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Lenny Kravitz, Mos Def Join May 16th Gulf Aid Benefit

May 10, 2010 3:39 PM EDT Rolling Stone By Alex Rawls Lenny Kravitz and Ani DiFranco — both of whom have homes in New Orleans — have been booked to perform at Gulf Aid, a May 16th concert that will benefit families affected by the oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, as well as the Louisiana wetlands that are threatened by oil in the water. "This is not just about the coast," New Orleans mayor Mitch Landrieu said at press conference announcing the event today. "New Orleans needs the coastal parishes to survive." read more ...

Mos Def, Allen Toussaint, Zachary Richard, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band and Ivan Neville's Dumpstaphunk are also slated to perform, along with the Voice of the Wetlands Allstars — a Louisiana supergroup with Dr. John, the Meters' George Porter, Jr. and blues guitarist Tab Benoit that has worked to raise awareness about the national importance of Louisiana's endangered wetlands. Organizers hope to add more local and national acts in the next few days. The concert will run from 12 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Mardi Gras World River City in New Orleans, on the banks of the Mississippi next to the New Orleans Convention Center. Tickets, which cost $50, are available at Elevate. The team behind the event's immediate concern is for area fishermen and the nearby ecosystem. As WWOZ station manager David Freedman observed, though, there are concerns about how the oil spill will affect the rest of the gulf and the eastern seaboard. In Gulf Shores, Alabama, organizers are watching the waters for fear that oil will wash up on the white sands during this weekend's Hangout Beach, Music and Arts Festival. The fest featuring Trey Anastasio, the Roots, John Legend and the Zac Brown Band is donating all ticket profits to local charities. For promoter Stephen Rehage, who took time out from organizing the Essence Music Festival for the July 4th weekend to work on Gulf Aid, getting musicians involved seemed like an obvious choice. "For New Orleans, our musicians speak loudest."

May 10, 2010 3:39 PM EDT Rolling Stone By Alex Rawls

Lenny Kravitz and Ani DiFranco — both of whom have homes in New Orleans — have been booked to perform at Gulf Aid, a May 16th concert that will benefit families affected by the oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, as well as the Louisiana wetlands that are threatened by oil in the water. "This is not just about the coast," New Orleans mayor Mitch Landrieu said at press conference announcing the event today. "New Orleans needs the coastal parishes to survive." read more ...

Mos Def, Allen Toussaint, Zachary Richard, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band and Ivan Neville's Dumpstaphunk are also slated to perform, along with the Voice of the Wetlands Allstars — a Louisiana supergroup with Dr. John, the Meters' George Porter, Jr. and blues guitarist Tab Benoit that has worked to raise awareness about the national importance of Louisiana's endangered wetlands. Organizers hope to add more local and national acts in the next few days. The concert will run from 12 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Mardi Gras World River City in New Orleans, on the banks of the Mississippi next to the New Orleans Convention Center. Tickets, which cost $50, are available at Elevate.

The team behind the event's immediate concern is for area fishermen and the nearby ecosystem. As WWOZ station manager David Freedman observed, though, there are concerns about how the oil spill will affect the rest of the gulf and the eastern seaboard.

In Gulf Shores, Alabama, organizers are watching the waters for fear that oil will wash up on the white sands during this weekend's Hangout Beach, Music and Arts Festival. The fest featuring Trey Anastasio, the Roots, John Legend and the Zac Brown Band is donating all ticket profits to local charities.

For promoter Stephen Rehage, who took time out from organizing the Essence Music Festival for the July 4th weekend to work on Gulf Aid, getting musicians involved seemed like an obvious choice. "For New Orleans, our musicians speak loudest."

Music festivals offer fans the option of layaway tickets

October 12, 2009 By Edna Gundersen, USA TODAY Fans who can’t pony up the bucks for a colossal music festival touting big acts on multiple stages have an alternative. Pay in multiple stages. Layaway plans, recently resurrected by Sears and other retail chains, will be available to consumers who buy tickets to several 2009 festivals, including the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. It returns April 17-19 in Indio, Calif. More...

After the indie-rock fest lineup is unveiled this week, fans will have two options besides money up front when buying a $269 three-day pass: pay half down and the rest April 1, or pay 10% followed by equal installments on March 1 and April 1 without interest or additional fees. The plans are sold only online and aren't available for $99 single-day admission. Layaway systems already are in place for the Stagecoach Country Music Festival, Country Thunder USA and the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival, which offered an installment service last year. The struggling economy prompted the expansion, "though we probably should have been doing this all along," says Paul Tollett, Coachella founder and president of concert promoter Goldenvoice. "It's great for people who want to go but don't have all the money at once. When we did it for Stagecoach, 24% of people picked layaway, which is eye-opening. So we're doing it for all our festivals." Fans can expect layaway choices at the All Points West Music & Arts Festival in Jersey City, Rothbury Festival in Michigan and the Mile High Music Festival in Commerce City, Colo. The system, which entails higher processing costs, is best suited for large general-admission festivals, not reserved-seating arena shows with smaller staffs, Tollett says. Though there is a risk for fans (having their order canceled and losing their deposits if they default on payment), layaway boosts the allure of festivals, says Ray Waddell, Billboard's touring editor. "For the big festivals, the cost-per-band is a bargain," he says. "And the overall experience offers a lot of value. Still, producers would be crazy not to react to what is bound to be a more price-sensitive market this year." Spreading a hefty cost over a period of weeks or months naturally appeals to buyers on tight budgets, Waddell says. "Just ask QVC."

October 12, 2009 By Edna Gundersen, USA TODAY Fans who can’t pony up the bucks for a colossal music festival touting big acts on multiple stages have an alternative. Pay in multiple stages.

Layaway plans, recently resurrected by Sears and other retail chains, will be available to consumers who buy tickets to several 2009 festivals, including the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. It returns April 17-19 in Indio, Calif. More...

After the indie-rock fest lineup is unveiled this week, fans will have two options besides money up front when buying a $269 three-day pass: pay half down and the rest April 1, or pay 10% followed by equal installments on March 1 and April 1 without interest or additional fees. The plans are sold only online and aren't available for $99 single-day admission.

Layaway systems already are in place for the Stagecoach Country Music Festival, Country Thunder USA and the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival, which offered an installment service last year.

The struggling economy prompted the expansion, "though we probably should have been doing this all along," says Paul Tollett, Coachella founder and president of concert promoter Goldenvoice. "It's great for people who want to go but don't have all the money at once. When we did it for Stagecoach, 24% of people picked layaway, which is eye-opening. So we're doing it for all our festivals."

Fans can expect layaway choices at the All Points West Music & Arts Festival in Jersey City, Rothbury Festival in Michigan and the Mile High Music Festival in Commerce City, Colo.

The system, which entails higher processing costs, is best suited for large general-admission festivals, not reserved-seating arena shows with smaller staffs, Tollett says.

Though there is a risk for fans (having their order canceled and losing their deposits if they default on payment), layaway boosts the allure of festivals, says Ray Waddell, Billboard's touring editor.

"For the big festivals, the cost-per-band is a bargain," he says. "And the overall experience offers a lot of value. Still, producers would be crazy not to react to what is bound to be a more price-sensitive market this year."

Spreading a hefty cost over a period of weeks or months naturally appeals to buyers on tight budgets, Waddell says. "Just ask QVC."