Deviation from the "rock spirit," ticket sales for music festival zones are just the beginning.

Although the scorching summer has yet to arrive, music festivals are springing up across the country like mushrooms after rain, aiming to fill every weekend of young people.

According to incomplete statistics, there have been over a hundred music festivals officially announced from January to May this year, and these festivals are mostly concentrated in second and third-tier cities. Compared to last year when people "rushed to a city for a music festival," this year's music festivals are almost at the doorstep of music fans.

While music festivals are blooming everywhere, the experience of music fans is gradually declining. Similar lineups, rising ticket prices, and increasingly confusing festival zoning are all weakening the consumption experience and ticket purchasing desire of music fans. When music fans who advocate "freedom and equality" are divided into different categories of "ABCD" on tickets, the festival seems to have deviated from the "rock spirit" in their hearts. Can such a place still be a utopia for music fans?

The increasingly "magical" festival zoning

In recent years, the geographical scope of music festivals has expanded beyond first and second-tier cities to gradually cover third, fourth-tier cities, and even counties. According to the "Research Report on the Development of China's Music Festival Market from 2020 to 2024," among the 560 music festivals held in 2023, about forty percent were held in first-tier and new first-tier cities, while the remaining sixty percent were held in second-tier and lower-tier cities.

Although music festivals are becoming more and more accessible to the public, fans are complaining that they are increasingly distant from the festival stage, and this dissatisfaction mainly stems from the ticket zoning.

According to observations from the Jingzhe Research Institute, starting from last year, more and more music festivals have adopted zoning ticket sales during pre-sale. For example, based on functionality, the entire viewing area is divided into audience area, rest area, and camping area. The most common and criticized zoning method is based on the distance from the stage, with corresponding ticket prices for different zones.

Last summer, the Shanghai Strawberry Music Festival adopted zoning ticket sales, but due to the unreasonable zoning, it sparked a lot of controversy, and even trended on Weibo. In terms of the actual zoning, the Shanghai Strawberry Music Festival divided the audience area into 7 zones. The A and B zones, which are closest to the stage and have the best "view," were priced at 598 yuan, while the C and D zones, located behind A and B and further from the stage, were also priced at 598 yuan. In addition, the E and F zones on the sides of the audience area, which are closer to the stage than C and D zones, were priced 50 yuan lower, and the ordinary zone furthest from the stage was only 100 yuan cheaper than the C and D zones.

Not only is the reasonableness of the pricing being questioned, but after the music festival implemented ticket zoning, it also affected the viewing experience of some audience members.

In January of this year, the Dali Dandelion Music Festival sparked complaints from music fans. They complained that the VIP area was disproportionately large, while the general admission area was too far from the stage, forcing attendees to rely on the big screens for viewing. One netizen posted, "The VIP area and the general area are separated by a distance as vast as the Milky Way, even if everyone went in, they wouldn't be able to fill up the VIP area."

According to the information, the single-day early bird tickets for the music festival are priced at 259 yuan, pre-sale tickets at 359 yuan, regular tickets at 459 yuan, and VIP tickets at 559 yuan. Fans in the general admission area spend three to four hundred yuan on tickets, but can only watch the performances on the screen from a distance. Additionally, there are prominent signs at the music festival venue stating "Upgrade from general admission to VIP for an additional 200 yuan," which is why fans are criticizing the organizers for their "unpleasant behavior."

In subsequent media reports, the organizers of the Dali Pugongying Music Festival stated that the distance of the stage, which music fans had complained about, was due to considerations of "crowd control" and other safety factors. The division of the area was based on ticket sales, and the stage distance was later adjusted on-site. The option to upgrade from the regular area to VIP for 200 yuan was considered a transparent market practice.

Despite the complaints from music fans about the ticketing and zoning practices of the music festival, it did not stop the organizers from introducing new variations. On March 30th to 31st this year, M_DSK, a Hip-Hop music festival under Modern Sky, was held in Guangzhou. In addition to dividing Zone A and Zone B into left and right sections, Zones C and D were further divided into four smaller sub-zones each. One netizen commented, "Guangzhou only has 11 zones, but this music festival has 12 zones."

The music fan Fishball, who attended the M_DSK music festival in Guangzhou, told the Institute of Awakening Thunder, "I can accept that music festivals have designated seating areas, but the way M_DSK music festival does it doesn't feel very reasonable. Although the tickets for Zone A are expensive, the seating isn't very good. Apart from the middle section, the left and right sides are quite far from the stage, and it feels like you can't see the entire screen in the middle."

It is evident that the genuine needs of music fans have gradually become "lost" within the carefully planned on-site zoning and tiered ticket prices by the organizers.

