-day passes are on sale now at www.DreamvilleFest.com.
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Electronic music is in the DNA of Dutch culture. The country has not only bred countless globally renowned DJs and producers, but, naturally, the Dutch music scene is also rich with festivals focused on the genre, including Awakenings, Decibel, DGTK, Dekmantel, ITW, Milkshake, Shelter and many more. These shows host tens of thousands of fans throughout the season and feature techno, house, EDM, hardstyle and other sounds spanning the electronic genre.
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Now, we know the top tracks played at these Dutch festivals in 2022. This list was compiled based on plays and performances from 211 events from February to November, across roughly 800 stages at events throughout the Netherlands. Data was collected by DJ Monitor, a global leader in electronic music monitoring with exclusive access to performance data from festivals, clubs, venues and online streams. DJ Monitor identifies music for Collective Management Organizations, rights users, and technology companies worldwide.
The top track of the year was Farruko‘s unstoppable “Pepas,” followed by “Soundgasm,” the 2022 Afrobeats hit from Nigerian artist Rema. Third in line was J. Balvin and Skrillex‘s ever-hyphy “In Da Ghetto,” followed by the similarly amped “Schudden” from Dutch rapper Def Rhymz. Closing out the top five is the 1997 Eurodance classic “Freed From Desire” by Gala.
These were the top 50 tracks compiled from the data, with tracks with the same list number indicating a tie.
1. Farruko, “Pepas” 2. Rema, “Soundgasm”3. J Balvin & Skrillex, “In Da Getto”4. Def Rhymz, “Schudden”5. Gala, “Freed From Desire”6. Acraze feat. Cherish, “Do It To It”7. La Fuente, “I Want You”8. Kevin Lyttle feat. Spragga Benz, “Turn Me On” 8. Burna Boy, “On the Low10. Bizzey feat. Jozo & Kraantje Pappie, “Traag”11. Sean Paul, “Temperature”12. FMG, “Boot”13. Wiley X Sean Paul x Stefflon Don feat. Idris Elba, “Boasty” 14. Blaiz Fayah & Tribal Kush, “Bad” 14. Tekno “Go” 14. Daddy Yankee, “Gasolina” 17. James Hype & Miggy Dela Rosa, “Ferrari”18. Charly Black, “Gyal You A Party Animal”19. J Balvin & Willy William feat. Beyonce, “Mi Gente”20. Masters At Work feat. Puppah Nas-T & Denise, “Work” 21. Ronnie Flex feat. Frenna, “Energie” 21. Gregor Salto, “Para Voce”23. K-Liber & Dr. Rude, “Viben”24. Eurythmics, “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)”24. Burna Boy, “Kilometre” 24. Poke, “Lekker He” 24. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Ray Dalton, “Can’t Hold Us” 28. Aya Nakamura feat. Maluma, “Djadja” 29. Adje, “Hele Meneer”30. Usher feat. Lil Jon & Ludacris, “Yeah!”30. Trobi, Ronnie Flex, Chivv & ADF Samski, “Okee Shordy 32. J Balvin, Bad Bunny & Mr Eazi, “Como Un Bebe”32. Kris Kross Amsterdam, Antoon & Sigourney K, “Vluchtstrook”34. Soca Boys, “Follow the Leader” 34. MC Fioti, Future, J Balvin, Stefflon Don & Juan Magan, “Bum Bum Tam Tam”34. Lojay x Sarz x Chris Brown, “Monalisa [Mixed]” 37. ABBA, “Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)”37. Mart Hoogkamer, “Ik Ga Zwemmen” 39. Beyonce feat. Jay-Z, “Crazy In Love” 39. CKay, “Love Nwantiti (Acoustic Version)”39. ValsBezig, “BUK” 42. Bruno Mars, “24K Magic” 42. Tota Lopi, “Catxor Ta Micha so Ku 1 Pe” 44. Flo Rida feat. T-Pain, “Low”44. Panjabi MC, “Mundian To Bach Ke” 46. Shouse, “Love Tonight”46. Idaly & Emms, “Amazin’”46. Avicii, “Levels”49. CKay, “Emiliana”50. Bellini, “Samba De Janeiro” 50. El Alfa x CJ x Chael Produciendo feat. El Cherry Scom, “La Mamá de la Mamá” 50. J Capri x Charly Black, “Whine & Kotch”
After kicking off February with its announcement of a new K-pop music experience in the United States, We Bridge Music Festival & Expo has finalized its lineup with the addition of two artists.
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Monsta X will be the day 1 headliner for the Las Vegas fest’s first night of concerts on April 21. The festival has also added rapper-singer Jessi to its 10-artist bill.
We Bridge marks Monsta X’s Stateside live return since last summer after the U.S. leg of their No Limit world tour wrapped in June. The “Beautiful Liar” boy band was scheduled headliners for both Nickelodeon’s NickFest and KAMP LA 2022 laast year, but the former was canceled over “market conditions,” while MX was not able to appear at the latter event due to festival “visa issues.”
