Crowdilst at Coachella

Project Description

Coachella was once hailed as a bucket-list music festival for many festival lovers, however, fans feel that the lineup fails to justify the expenses and hassles associated with the festival, which has led to decreased ticket sales and a less vibrant festival atmosphere. To address this, I created Crowdlist at Coachella, an experience transforming passive attendance into active participation. Crowdlist offers a physical and digital space where fans can vote for up to 10 artist’s they’d like to see on next year’s lineup, making the process fun and engaging in a pop-up studio that reflects the festival's desert vibe. The collected data will help organizers shape future next year’s line up and create evolving digital artwork throughout the festival weekends. Additionally, Crowdlist extends beyond the event, allowing past and current ticket holders to vote on a curated lineup through the Coachella website. This experience aims to revitalize Coachella’s reputation, attract new and returning audiences, and enhance the overall festival experience. Through this participatory and data-driven approach, Coachella can regain its status as a must-attend event for music lovers worldwide.

Problem

Cohort 7: Capstone Asset Collection Form - IxD Student Profile Projects (Responses) 100% 10 K8 Currently Coachella ask's fans to purchase tickets almost a year before the festival takes place. Fans won't know who's on the line up until 3 months before the festival takes place. During the time between tickets release and line up drop' Coachella's lineup is curated behind the scenes by Goldenvoice and artist representation. In the mean time fans post their finely-tuned dream line ups on subreddits and discord hubs, in the hopes of influencing any lurking festival organizers. Event organizers do send out a lengthy survey with only 2 questions out of the almost 50 focused on future performers. Music festival fans invest their money and time into tickets, transportation and more without knowing whether this experience will be "worth it" in the end, leaving them with only two options sell their tickets, sometimes at a loss or go any way but what was supposed to be a once in a lifetime festival starts off soured. Currently Coachella ask's fans to purchase tickets almost a year before the festival takes place. Fans won't know who's on the line up until 3 months before the festival takes place. During the time between tickets release and line up drop' Coachella's lineup is curated behind the scenes by Goldenvoice and artist representation. In the mean time fans post their finely-tuned dream line ups on subreddits and discord hubs, in the hopes of influencing any lurking festival organizers. Event organizers do send out a lengthy survey with only 2 questions out of the almost 50 focused on future performers. Music festival fans invest their money and time into tickets, transportation and more without knowing whether this experience will be "worth it" in the end, leaving them with only two options sell their tickets, sometimes at a loss or go any way but what was supposed to be a once in a lifetime festival starts off soured. Turn on screen reader support To enable screen reader support, press Ctrl+Alt+Z To learn about keyboard shortcuts, press Ctrl+slash

Insights

Music is King at Music Festivals. People buy tickets to Music festivals to see their favorite Artists perform. Any other experiences that can be found at the festival are the cherry on top of the cake. I spoke to one fan who told me in 2018 she bought tickets for weekend two after watching favorite her favorite Artist Odesza on the weekend one live stream. In my first phase of interviewing, I spoke with 5 people who said that there was at least one artists that if they saw them on the current line up they would buy a ticket. I interviewed 5 people at Coachella and one person called the current line up trash and another said this line up didn't; make her "scream" like previous ones have, both were unsure if they'd by tickets for next year. People also do like to discover new music, however they want to do it in a way that is low stakes and before the event so that they can build the relationship with the artist's music. All of the people I interviewed used Spotify as their preferred music streaming platform and one said the platform's algorithm helped them discover new music.

Solutions

Crowdlist is an interactive experience allowing fans to help shape next year’s Coachella lineup by asking fan's: Who would you like to see on next year’s lineup?”. Attendees can access Crowdlist through the Coachella app or at a studio pop-up on the festival grounds. The studio, designed as a social hub featuring trending music, a digital display where votes are translated into digital art that evolves over the two festival weekends. The studio is equipped with iPads and chargers to ensure reliable access. Hosts are available to assist and explain the process. Voting requires attendees to confirm their wristband registration information, ensuring exclusivity to festival-goers. Each person can vote once per weekend, selecting up to 10 artists, with one vote per artist for fairness. Fans can search for artists or browse by popularity, genre, or type. If an artist is not listed, attendees can add them. Artists’ popularity increases with the number of votes they receive. Once satisfied, fans cast their votes. The Crowdlist experience extends beyond the festival. Voting continues through the Coachella website or app during the first three months of ticket sales, limited to the top 150 artists gathered during the festival. This encourages early ticket purchases and timely data collection. Digital artifacts, including the final rendering of the voting art and an official Coachella playlist, supplement the experience. While not every fan-chosen artist may make the lineup, the playlist helps fans connect with new or unfamiliar artists likely to appear next year.