Festival season is upon us…
For many festivarians, each year is greeted not only with new wishes for success, health and prosperity, but also with a child-like giddiness as they await the first signs of music festival lineup teasers and announcements.
Whether longing for the lush, legendary landscape of Mountain Jam, the boho-chic vibe of Coachella, the gritty soul of New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival or the harbor breeze of Newport Folk Festival–there is certainly a festival out there for any and all musical tastes. While the overall feel, location and extra perks may entice festival goers to consider buying that multi-day festival ticket package, it really is the lineup that seals the deal.
So, what exactly goes in to putting together a stellar festival lineup? It certainly doesn’t just appear out of thin air. On the contrary, planning and confirming a multi-day, multi-stage music festival lineup often involves a dedicated and innovative team of people who start reaching out and booking artists over a year in advance.
A lineup for everyone…
To learn a bit more about the process, EOAF caught up with Lindsay Craven, the newest Artist Relations Manager for MerleFest–North Carolina’s premiere music festival. Now in its 32nd year, MerleFest continues to stay true to its “traditional plus” and family friendly roots. Craven credits the late, legendary musician and festival founder, Doc Watson, for laying the groundwork and creating a culture that celebrates all types of music, not just that of the western NC region.
“We’re very thankful to Doc, for developing that phrase [traditional plus]. And, it’s very much what Doc did. Doc’s music wasn’t restricted to bluegrass or blues, and he loved everything. He wanted us to share all kinds of music with people,” Craven said.
After over three decades, “traditional plus” remains the driving force for anyone in charge of booking artists and filling out the four-day festival schedule across 13 stages. By bringing in the industry’s best in traditional Appalachian and Bluegrass music, in addition to Americana, Folk, Rock, Blues, and Gospel, MerleFest appeals to a wide, diverse audience that travels to the great Tar Heel state in late April every year. The diversity of genre and dedication to keeping the festival family friendly really set MerleFest apart from other big festivals.
“With audiences that aren’t familiar with the festival, I think a lot of people just say we’re just a Bluegrass festival, or that we’re just old-timey country music and it’s just not the case at all. We have those things, but we have lots of others. The traditional plus motto is far from one musical genre. You’d be hard pressed to be any kind of music fan and come to MerleFest and not find something you like,” Craven said.
Though she’s worked part-time for MerleFest in some capacity for over a decade, Craven was hired into this full-time position in July 2018, and has been non-stop ever since. Craven worked directly under previous Artist Relations Manager–Steve Johnson–learning first hand the enormous amount of work that goes into setting a lineup.
“Steve knew during last year’s festival that he was going to be moving out. So, he did a lot of work ahead of time to help us stay on track and not start from way behind…we’re really appreciative to him for everything he did to make sure it was kind of a seamless transition, as much as it could be,” Craven said.
While Johnson did a great deal of work leading up to his departure, the business of booking artists and setting a lineup can often feel like watching the shifting sands of The Outerbanks. The landscape can change daily, and early plans do not always stay in place.
“A lot of our headliners changed from the original plan just because of scheduling conflicts, money not working out, and things like that,” Craven said.
Though green in this particular position, Craven had to solve some significant problems in her first few months. By all accounts, it looks as if she took the proverbial bull by the horns and accepted the challenge, because this year’s headliners are superb–The Avett Brothers, Brandi Carlile, Amos Lee, Wynonna and The Big Noise–along with heavy-hitters like Keb’Mo’, The Milk Carton Kids, and Tyler Childers. Let us not forget the MerleFest alumni, who fans return for year after year–Sam Bush, Peter Rowan, Kruger Brothers, Scythian and more.
“[The most challenging part of booking] is competing with the amazing number of music events and venues in North Carolina now. Just trying not to overlap artists that the same audience can see in five different places within a year. It’s fantastic that there are so many music venues and there are so many music festivals. I’m not saying that’s a bad thing. It’s just a huge thing to compete with when planning said festival,” Craven said.
Let the fans be heard…
Artist Relations Managers, also often called Talent Buyers, rely not only on their team to help build out a lineup, but also on the festival fan base. Social media platforms have changed the way fans and artists can communicate directly with festival organizers.
“I pay attention to [the artists’] social media pages to see what kind of following they have. We listen to their music. We pay attention to our own social media, too, to see what people are asking for,” Craven said.
