How the World's Largest Music Festival Books Bands

This week on the New Music Business podcast features Bob Babisch, the Vice President of Entertainment for the glorious Summerfest. Following its 1968 debut, Summerfest has evolved into what is now recognized as “the World’s Largest Music Festival” and Milwaukee’s cornerstone summer celebration with approximately 800k people. Babisch manages tens of millions of dollars in the entertainment budget for Summerfest on an annual basis, and has worked with a plethora of artists over his 46 years in the music industry, from The Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder to Whitney Houston, Lady Gaga and Kanye West. Learn more about Summerfest here: https://www.summerfest.com5:05 Welcome7:38 The history of Summerfest9:42 How many people each stage holds11:54 Structuring the festival lineup13:27 Showcasing local Wisconsin artists16:45 Keeping up with the times18:30 When Summerfest starts booking acts22:15 Fishing where the fish are23:38 The finances behind Summerfest30:17 The production crew35:25 Change over times and standard line checks38:46 Video screens on stage39:51 Festival hospitality41:39 Smaller ground stages43:44 How to get booked at Summerfest47:29 Final questionSubscribe to The New Music Business: https://aristake.com/nmbAri's Take Academy (use code NMB for 10% off): https://aristakeacademy.comWatch more discussions like this: https://bit.ly/3LavMpaConnect with Ari’s Take:Website: https://aristake.comAcademy: https://aristakeacademy.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/aristake_/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@aris.takeTwitter: https://twitter.com/ArisTakeYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/aristake1Connect with Ari Herstand:Website: https://ariherstand.comInstagram: https://instagram.com/ariherstandTwitter: https://twitter.com/ariherstandYouTube: https://youtube.com/ariherstandConnect with Bob Babisch:Website: https://www.milwaukeeworldfestival.comWebsite: https://www.summerfest.comInstagram: https://instagram.com/summerfestTwitter: https://twitter.com/sfestbobEdited and mixed by Maxton HunterMusic by Brassroots DistrictProduced by the team at Ari’s Take Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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**WEBBY AWARD FOR BEST MUSIC PODCAST**“#1 music industry podcast to help keep you in the loop” -Spotify“The 10 Best Music Business Podcasts of 2022" – VarietyAri Herstand is the best-selling author of How To Make It in the New Music Business. Forbes calls him “The poster child of DIY music.” In this show, he deconstructs the brightest minds in the music industry, digging deep to find the tools, tactics, and strategies that listeners can use to run successful careers of their own. Ari offers straight talk with no fluff and doesn’t let his guests off easy. If there is a way, Ari will find it.To learn more follow @aristake_ and @ariherstandVisit aristake.com to join the newsletter.-- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.