Electric Picnic 2024 **No Ticket Sales / Requests** - Waiting in line, terrible time, over familiar

Seathrun66

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122148991#Comment_122148991

Why would you say that regarding future likelihood? Not borne out by recent bookings.
James are in the same category as Pixies, Waterboys, Johnny Marr, Bright Eyes, Lightning Seeds and others. Acts of that ilk will continue to be booked.

Fatfrog

At the point where we need to ‘make the best’ of the lineup, but need the actual full lineup, July is too late for an August festival!

rockterrain

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122148991#Comment_122148991

There is nothing stopping a band of James' ilk playing festivals on two consecutive years. In fact, they no doubt do it already across Europe. There is a trend here, it's not just James. Our tier one festivals are poor by international standards and promotors are taking cream on top by capitalising on the fact our main festival with tepid headliners is sold out, booking these acts separately. It's one reason, not half a dozen.

Flaneur OBrien

EP don't have to worry about booking big names. It sells out anyway as Irish people appear to suffer from FOMO more than any other nation on Earth, which is why they can sell out festivals before announcing a single headliner.

It'll happen again next year.

Fanirish

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122149563#Comment_122149563

Bands agent want to mix things up for their acts, solely playing festivals in a small country like ireland year on year as only summer Irish show has negatives.
you alienate a good portion of your fanbase who may not be able to attend such festivals due to financial or family obligations. There is especially apt for band like James whose audience is primarily older people with families and associates obligations in life.
also bands want headline shows as a) crowd is usually better as it’s solely your fans attending b) longer set times c) soundchecks and production benefits.

One key point I have to reiterate here is that Bands agent/manager are the ultimate decision makers about where and when bands play in a particular country or city. They decide what’s the best option for the band and they ask their local promoter to give them options for ireland in the timeframe that the band is touring/has availability.
Electric picnic can’t make an internationally successful band play it. It can make an offer and the agent then decides which is best option for the band weighting up half a dozen factor including fees offered, counter offers that weekend, logistics, recent Irish show history etc.

Trying to lock down a headliner into a weekend is august is very very complicated. By their very nature you have multiple festivals in europe chasing for the same Friday/Saturday or Sunday slot.
midweek headline shows for artists are far easier to lock in as not competing with festivals.

Mucker46

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122149015#Comment_122149015

Is collins barracks an exclusive or is there chance they do both as here anyway?

Fanirish

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122149972#Comment_122149972

Collins is always exclusive for headliner. It’s different promoter as well

rockterrain

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122149735#Comment_122149735

Ah yeah, I'm sure EP and Melvin were banging down James' door to give them a fee and ask them to play the festival lol.

Seathrun66

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122149611#Comment_122149611

Glastonbury sells out yearly without a lineup announcement. People buy EP tickets because year on year they have a great experience there. Once that ends it won’t sell out.

Dreamweapon

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122147171#Comment_122147171

Feile '91 for me. I've attended at least 1 festival (usually more) every year since. Aside from the covid years of course.

Fanirish

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122150037#Comment_122150037

also there is that, why I said earlier that EP won’t be chasing likes of James or their ilk in years to come. Value versus EP audience demographic makes booking 90’s acts a losing proposition unless the artist has developed a younger base in last few years like Johnny marr

Fanirish

A

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122150053#Comment_122150053

as much as people on here complain about current line up, tickets will fly out in October for next year when they go on sale

Mucker46

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122150143#Comment_122150143

They will but think it will be fewer from here that are buying. Not good to see but the way festivals often go as they change and target audience changes

darzog

You know that things have taken a turn when your Friday night entertainment consists of watching one of them soul sapping influencer You Tube EP walk-through videos hoping for a brief snatch of Salty Dog / Trailer Park activity to keep the auld spirits up…

…then suddenly it cuts to yer boy at the Kinara Kitchen van prepping the auld Khat a Khat and suddenly, you think,

Yes…YES, the stars will align once more, everything’s gonna be alright!*

*provided Kinara Kitchen are in situ this year, otherwise the place is gettin’ emptied

Seathrun66

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122150137#Comment_122150137

James were No 1 in the UK charts three weeks ago. The idea that EP would book the Waterboys, Lightning Seeds, Johnny Marr then draw the line at James holds no water.
You seem to operate under the dual belief that only twenty-somethings attend the festival and that all of that age group have the same generic bland taste. Incorrect on both counts, and demonstrably so.

.