Festival organizers often post teasers or clues leading up to the initial lineup announcements, to get the fan base excited. At least for MerleFest, the responses that come out of those teasers become important in terms of current or future lineups.
“Since this is my first year in this particular job, I’ve really been paying attention with each announcement–what people were guessing right before we made the announcement, and then what they hope to see on the next announcement. If we don’t have [the artists] on the docket already, I make sure I make a list of those people and consider those for going forward,” Craven said.
Painting the canvas…
Outside of fan feedback, Craven and her team search for talent through different music association awards and conferences–namely the Americana Music Awards (AMA’s) and International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) annual conference, respectively. Additionally, there is a longtime running “wish list” that has trickled down from each former artist relations manager that now sits in Craven’s hands.
“In the beginning, it’s just kind of an open canvas. We are just looking at our wish list and looking at the chatter from other events, saying ‘what seems to be doing well?’ and seeing if would fit for us and fit our budget,” Craven said.
As that canvas fills up, other elements–like spreading genres across multiple stages–begin to factor in to the planning equation.
“As we get closer to festival time, it gets a little more scientific in trying to see, well, [this artist] has to go on this stage so we kind of want more of this flavor of music,” Craven said.
According to Craven, MerleFest artists fall into one of three main categories, “the ones that are here every year, the headliners, and the people we have fresh and new every year.”
Communication with artists can take many forms, and this typically depends on the level of artist/band success and/or the longstanding relationship with the festival.
“We have some artists that are here year in and year out, and most of those artist we communicate directly with. The bigger artists–The Avetts, Brandi, Amos–we talk with their agents initially, and then the tour manager for sure. We rarely talk to them directly,” Craven said.
Much of Craven’s work involves reaching out to the agencies that have worked with MerleFest in the past to learn about up and coming artists. They discuss budget and schedules and try to see if it will work for all parties involved. The final MerleFest lineup boasts over 100 artists, not including those who have been invited to compete in the Chris Austin Songwriting Contest.
“It’s a big job,” Craven said.
And a big job requires a big budget in order to pull in the best artists and to ensure smooth operations from start to finish. The MerleFest budget is determined year to year by past and projected attendance. Interestingly, MerleFest is a fundraiser for Wilkes Community College, further strengthening the symbiotic relationship between the festival and college.
Though Craven’s main responsibility is to direct the booking process, the work doesn’t stop once the contracts are signed on the dotted line. With the lineup set and about a month to go, Craven is currently busy with the artist relations portion of her job–hotel reservations, merchandise, direct communication with artists, and coordinating schedules.
A path to MerleFest…
So, how did Craven get to sit in her current position–perhaps a little luck, certainly a lot of working up through the ranks, and an immeasurable amount of drive and good old-fashioned love for the work. A journalism major and graduate of Appalachian State University (App State), Craven always had a spark for the entertainment industry.
“I always thought I was going to be an entertainment writer. That was my initial goal. The funny thing is, I guess it was in middle school, I think we were doing some school project where we had to decide what we want to be and [we had to look] through these books that had all kinds of different job descriptions and what you needed to do to go to school to become that. There wasn’t an artist relations, it was artist representative, or something along those lines, and that was what I did my school project on,” Craven said.
So, when she decided to apply to App State’s artist management program, it seemed like a good fit, until she learned she had to be a music major.
“It wasn’t an option to pursue that particular degree. But, I kind of fell into anyway,” Craven said.
Falling into this role, sounds a bit passive, when actually her path to MerleFest has been more than just being in the right place at the right time. During her undergrad years, Craven was proactive in getting involved in local opportunities that aligned with her interests and skills. A simple perusal of the internship listings on App State’s website seems to have been the catalyst to pave the way.
“I started with [MerleFest] as an intern in 2007, and then came back again as an intern in 2008. And then after I graduated, I filled in throughout the year whenever they needed extra help. In and around credential time, or around some announcements and things like that, they need an extra body in an office to get some information from artists. And every year I’m here for the festival working in the artist relations trailer,” Craven said.
Her MerleFest experience over the next several years, led her to the Yadkin Arts Council, where she worked as their Executive Director.
