RUMOR MILL
The dual Coachellas grossed more than $47 million, the highest box office total ever for a festival.
Thursday, April 4, 2013
COACHELLA FOREVER!
…Or at Least Through 2030, at Current Site in the Desert, as Indio Approves Goldenvoice Proposal
The city of Indio has approved a Goldenvoice proposal to stage and expand Coachella and Stagecoach, clearing the way for an agreement that will keep both festivals on the current site in Indio through at least 2030, the L.A. Times reports.
Goldenvoice has in turn agreed to increase the amount of per-ticket revenue it shares with the city beginning in 2014. For this year’s fests—Coachella will be held the weekends of April 12 and April 19 and Stagecoach is set for the weekend of April 26—the Paul Tollett-led promoter is giving $2.33 per ticket sold to Indio. Starting in 2014, that figure will increase to $5.01 per ticket sold, Joe Lim, Indio's planning manager, told Times reporter Garrick Kennedy. Also starting next year, Goldenvoice will be allowed to expand Coachella to hold a massive 99k attendees and up Stagecoach attendance to 75k.
Indio's City Council voted 4-to-0 in favor of Goldenvoice's proposal. Mayor Elaine Holmes didn’t vote because of a conflict of interest regarding property holdings near the festival grounds. Lim said reaching a long-term agreement with Goldenvoice would be a "significant milestone" in the development of the desert city, which has taken to calling itself the "city of festivals" and features a guitar amp in its logo.
In March, the Indio Planning Commission, which oversaw Goldenvoice's bid and collected public statements, recommended that the council approve the bid in a 5-0 vote. In making its pitch for long-term expansion, Goldenvoice prepared a thousand-plus-page environmental impact report, which Indio made available for public scrutiny in late December.
The proposal also lays the groundwork for Goldenvoice to expand from offering three high-capacity events each year to five. Coachella’s dual weekends, followed by Stagecoach, a post-Coachella fixture in Indio since 2008, will remain, and Tollett will have the freedom to stage two concerts in the fall—one festival with a maximum capacity of 75k and the other topping out at 99k. That said, there’s no guarantee that Goldenvoice will actually stage festivals in the fall.
“Our tourist season begins in October and ends in April, so to begin with two festivals and end with three more would bookend nicely,” Indio City Manager Dan Martinez told Kennedy. “It has huge support on a city level. It really impacts our community greatly. Many people would like to see the number of festivals expand.”
Coachella's future in Indio became national news last summer when it appeared that there was a possibility Goldenvoice would take its event elsewhere after an Indio councilman proposed an amusement tax. The city quickly backtracked on its effort and immediately pledged to work out a long-term agreement with Goldenvoice.
Losing Coachella and Stagecoach, which were only contracted with Indio through this year’s events, would have meant missing out on what just may be the biggest money-making festival in the world. In 2012, Goldenvoice expanded to two weekends, and added a third day to the Stagecoach fest. The aggregate attendance at the desert festivals passed half a million for the first time, reaching 650k. The dual Coachellas grossed more than $47 million, the highest box office total ever for a festival.
Goldenvoice has in turn agreed to increase the amount of per-ticket revenue it shares with the city beginning in 2014. For this year’s fests—Coachella will be held the weekends of April 12 and April 19 and Stagecoach is set for the weekend of April 26—the Paul Tollett-led promoter is giving $2.33 per ticket sold to Indio. Starting in 2014, that figure will increase to $5.01 per ticket sold, Joe Lim, Indio's planning manager, told Times reporter Garrick Kennedy. Also starting next year, Goldenvoice will be allowed to expand Coachella to hold a massive 99k attendees and up Stagecoach attendance to 75k.
Indio's City Council voted 4-to-0 in favor of Goldenvoice's proposal. Mayor Elaine Holmes didn’t vote because of a conflict of interest regarding property holdings near the festival grounds. Lim said reaching a long-term agreement with Goldenvoice would be a "significant milestone" in the development of the desert city, which has taken to calling itself the "city of festivals" and features a guitar amp in its logo.
In March, the Indio Planning Commission, which oversaw Goldenvoice's bid and collected public statements, recommended that the council approve the bid in a 5-0 vote. In making its pitch for long-term expansion, Goldenvoice prepared a thousand-plus-page environmental impact report, which Indio made available for public scrutiny in late December.
The proposal also lays the groundwork for Goldenvoice to expand from offering three high-capacity events each year to five. Coachella’s dual weekends, followed by Stagecoach, a post-Coachella fixture in Indio since 2008, will remain, and Tollett will have the freedom to stage two concerts in the fall—one festival with a maximum capacity of 75k and the other topping out at 99k. That said, there’s no guarantee that Goldenvoice will actually stage festivals in the fall.
“Our tourist season begins in October and ends in April, so to begin with two festivals and end with three more would bookend nicely,” Indio City Manager Dan Martinez told Kennedy. “It has huge support on a city level. It really impacts our community greatly. Many people would like to see the number of festivals expand.”
Coachella's future in Indio became national news last summer when it appeared that there was a possibility Goldenvoice would take its event elsewhere after an Indio councilman proposed an amusement tax. The city quickly backtracked on its effort and immediately pledged to work out a long-term agreement with Goldenvoice.
Losing Coachella and Stagecoach, which were only contracted with Indio through this year’s events, would have meant missing out on what just may be the biggest money-making festival in the world. In 2012, Goldenvoice expanded to two weekends, and added a third day to the Stagecoach fest. The aggregate attendance at the desert festivals passed half a million for the first time, reaching 650k. The dual Coachellas grossed more than $47 million, the highest box office total ever for a festival.