“We are really excited to be part of We Bridge Music Festival and Expo and bring our show to Las Vegas for all the fans,” Monsta X said via press release. “We will be there on April 21 and can’t wait for you all there.”
Meanwhile, We Bridge marks a rare opportunity for Queens-born Jessi to perform for American fans. The viral “Zoom” star most recently toured Europe in October, visiting cities like London, Paris and Barcelona. “Catch me at the Expo meeting fans and performing on April 21 at the festival,” Jessi said in a press release. “Hope to see you all there!”
The two artists join the eight previously announced artists for We Bridge’s inaugural that include fellow headliner ENHYPEN, as well as K-pop boy bands CIX and ONEUS, girl groups Dreamcatcher, fromis_9 and VIVIZ, plus solo stars Kang Daniel and BE’O.
Tickets are on sale now for the We Bridge Music Festival and Expo that’s taking place from April 21-23 at the Michelob ULTRA Arena at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino and the Mandalay Bay Convention Center. Fans can follow @webridgeexpo on social media, and check out webridgeexpo.com for updates and programming details alongside partners like the Grammy Museum and Meta Prosper.
Day 1 – Friday, April 21ONEUSDreamcatcherCIXKang DanielJessiMonsta X
Day 2 – Saturday, April 22BE’OONEUSVIVIZfromis_9ENHYPEN
Two former Iowa tourism officials were each sentenced to more than a year in prison after pleading guilty to bank fraud charges related to a failed 2018 music festival headlined by Maroon 5 and Kelly Clarkson.
Aaron McCreight, 48, was sentenced to 18 months, and Doug Hargrave, 56, was sentenced to 15 months over charges that they lied to a Cedar Rapids bank in order to finance Newbo Evolve, a three-day music and cultural event held in the city in August 2018.
Prosecutors said the pair – executives at a local promotional group called Go Cedar Rapids — submitted inflated data about the event’s underwhelming ticket sales and projected revenues, and that they lied to the bank that Newbo Evolve was expected to turn a small profit.
In reality, McCreight and Hargrave expected to lose more than $600,000, prosecutors said. The festival eventually lost more than $2 million, and was unable to repay most of the loan to the bank. 97 vendors that provided services to the festival lost a combined $800,000 unpaid fees.
The two men — former executives at a local promotional group called Go Cedar Rapids — each pleaded guilty last January to a single charge of bank fraud.
In addition to the prison time, McCreight and Hargrave were ordered to jointly repay a combined $1.4 million in restitution, and each will be subject to three years of supervised release after their prison terms are complete.
Newbo Evolve was held in Cedar Rapids from Aug. 3-5, 2018, featuring performances by Maroon 5, Kelly Clarkson, The Wallflowers, Robert DeLong and others.
According to court documents, McCreight, Hargrave and Go Cedar Rapids secured $1.5 million in initial funding from a local bank, telling the lender they expected to sell 11,000 tickets to each of the two headliners and 4,000 three-day passes to the entire festival.
But three months after tickets went on sale, McCreight reported internally that tickets were “not selling as originally budgeted.” By June, the group had sold just just 6,500 total tickets and was internally projecting a loss of $644,846 — with deadlines to pay the artists and vendors looming.
“As the Newbo Evolve event dates approached, GoCR did not have enough money to, among other things, pay Kelly Clarkson, pay production costs, and buy the alcohol that was to be sold at the concert venue,” prosecutors wrote. “Without additional funding, Newbo Evolve would have to be cancelled.”
Faced with that pressure, court documents show, McCreight and Hargrave committed bank fraud. Reporting that ticket sales had “spiked” in recent weeks, they falsely told the bank that 15,000 total tickets had been sold and that the event was forecast to turn a profit of $65,653. And the move worked: the bank eventually extended their line of credit to $2,200,000.
“Ultimately, Newbo Evolve lost more than $2 million,” prosecutors wrote in charging documents. “As a result, GoCR was unable to repay much of its loan from the lending bank when the loan was due.”
When he pleaded guilty last year, an attorney for McCreight told Billboard that he was a “good man” who made a “bad decision” under “extreme pressures.”
“His motive was not based in personal greed, but in an attempt to salvage the Newbo Evolve event for the Cedar Rapids community,” said attorney William White. “Had the event sold more tickets and been profitable, it is unlikely any prosecution would have ensued. However, that was not the case, and Mr. McCreight accepts his involvement in the lending bank losing money and is extremely remorseful.”
Attorneys for both McCreight and Hargrave were not immediately available for comment on the prison sentences.
Read the full judgments against McCreight and Hargrave here:
After 2022 marked KCON’s in-person return following two years online, the world’s biggest K-pop festival has set 2023 dates for events in the U.S., Japan and Thailand in the coming months.
