It’s summertime, and if you live in LA you know firsthand…the heat is ON (#wearemelting)! The best thing about summer (and fall) besides A/C, popsicles and slip n’ slides, is that music festival season is upon us and on beat for the foreseeable future. Yes, that sound you hear is millions of people pogoing, flossing, electric sliding and mosh pitting at hundreds of major events around the country.

Given the immeasurable cultural impact of festivals and the crowds they draw, brands of all sizes, including Red Bull, Lacoste, H&M, Heineken and many others, have jumped into the mix with innovative sponsorship activations – from parties to Instagram-worthy photo installations and everything in between – to engage with fans and would-be customers.

If you look at festivals by the numbers, they are indeed impressive:

• There are 800+ music festivals in the U.S. every year
• 32 million people in the U.S. attend at least one festival every year
• Millennials make up 44% of festival goers
• 76% of festival-goers say they feel more favorable toward a brand that sponsor a tour or concert
• 93% of respondents say they like brands that sponsor live events
• 81% say that the coolest brand experiences they’ve ever seen somehow involved music in a live setting
• Around 80% admitted that the best and most effective way for brands to connect with them is through a branded live music event
• Those millennials who engaged in a branded music experience come away with a 37% better perception of the brand

There is one challenge, however: festival sponsorship can come with some sticker shock.

But…there is a loophole that many brands haven’t considered, and that is sponsoring emerging, on-the-rise artists who are in the festival lineup before, during and after said festival and landing in front of captive, highly engaged eyeballs the entire way.

One thing is clear: Millennials are investing in music – especially live music – in a big way. Now is the perfect time for you, marketers, to capitalize and make a big return on your own investment with strategic sponsorship, at scale. Contact us today to learn more about festival related opportunities with BYG artists on the circuit.