Let me give it to you straight. Is Coachella dead? Nah. But for a lot of fans, it’s definitely not alive in the way it used to be. What once felt like a cultural pilgrimage for music lovers now feels more like a brand bazaar dressed up in desert chic. Between the corporate-funded influencer caravans, sky-high ticket prices, and oversaturated activations, fans are starting to tap out—looking for meaning and a sense of connection somewhere else.
Let’s not forget what makes festivals powerful in the first place: the artists. The only thing keeping festivals culturally alive is the music and the emotional connection artists create with their fans—both the ones who show up and the new ones they win over. If your brand isn’t tapping into that moment—supporting it, enhancing it, becoming part of it—you’re not in the experience, you’re just around it.
This isn’t about dunking on Coachella for the sake of a spicy take (though I do love a spicy take). It’s about being honest with ourselves. Live music still holds massive power—but invade that space and make it about fans seeing you instead of you seeing them, and you’ll quickly become background noise with a forgettable logo. And in a space this saturated, background noise is expensive.
The hard truth? Brands will keep pouring money into Coachella long after the cultural tide has shifted…because Coachella still looks like a spectacle. The glitz is there. The reach is massive. But what’s the return? Because visibility and value are not the same thing. The real question…are you building brand love—or just racking up passive impressions in a sea of competing noise? And frfr… can you even tell the difference? If the experience you’re sponsoring doesn’t feel real to the people living it, then no matter how cool your activation looked on the recap deck, you’re investing in a mirage.
The brands still doing it right? They’re the ones finding authentic ways to integrate into the moment and enhance the experience for the fans. So if your brand is chasing attention instead of connection, there’s a good chance you’re spending big just to be ignored.
Want to know how you can get more out of your festival sponsorships—and how to use festivals as part of a larger live music strategy? Hold tight...first, let’s look at why artists show up in the first place.
For many artists, festivals aren’t just one-offs—they’re strategic stops on a broader tour plan. Emerging acts play festivals to get in front of someone else’s crowd and turn curious onlookers into core fans. Breaking artists use the stage to build momentum around new music. And headliners? They use it to claim space in the culture and turn buzz into brand equity.
Festivals offer exposure, access, and legitimacy—and the value of that changes depending on where the artist is in their career. But the bottom line is the same: festivals are tools for growth. Touring. Promotion. Fan connection. When brands understand that, they can stop acting like tourists and start becoming part of the journey.
Sponsoring a festival is one thing. Actually getting something out of it is another. Whether you already threw down a fortune at Coachella, you’re plotting your next big festival move, or you’re just trying to catch some of that sweet, sweet cultural buzz without blowing the budget, here’s how you make live music sponsorships actually work.
1. If You Sponsored Coachella (or Any Festival)…
First off, congrats on making it onto the guest list. Now let’s make sure you didn’t just pay to take blurry selfies with your own activation.Coachella had 144 artists this year. A ton of them are already hitting the road on tour—and Coachella was just a stop. This is your easy button to extend the value you already paid for:
Partner with an artist who played Coachella and has upcoming shows in your key markets.
Launch a mini-campaign: “Didn’t make it to Coachella? [Brand] is hooking you up to see [Artist] live in your hometown.” Build hype leading up to those shows.
Deploy SET.Live at those concerts: Your brand on the stage screens. Mobile fan engagement during the show. Maybe even an artist shoutout from the stage. (And no, you don’t need another seven-figure production budget—you already blew that on the desert party. lol.)
The point? Tap into the Coachella FOMO. Tap into the artist’s tour buzz. Drive real engagement and capture opt-in fan leads where it actually matters—in your target markets.
2. If You’re Planning Your Next Festival Sponsorship…If you’re gonna play the festival game, play to win. That starts long before the first wristband gets slapped on.
Here’s your smarter playbook:
Partner with an artist early—someone already on the festival lineup.
Create pre-festival buzz with custom content: storytelling videos, sweepstakes, artist takeovers—you name it.
Promote through the artist’s channels, not just yours. Trust hits differently when it’s coming from someone fans actually follow. (yeah...it's like that 😉)
Run SET.Fan polls and surveys leading up to the festival—tap into what fans are excited about, and capture insights along with sign-ups.
Activate SET.Live at the festival: Turn your activation into an actual fan experience that generates opt-ins, not just foot traffic. Get your brand on the stage screens and the phones of fans before your artist hits the stage. Throw in a merch drop or VIP experience tied to data capture.
Extend the campaign after the festival by riding the artist’s tour momentum. Local show activations. Ticket giveaways. Brand presence at multiple fan moments—not just one.
The big unlock? You’re not just showing up for three dusty days in Indio—you’re building brand association, fan connection, and data-driven impact that lasts long after the gates close.Oh, and bonus: you’ll actually be supporting your artist partner’s career—not just cashing in on their buzz—which makes you the kind of brand they’ll actually want to ride with.
3. If You’re Not Sponsoring a Festival (But Still Want In)…Honestly? You might be the smartest one in the room.Because all that strategy I just laid out? You can still do it without paying for the official festival sponsorship badge. (Spoiler: Fans don’t care who’s technically “official.”)
Partner with an artist who’s playing the festival.
Create pre-festival content, contests, and fan engagement around your artist partnership.
Be there at the festival—on the artist’s stage screens, in their shoutouts, in their social.
Extend the story after the festival by riding their tour to key cities.
You’ll get festival relevance, artist alignment, fan engagement, and lead capture—without getting buried under 100 other logos at the main gate.
Big impact. Lower spend. Smarter play.
The days of buying your way into culture with a giant logo and a VIP tent are numbered. Fans are smarter. Artists are savvier. And the brands that win? They’re the ones who stop shouting and start showing up inside the moment—enhancing it, not hijacking it.
It’s not about how big your spend is. It’s about how real your connection is.
Coachella might still be a spectacle. But the brands who actually move the needle will be the ones who know where the real power lives: on stage, in the crowd, and in the moments fans will still be talking about long after the desert dust settles.
Chase attention...you’ll get forgotten.
Earn connection...you’ll get loyalty.
Choose wisely.
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