On Sunday (Oct. 6), Bloomberg revealed that Goldenvoice, the company behind the massive Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, reached out to Kendrick Lamar and Rihanna as potential headliners for 2025. According to the publication, both turned the offers down. In addition, Lamar is said to be planning a stadium tour following his highly anticipated halftime show performance at next February's Super Bowl LIX.
Coachella was officially founded in 1999 by Paul Tollett and Rick Van Santen and grew from a modest desert event to become North America's most influential music festival by 2011 – one that now takes place two weekends apart. The spectacle expanded from its rock and electronic roots to encompass a wide range of genres and memorable performances, including the late Tupac Shakur's hologram in 2012 and Beyoncé's monumental 2018 set.
Bloomberg added that, by then, the festival was generating over $100 million annually. Notably, the 2024 iteration continued Coachella's guarantee of big stars with on-stage appearances from Lana Del Rey, Doja Cat, Tyler, the Creator; No Doubt, J Balvin, and many more. A sister country music festival, Stagecoach, is also making huge waves.
As REVOLT previously reported, Tollett – who holds the position of Goldenvoice's CEO – explained how livestreaming became a major factor in the festival’s overall success. “[Now,] the whole world wanted to go to Coachella,” he expressed during a speaking engagement at SXSW Sydney in 2023.
Tollett further explained how booking popular acts in distant locations further expanded their reach into countries like South Korea. “All of a sudden, you have the biggest artist in that region, and what it does is it just gets everyone watching from that area,” Tollett stated. “Coachella wasn’t really that well known in Asia. Now, everyone in Indonesia follows it, not just Korea. It became a thing where no matter what country you’re in, you could watch it like it’s your show.”