Head Trip was never supposed to be a recurring thing. One weekend, one location, the Coachella grounds in Indio, California, and a lineup of dance music heavyweights. About 90,000 fans showed up in person, but the real flex was Apple Music turning the whole festival into its first-ever full video livestream in any genre, free to watch on YouTube, TikTok, Twitch, Apple Music 1, Apple Music Club, TuneIn and SiriusXM all at once.
Then the weather pulled a fast one. Lightning and the remnants of Tropical Storm Rachel cut Saturday’s opening night short, which pushed Calvin Harris out of his original slot. Instead of a cancelation, he landed on Sunday’s lineup with Skrillex, Swedish House Mafia and Peggy Gou, turning an already stacked night into something people are still talking about.
The team behind it says the whole idea was built to work two ways at once: stage designer Romain Pissenem constructed a structure roughly 100 feet tall and 330 feet long so the show would feel massive in the desert and just as huge on a phone screen. Goldenvoice and Apple Music both framed the partnership as proof that dance music’s live business is now a global game. So the question is, if every festival started streaming for free, would you still buy a ticket? Drop your answer in the comments.
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Local Lawton
Local Lawton is a contributor to LocalBeat, covering local news and community stories.