The "Noble" VIP at Music Festivals

Since last year, there has been an increasing trend of music festivals adopting a ticketing system similar to concerts, to the extent that some netizens have lamented, "In 2024, will there be any music festivals that don't have zoned ticket sales?"

In fact, zoned ticket sales for music festivals have been around for a long time. Before zoned ticket sales, most music festivals also offered two types of tickets: VIP tickets and regular tickets. VIP tickets usually cost a couple of hundred yuan more than regular tickets, but they come with exclusive benefits such as separate ticket checks, early entry, merchandise packages, and dedicated rest areas. For example, the Strawberry Music Festival has been offering Pro tickets with VIP privileges since 2018.

In addition to VIP exclusive benefits, some music festivals also designate a VIP front-row viewing area, but most music festivals still operate on a first-come, first-served basis, allowing audience members to claim front-row positions. At this point, even if a front-row VIP viewing area is set up, it only occupies a small part of the overall viewing area, and the overall viewing area remains free-flowing, without restricting or affecting the music festival experience and interaction for fans.

The real initiation of zoned ticket sales for music festivals was in 2020 at the Shanghai Strawberry Music Festival. At that time, in order to meet epidemic prevention requirements, they pioneered dividing the viewing area into three zones based on the distance from the stage: the Pro zone, the restricted flow zone, and the open zone, with the Pro zone and restricted flow zone limiting the number of people according to epidemic prevention standards. This move also sparked criticism at the time, with some music fans pointing out that if zoned ticket sales were for epidemic prevention purposes, the venue should be divided evenly based on crowd density, but in reality, the zoning was based on the distance from the stage, and the closer to the stage, the higher the ticket prices.

If we set aside the argument of ensuring the safety of the music festival venue, the only other reason for implementing ticketed zones is for commercial purposes. According to the Deer Mystery, who is involved in music festival planning, "The main reason for ticketed zones at music festivals is to make more money. There is also a part of it that is required by local policies, such as controlling the density of people within each square area, so the zones are set up for that reason."

"However, last year, many music festivals implemented ticketed zones to increase prices. The number of attendees for a music festival is usually between 15,000 and 30,000. If the number is too small, it's not profitable. Based on the actual attendance rate or ticket sales, which is usually around 65% to 80%, approximately 2000 front-row tickets are usually released as VIP tickets to increase revenue."

In addition, the Deer Mystery believes that the changing demographics of music festival attendees is also an important factor. "VIP tickets are a bit like front-row tickets for fan meetings, because now there are more and more idols participating in music festivals, and fans with purchasing power are joining in, so VIP tickets are selling well."

King, the producer of the Xindaotian Music Festival, told the Jingzhe Research Institute that there are indeed safety considerations for ticketed zones at music festivals, and different regions also have public safety industry standards requirements. Many organizers are also helpless and can only comply with the requirements of local authorities.

Furthermore, according to his observations, music fans nowadays have different needs. "Some fans like to chase stars and want to be in the front row. But without zones, they might lose their spot if they go to the restroom, so they want a VIP zone. Some fans enjoy the atmosphere and are fine with any position. There are also fans who don't want to stay in the same spot all day and want the freedom to move around. But as organizers, it's really difficult to fully satisfy everyone's needs."

In recent years, music festivals have gradually transitioned from niche to mainstream, entering the public eye. The audience participating in music festivals is no longer limited to rock music fans, but also includes enthusiasts of hip-hop culture, fans of pop music stars, and other diverse groups. Moreover, more dedicated fan groups are willing to pay for VIP tickets in order to enjoy the privilege of watching performances from the front row.

As a seasoned professional in the music industry, a user on Xiaohongshu, "Living is All About Having Fun," told the Jingzhe Research Institute that ticket zoning at music festivals is mainly to recoup some of the costs. Additionally, the VIP zone also meets the needs of music fans who want the convenience of following their favorite stars and enjoying the live experience. "Now it's the era of short videos, and everyone wants to shoot up close and then upload," he said. In his view, the audience at music festivals has also changed. Previously, over 70% went to see live performances, but now more than half are simply interested in the fresh "scene" of the music festival.

The "modified" music festival

In the offline performance field, zoning has never been an issue. For example, in concerts, setting different ticket prices and selling tickets based on the different areas of the venue has become a standardized industry practice. Why has zoning ticket sales at music festivals caused people's rejection and controversy? The reason lies in the rapidly growing market demand and the organizers' pursuit of commercial scale, which has caused a deviation in the special positioning and user value of music festivals.

