photo cred | Jonathan Leibson

A common misconception that I hear often is that the production behind a music festival is inexpensive. Or maybe people know that it is expensive, but they just don’t know how expensive it actually is. After being involved with aspects of this industry, I no longer have these unrealistic views of trying to reach for something that I can’t have. There is a whole lot of funding that goes into making an event or a music festival like Coachella, Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza etc. so successful, but many people take that for granted.

When that happens, music festivals die. San Diego’s Street Scene 2009 was one of the best festivals I’ve ever been to and unfortunately, the run of that festival ended that year. Last summer, Los Angeles’ Sunset Junction was denied a permit due to unpaid fees and as a result not only did the festival NOT happen, everyone who was set to be a part of the festival lost their money. This includes the festival’s acts, vendors, and ticket purchasers.

Court records released yesterday just how much these bands were supposed to earn from their performance. Click the cut to be enlightened:

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