Amid a pageant panorama more and more formed by consolidation and company takeover, 4 unbiased trailblazers have banded collectively to flip the script by providing a “golden ticket” designed to make the 2025 pageant season one to recollect.
The founders of 4 of California’s most celebrated unbiased music festivals, Desert Hearts, Identical Identical However Totally different, Northern Nights and Joshua Tree, have introduced the launch of the indepenDANCE Cross, an unprecedented $599 common admission ticket granting entry to all 4 festivals in 2025.
The indepenDANCE Cross presents a full season of music and community-driven magic for a fraction of the associated fee—an estimated $2,000 worth. The cross is extraordinarily restricted and non-transferable.
The transfer is a daring assertion of unity in a second of volatility. With 2024 marking the best variety of pageant cancellations because the pandemic, the indie pageant neighborhood is dealing with mounting stress from inflationary prices, radius clauses and post-pandemic viewers shifts. Relatively than compete for restricted consideration and sources, these festivals are collaborating in a approach not often seen within the business.
The announcement is paired with a roundtable episode on the Totally different Paths podcast, by which Desert Hearts’ Mikey Lion, SSBD’s Brad Candy, Northern Nights’ Andrew Borgelt and JTMF’s Barnett English dive into the real-life challenges behind operating boutique festivals.
“Independent festivals have always been about community, and now we’re taking that to the next level,” Candy mentioned. “By coming together, we’re making sure independent festivals don’t just survive, but evolve and flourish for years to come.”
You may hearken to the roundtable dialog under and safe your indepenDANCE Cross right here.