“I did all of the booking for our theater there, for the last five or six years. It’s a very, very small staff. So, due to all of the experience I gained from basically wearing all of the hats at that theater, that’s what got me to the point where I was qualified enough between what I’d learned working [at MerleFest] and what I learned working there, that they felt that I would work in this role,” Craven said.
From MerleFest to Yadkin Arts Council and back to MerleFest, Craven positioned herself to be both primed by those who came before her and primed by her own career ventures to succeed in her new role.
A bit of advice…
Somewhere, there is an eager, starry-eyed middle schooler writing a paper about the glamorous life of an Artist Relations Manager. Craven, having put in over a decade of hard work–both paid and unpaid–can offer some sage advice to those who may wish to follow in her footsteps.
“Work for any and every opportunity. This all came about just because I was looking at internship listings on the App State website. Look local. It doesn’t always have to be the biggest thing. You don’t have to be working stage-coach for Bonnaroo. You can start small and there are so many small festivals out there right now,” Craven said.
Opportunities are not always paid, and those are often the ones that get a foot in the door.
“[Festivals] are looking for young talent with energy to volunteer and help. And that is important. You have to be willing to volunteer. You’re not going to get paid right away or probably for a very long time. But, if you stick with it, you’re going to make connections. If you are hard-working and dependable, people are going to see that and when something comes available, they’re going to be looking to somebody that they can trust and count on,” Craven said.
Having a genuine love for and understanding of music and the festival scene and showing up year after year are important elements that have translated into a successful career trajectory for Craven.
“You don’t have to listen to every single artists on the docket, but you should at least have a desire to know and appreciate the music you’re presenting,” Craven said.
Making her mark…
Aside from booking talent, Craven has also been very focused on observing the vast number of traditions that take place each year at MerleFest. While she is excited to make her mark on the 2020 lineup, her experience with MerleFest has taught her the importance of maintaining the festival’s rich and cherished traditions. From coordinating the Veteran’s Jam and Mando-mania to planning outreach performances at 17 Wilkes county schools, Craven’s job goes beyond what the main lineup schedule indicates.
“There are lots of individual things that go into the festival that aren’t just what you’re seeing on the stages. I’ve got to learn what things happen year in and year out, so I make sure I build those in and don’t mess with any of our traditions,” Craven said.
With tradition comes a level of expectation, in particular from those artists who have made MerleFest an annual event over several years.
“We don’t want to offend any of the artists that have been with us a long time. We value them. We want to honor what they do and continue to bring new and interesting things for people to see. I am just trying to make sure I learned lessons before I get super deep into putting a schedule together. Right now, I am getting through the first festival and making sure I know as much as I can before I dive head first into throwing a ton of offers out,” Craven said.
MerleFest 2020 will be Craven’s first full run in this position, and she already planning out how her workspace will function best to match her visual mind–giant empty versions of the stage schedules plastered across her walls with an endless supply of dry erase markers and sticky notes.
“I have to see it all out in front of me. It’s easier to look at one big wall of things as opposed to 20 pages over four days,” Craven said.
One can imagine the thrill Craven will feel as she begins to fill the empty time slots for MerleFest 2020. Orchestrating such a beast of a production with so many moving parts is not for a disorganized mind. It takes creativity, imagination, and the ability to envision how the whole experience will translate into something greater than the sum of its many parts. With that creative freedom comes a heavy responsibility to also maintain the elements that make MerleFest such an amazing festival.
“I really don’t think that there’s anything more that I would add to the festival. I really feel like our goal is to not work on getting bigger, but keeping our event the best quality that it can be. If at some point an opportunity presents itself, that we could expand something or create something new, we’re never opposed to those kinds of opportunities. But, it’s not something I’m actively looking to do right now. We’re more focused on just making sure we keep it top-quality and keep all the things that people expect from it,” Craven said.
Once the dust settles from MerleFest 2019, Craven will be right back at it, standing wide-eyed in front of her blank canvas with that same child-like giddiness music fans experience when a lineup unfolds before them. It is evident that Craven’s unique journey through the MerleFest ranks has prepared her to excel in this position for years to come, and it will be exciting to watch lineups evolve across her tenure.
For more information about lineup and tickets, please visit Merlefest.org.
Are you headed to MerleFest this year? If so, download your MerleFest ’19 app for Apple or Android to make your experience even better!
Evolution of a Fan 