Over the past few years, there’s been a lot of discussion over the future of Coachella festival, as the massive music fest tries to find its way in an increasingly fractured music landscape. While this year’s headliners — Doja Cat, Lana Del Rey, and Tyler The Creator — put on an impressive show, there were still reports that the fest sold way fewer tickets than normal. And now, in another blow, it turns out the fest was reportedly unable to secure a pair of A-list headliners to ensure a sellout in 2025: Kendrick Lamar and Rihanna. So why did they turn down Coachella?
According to Bloomberg, from which the report originates, both artists are way too busy to put in the sort of work it takes to put together a Coachella-headlining-worthy set.
Kendrick is, of course, using those resources to build his Super Bowl Halftime Show headlining set, and preparing to go on a major stadium tour afterward. Meanwhile, Rihanna, who is presumably still working on her ninth album as she raises two boys with ASAP Rocky, doesn’t “need the money or the exposure.”
So what does that mean for Coachella?
Paul Tollett, president and CEO of Goldenvoice, Coachella’s organizer, is apparently searching high and low for headliners that can restore the festival to its former glory, but Bloomberg writes that Coachella may be “a victim of its own success.” The fest needs to book the biggest names to set itself apart and meet the expectations fans have set for it after 20 years, but those names don’t need Coachella anymore — they can make more from their tours or movies or multimedia empires (in one example, Bloomberg notes Coachella pays between $8 and $12 million for headliners, but Beyoncé and Taylor Swift can make $15 million).
That leaves Goldenvoice in a tough spot, for sure, but the good news is: Your favorite artists are thriving — and there’s plenty of room for new artists to move on up.
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