We’re not even into the New Year yet, but get ready for the flood of announcements coming for next year’s hottest tours. As the music industry continues to morph towards making more money from live performances from ticket sales, merch, 360 deals, and sponsors than on actual music sales, you can be that once again, a record number of artists will be on the road in 2010. For brands looking for new grassroots campaigns to reach their target markets, this is good news. Here’s the latest on tours and sponsors heading out this summer. Many of which still have sponsorship opportunities available.
Back in action for summer 2010 is Lilith Fair, the all-women’s music tour founded by Grammy-winner Sarah McLachlan in 1997. Lilith Fair, which ran from 1997 through 1999 was one of the highest grossing touring festivals in the world with 1.5 million fans, raising more than $10 million dollars for national and local charities. It was an all-women’s music festival featuring performers such as The Pretenders, Dixie Chicks, Erykah Badu, Queen Latifah, and Nelly Furtado.
Like many of the coolest tours on the road today, Lilith also hosted a variety of activities onsite, making it a sort of Sherwood’s’ Forest/Fair kind of vibe. Crafty, fun, and intimate, Lilith was also the first tour to bring together many women musicians who may not have been able to tour on their own.
The comeback for 2010 with co-founder Terry McBride and Nettwerk is welcomed news not only for many women artists, but also the growing fanbase from a burgeoning women’s music scene. Top artists include Mary J. Blige, Sheryl Crow, Tegan and Sara, Metric, Emmylou Harris, Ke$ha, Miranda Lambert, Sugarland, Jill Scott, and Chairlift. Lilith has also partnered with OurStage.com and is currently running a “Lilith Local Talent Search” contest for emerging female musicians across North America.
The Vans Warped Tour turns Sweet 16 in 2010 and as the longest running music tour in North America, its continues on the path of hosting the most shows in a summer. Dates were released yesterday, with the tour starting June 24 in San Diego, CA, and ending August 15 in Oregon. They also released an updated logo which has a spaceship kind of vibe, and of course an updated website. Top sponsors and bands to be announced.
This is one tour that attracts a massive web audience, and 500,000 thousand 13-20-year-olds across the U.S. and Canada. This tour has become a rite-of-passage for youth culture in many ways, not to mention launching brands (and bands) that have sponsored the tour such as Vans of course, plus Hurley, Volcom, Hot Topic, and merch and non-profit brands that are now on the fashion radar such as Glamour Kills, To Write Love on Her Arms, and Keep-a-Breast.
More details on the Vans Warped Tour coming soon.
Hot Topic has jumped into the presenting sponsorship position for the upcoming 2010 Sub City Take Action Tour for 2010. Now in it’s 9th year for raising funds and awareness for non-profits, the 2010 tour will feature We the Kings, Mayday Parade, A Rocket to the Moon, and There for Tomorrow, among others. This is a great tour for sponsors interested in getting youth involved in charitable action and it starts earlier than most others, kicking off in Atlanta, GA, on January 25 and running until March 2 ending in Dallas, TX.
Finally, there’s the first country tour headed out this summer, Country Throwdown Tour, produced by the same people who do the Vans Warped Tour and Rockstar Mayhem Tour, Kevin Lyman’s group 4 Fini. Featuring Jamey Johnson, Little Big Town, Montgomery Gentry, Emily West, and Jack Ingram, among others, this festival is sure to have a host of lifestyle attractions on site. So far there’s the sponsored tail-gating parties, plus singer-songwriter lineup in the Bluebird Caf? Tent. The tour runs from May through the end of June, 2010.