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Once again, KCON will hold its flagship event in California with KCON 2023 Los Angeles between Aug. 18-20 at the Crypto.com Arena and LA Convention Center. Barring 2020 and 2021 due to COVID-19, the West Coast iteration of the festival has been held throughout the Crypto.com Arena (formerly known as the Staples Center) and LA Convention Center since 2015, with 2023 marking its 10th time in the city’s famous L.A. Live campus.
Last year, KCON LA reported 90,000 fans attending across its three days of convention, panels, workshops meet-and-greets and concert activities headlined by artists like Stray Kids, ATEEZ, ITZY, The Boyz, Kep1er, TO1 and more.
After visiting Tokyo in October, KCON also revealed that it will return with its KCON 2023 Japan between May 18-20 at the Makuhari Messe convention center in Chiba. The fest last visited the city for its two-day KCON Premiere Chiba event last year where K-pop boy band TO1 performed alongside J-pop acts like JO1 and INI. KCON 2022 Japan was held at Tokyo’s Ariake Arena with TO1, ATEEZ, TOMORROW X TOGETHER, fromis_9, LE SSERAFIM, NewJeans, Monsta X‘s Kihyun and more K-pop and J-pop acts performing.
KCON Los Angeles and Japan join the preciously announced KCON Thailand, taking place next month at the IMPACT Arena and IMPACT Exhibition Center throughout March 18-19 in Bangkok’s northern suburb of Muang Thong Thani. The festival has TO1, ATEEZ, Kep1er, JO1, BamBam, iKON,(G)I-DLE and more K-pop and J-pop acts scheduled to visit.
KCON followed up in a press release that each location would have “signature programming as well as content tailored for each region” and that KCON will be live streamed globally without regional limitations.
Despite increasing competition from new K-pop festival startups like last year’s KAMP and the upcoming We Bridge Music Festival & Expo, as well as more Korean artists appearing on long-running U.S. music fests like Coachella, Lollapalooza and Governor’s Ball, KCON has managed to keep its attendance and audience engagement strong for more than a decade now.
“KCON, which started out with an audience of 10,000 in 2012, has now grown into the world’s biggest K-culture festival,” said Kim Hyun-soo, Head of Live Entertainment Business at CJ ENM, in a statement. “This year, KCON will meet global fans in Thailand, Japan and the U.S., advancing the spread of K-pop and K-culture around the world.”
After a four-year hiatus, long-running Seattle music festival Bumbershoot will return this Labor Day weekend — with help from e-commerce giant Amazon.
As announced Tuesday (Feb. 21) by new Bumbershoot producer New Rising Sun, the festival will return for its 50th edition on Sept. 2-3, 2023, and Amazon has agreed to underwrite presale tickets for this year’s edition to keep it affordable. The e-retailer will sponsor a special early bird $50 single-day ticket and $85 two-day general admission ticket — prices that are 50% lower than when the event was last held in 2019. Amazon has also announced plans to work with arts organization Third Stone to give out 5,000 tickets to area non-profits and community organizations.
First launched in 1971, Bumbershoot faced a double whammy in recent years thanks to declining ticket sales and attendance in the 2010s followed by three years of closure due to the pandemic.
Bumbershoot was previously produced by AEG Presents, which had agreed to produce the festival with Seattle non-profit festival production company One Reel beginning in 2014 to help cover the $1 million in debt One Reel had racked up and restore the event’s financial footing. In 2019, AEG Pacific Northwest vp Rob Thomas announced the company was not renewing its agreement, hinting at financial differences with One Reel. That same year, a barricade collapse at Bumbershoot injured four attendees.
One Reel executives announced plans to stage the festival in 2020, only to be stymied by the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, host venue the Seattle Center put out a new request for proposals for the event, with the winning bid going to New Rising Sun, a collective founded by Neumos co-owner Steven Severin, who now serves as Bumbershoot’s co-president & director of music programming; Vital 5 Productions founder Greg Lundgren, who serves as curator; and McCaw Hall general manager Joe Paganelli, who serves as producer.
“We heard from our community and took action — fulfilling our promise of affordability and inclusivity,” Severin said in a statement to Billboard. “When re-imagining our festival for this return, we examined everything through an arts lens and expanded upon what art is and can be. We look forward to sharing our vision this Labor Day weekend.”
“As ticket prices steadily climb for concerts and events around the globe, we’re excited to support reduced and free ticket prices, creating opportunity for more of our community to enjoy the diversity of Seattle’s creative ecosystem, participate in Bumbershoot’s exciting education programs, and immerse themselves in the arts,” added Amazon senior vp/general counsel/secretary David Zapolsky.
Tickets go on sale Friday (Feb. 24) at 10:00 a.m. PT via bumbershoot.com. Fans are encouraged to purchase tickets in advance as they are expected to sell quickly. A performer lineup will be announced at a later date.