Seathrun66

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122150143#Comment_122150143

There is no disputing that, by anyone here from my recollection. What is consistently posited however, is that if FR concentrates on one demographic and puts all its eggs in the same basket they are taking a risk that may be unsuccessful. Good eclectic curation along the Glasto line would see EP last as long as that festival.

CoffeeImpala

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122151472#Comment_122151472

I'd dispute the choice of month. Tickets will presumably fly out on the 23/30 of August. Depending on whether FR go for the weekend after this year's or a year before next year (which also ties in with month end pay days).

Fanirish

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122151472#Comment_122151472

nearly all top tier festivals in europe target the 20-30 age group as the core audience.
As discussed before Glastonbury is a world upon itself, its age demographics skew far older than other festivals. Average Glastonbury age is 39 with 17% of the attendees being in 40-50 range.
Glastonbury electric curation relies upon a 1/3 of its tickets being for artists/workers/crew and those artists perform for no fees. This isn’t practical here. Glastonbury uses its unique position to pay next to nothing for headliners and international acts. This isn’t the reality for EP.

Seathrun66

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122152023#Comment_122152023

Nonsense re top festivals targeting twenty-somethings as their absolute core. None are so daft as to be so restrictive. In research previously posted (see again below) on the demographics of UK festivals (easily extrapolated to Ireland) 50% of the festival goers are over 34. Between the ages of 20 and 34 are 41% but no exact breakdown for those in their twenties. If it’s two-thirds of that age group then less than 28% are in their twenties. Not a sufficient demographic to base anany festival round.

Glastonbury sells 138,000 tickets. The rest of those on site are security, artists, bar staff, stallholders, etc. As per every other festival. Artists often play for tickets or a small sum. As per EP and every other festival. Two pals played for tickets last year and many others have over the years. Glasto is not unique on this. To say there’s a lack of parity is more than a little daft.

Your post is also entirely irrelevant to my point about ‘eclectic curation’ above so I’m unsure why you went off on a tangent. Glasto has this variety. Latitude has it. Primavera has it. Pohoda has it. Why can’t EP? And why do you insist on the requirement for an entire lineup of generically bland and popular acts when there are plenty of eclectic successful festivals in existence. You seem to focus only on the very top tier and ignore all else. Why can’t you grasp that a broad range of acts keeps a festival alive? Hence the continuing appeal of Glasto in satisfying all demographics and all tastes. EP can do that. It ain’t difficult.

https://business.ticketmaster.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/State-of-Play-Festivals-UK-2019.pdf

scruff monkey

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122152057#Comment_122152057

lad, best leave it, better for your health. Yer barking at the same tree for the last few months, just put them on mute, i did, them and their even weirder stalker, it's the last roll of the dice for many of us, try and enjoy the **** show and move on.

bodhrandude

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122152057#Comment_122152057

Actually keep at the arguing as I think its great constructive arguing about what should and should not merit a music festival, I find it interesting.

Seathrun66

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122152064#Comment_122152064

The main question is clear though. Can EP thrive by being as varied and eclectic as Glastonbury? I think it very much can. Nobody here much objects to having guff like Dermot Kennedy on the main stage when elsewhere we’ve the choice of Pixies, Sprints, Little Simz and countless other music , art & entertainment options (Friday night 2022).

Fatfrog

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122150143#Comment_122150143

Titanic was unsinkable!

Fatfrog

I’m hoping CMAT will be added, if yes, would she be an EA headliner or MainStage sub?

scruff monkey

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122152910#Comment_122152910

they’ve oxygened themselves, they might get another year or two of instant sell out but all downhill from here.

Could they service as a glasto lite, yes, but that means having a bit of imagination.

scruff monkey

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122152962#Comment_122152962

Given the last two years she’s had, I’d expect EA headliner on Sunday, cos she’s gonna have to clash with Kylie to put the final turd on the sh1t show cake.

endainoz

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122153129#Comment_122153129

Yeah, it's gone too far down the path of the dark side at this point.

Seathrun66

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122153129#Comment_122153129

Probably true given the reliance in 2024 on Jerry Fish, Cian Finn (Croi) and The Salty Dog to save the day. It isn’t hard to cater for a lot of varied tastes. FR themselves manage it at Latitude. It’s really not hard at all.

Seathrun66

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122152962#Comment_122152962

Either I’d guess. I foolishly missed her in 2022 despite the entreaties of @CoffeeImpala and others and would love her to return. A near certainty I’d say.

scruff monkey

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122154986#Comment_122154986

That was one of those sets where you knew you're witnessing something special.