From media coverage, publicity and exposure to potential fans, festival stages offer artists a plethora of benefits and opportunities to get their names and music out to the public. For upcoming artists, festivals can open new doors and give them the chance to get their name and music out to the masses. It’s also an opportunity to gain recognition and build a rapport with influential members of the music industry like promoters and producers. When an artist is put in this kind of position, it opens up a whole new world of outreach, a new fan base and media attention if they are someone really worth noticing.
For those who are lucky enough to bag themselves a spot, even from the get-go, this symbolises something massive and critical. Earning a coveted slot on a festival lineup is a key indicator that you're not only an extremely talented musician, but that you're also serious about promoting your music career and seeing your fanbase grow.
This is the main reason any band tries to get a festival slot, but how does this affect the bands and their career trajectory? Let's find out.
Arctic Monkeys
In 2002, Arctic Monkeys had only just started out, and by 2007, they were headlining Glastonbury. This Sheffield-born and bred band set a leading example of just how quickly things can take flight in the music industry.
They began to gain popularity as they handed out CDs, containing their 18 demo tracks, at various gigs. The group also gained quite the following on the social media platform MySpace, and is now described as one of the first bands to come to the public's attention through the Internet. This aided them in promotion of their debut EP ‘Five minutes with Arctic Monkeys’ which was released in 2005, and following this, they played at the Carling Stage, at Reading and Leeds Festival the same year. The stage is reserved for less known/unsigned artists, and they attracted an unusually large crowd.
The band has played Leeds and Reading four times, in 2005, 2006, 2009, 2014, and headlined in 2022. The exposure that can come from playing on big festival stages, regardless of that stage size can be monumental for less established artists. In October of 2005, after their first festival appearance, Arctic Monkeys’ debut single ‘I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor’ went straight in at No 1, and the exposure they received from the festival arguably aided this. Nearly a decade on, and the song holds its legacy. One of creation, destruction and transition and one of the few songs from that time that still has a regular slot on their setlist.
That same year, the band signed to Domino Records after turning down offers from major labels. Their debut album ‘Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not’ followed in January 2006 and went to No.1 on the UK Album Charts and would become the fastest-selling debut rock album in UK chart history, ousting Oasis’ ‘Definitely Maybe.’ The band has released in total seven studio albums, five extended plays, two video albums, 24 music videos and 23 singles. In 2024, Arctic Monkeys sit as the 4th most popular alternative and indie music artist and the 98th most popular all-time music artist, according to public voting. Arctic Monkeys’ commercial success and critical acclaim have cemented them as one of the most important bands of the 21st century.
With their loyal global fanbase, Arctic Monkeys inspired a new generation of musicians. Their influence extends beyond music, impacting fashion and pop culture, and their innovative use of the internet for early promotion has set a precedent for modern music marketing. Arctic Monkeys offer an authentic success story of the importance of festival exposure and continue to pave the way for indie bands to come.
Loyle Carner
Loyle Carner returned to one of London's biggest festivals: All Points East earlier this month. One of his biggest stages to date, paying homage to his London heritage as Headliner. It was the first time Loyle Carner had headlined All Points East, but not the only time he’d performed there. He played at the festival back in 2021, but this time, only 3 years later, he would return at the top of the bill.
He was supported by numerous artists, including Nas, who was Loyle Carner’s inspiration. It was a history lesson and had paved the way for many of the artists there, which made it an incredibly important set of the day not only for the audience but for Loyle Carner himself.
With a 50,000 capacity, this was a huge milestone in his career offering new exposure to potential new fans as well as the union of his large established fanbase. He was joined by some special guests – revered poet John Agard, close friend Tom Misch, and collaborator Jordan Rakei. It was described in CLASH that he transformed Victoria Park into a film set for his own narrative vision. Loyle Carner took this moment to prove that he’s headliner material and his artistic journey is one to inspire upcoming acts.
George Thompson spoke about what it took to get to the headline spot saying “It takes a village — Moving from the first show in Vicar Street, in Dublin, and then touring around Europe, playing Wembley… to end on such a large form was so critical. We then translated that into a festival version, before looking at All Points East.”. Loyle Carner's set received a huge amount of enthusiasm and publicity from the likes of CLASH, NME, Time Out, London Evening Standard and Viper Mag to name a few. With exposure like this, it leads you to wonder, what lineup will he be headlining 3 years from now?
Chappell Roan
Chappell Roan is an artist who has benefited tremendously through festival exposure and supporting slots. One of her first opportunities was when Roan got the chance to support Olivia Rodrigo’s debut album ‘sour’. To an extent, this will have benefitted Chappell, giving her access to this new fan base to showcase her music but she was still miles away from the superstar she is today.
In 2022, Chappell Roan released her debut album, ‘The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess’. Roan opened for Olivia Rodrigo's Guts World Tour in the United States and Canada from February to April 2024. Within the first week of the tour, Roan received a 32% bump during the first weekend of the tour, from 941,000 streams during February. Jason Lipshutz, the executive director of music at Billboard, said “Opening for someone obviously helps with career momentum sometimes, but she seems to have become a star right at this moment”. It’s safe to say this was an extremely pivotal moment in Chappell Roan’s career, setting her on the path to stardom.
Festivals have given Chappell that chance, which is all she ever wanted, to shine through and prove she possesses star quality. In April, she became arguably the biggest story from Coachella, growing her followers by 45.12%. At this time, Roan saw growing success on Spotify, with her monthly listeners increasing more than 500% from February to April. Following on from this, Chappell then played the Governor’s Ball in New York, playing to a crowd of around 100,000 people who gave her the recognition she undoubtedly was overdue for and then some with The Guardian describing her as “pop’s new girl of the moment”. If the Midwest Princess hadn’t already been putting the hours in, she then went to perform at Boston Calling attracting a crowd of around 40,000 people. There is absolutely no doubt that this kind of exposure has benefitted Roan’s career, but it also leaves a sour taste in some listeners' mouths, wondering why she wasn’t given these opportunities previously.
From these three case studies alone, it’s clear to see that pursuing opportunities to support an artist or to play a festival can do nothing but good for an artist looking to build their career, but also suggests to proceed with caution as success is almost guaranteed afterwards.