Different from solo concerts, music festivals were originally a stage that provided mutual value for music fans and bands. Music fans only needed to spend a low ticket price to gather and listen to "unknown" niche bands perform, experiencing the impact of various styles of music at the scene. Meanwhile, the bands improved their visibility through repeated live performances while honing their skills. Domestic well-known music festival brands such as Strawberry and Midi all went through this developmental stage in their early days.

However, nowadays, music festivals are becoming more and more like concerts, and in actual experience, they have caused a mismatch with the costs.

In the past two years, ticket prices for music festivals have skyrocketed, with VIP tickets for some shows even reaching twice the price of regular tickets, and regular tickets have already reached the level of solo concerts. A report released by the Xiaolujiao Think Tank shows that in 2023, the regular single-day tickets for music festivals are mainly priced between 300 yuan and 800 yuan, while VIP tickets range from 600 to 1400 yuan.

Ting, a music fan born after 2000, told the Jingzhe Research Institute, "I feel that music festivals are not as fun as they used to be after zoning. Now, the price of a single-day ticket can buy a three-day pass in the past. Buying a VIP ticket is like spending seven to eight hundred to watch a mixed concert, and the overall experience is definitely not worth it. Apart from being able to watch from the front row without queuing and having free drinks, the actual experience still feels like a loss."

Music fan Barry also complained to the Spring Thunder Research Institute about the increasing chaos at music festivals. He said, "The idea of zoning at music festivals is good, but it's difficult to manage in practice. Some people who clearly don't have tickets for this zone can still get in, while others who have tickets for this zone are restricted from entering. When the crowd is too large, there's no way to verify each person's entry. Now there are VIP tickets that come with exclusive privileges like dedicated toilets, but in reality, there's hardly any enjoyment of these benefits."

The rising prices and repeated disappointing service experiences are causing the music festival to lose its "utopian" filter in the eyes of fans. According to Cheng Cheng, the host of Mirror LIVE, "Young people nowadays want to escape the urban workplace and choose to release their suppressed emotions through music, but the zoning approach may make them feel discriminated against and psychologically unbalanced. As a music fan, coming to a music festival is for relaxation, and a poor experience is just adding frustration. Furthermore, zoning ticket sales may not necessarily increase revenue; it's also possible that VIP tickets don't sell well, and the general zones have no buyers."

For example, during the ticket sales for the M_DSK music festival in Guangzhou, the A zone closest to the stage and the lower-priced C and D zones at the back were the first to sell out, while the B zone remained available. This situation was caused by the fact that the ticket price difference between the B and A zones was only 100 yuan. Relatively speaking, the A zone tickets offered better value for money, making the B zone seem less appealing.

In reality, despite the criticism from fans about zoning ticket sales being a money-making scheme, many music festivals are still operating at a loss. Mi Lu told the Spring Thunder Research Institute that over half of the music festivals last year were losing money, and the organizers of various music festivals have been under significant profit pressure.

Since the offline performance market has seen a strong resurgence, the costs associated with music festivals and concerts have been continuously rising. Artists, as the core factor influencing ticket sales at music festivals, have seen their performance fees skyrocket due to high demand. According to research from the Awakening Institute, the appearance fees for the second-hand Rose band and rapper Zhou Yan (Gai) have reached 1.5 million RMB, while recent information on the internet indicates that the appearance fee for the popular band Hui Chun Dan has also reached around 700,000 RMB.

King, the producer of the Xindaotian Music Festival, told the Awakening Institute that in the past year, some artists' appearance fees have more than doubled. "In the past, with a budget of 3 to 4 million RMB for appearance fees, we could invite a strong lineup of performers for the music festival. But now, the appearance fee for a top-tier artist is 3 to 4 million RMB. Pure band music festivals are even harder to sell tickets for, so music festivals have now changed their flavor."

To offset costs and increase revenue, some music festivals have also added entertainment projects on-site for fans to experience. This "value-added service" has been well received by some young music fans. Ding Ding, the guitarist of the Mover band, said, "Because many domestic music festivals actually only focus on watching stage performances, for those who can afford to buy front-row seats, the experience is quite good. But for those who watch from the back, the experience is definitely worse. However, if it's a different type of music festival, like the simple living festival or the Chengdu Spring Outing Music Festival, besides stage performances, there are other entertainment options or activities available, so whether there are designated areas or not doesn't matter."

In Ding Ding's view, music festivals don't have to be just about music. For some young people today, they may not care about who's performing on stage at the music festival, but rather see it as a lifestyle to participate in. Just like the Chengdu Spring Outing Music Festival, it's very comfortable, similar to a lifestyle festival.

For traditional music fans, the appeal of music festivals mainly lies in the lineup and the atmosphere of the performances. However, for the younger generation of music fans, social interaction, the experience of idol worship, and the overall ambiance are equally important.

The diverse composition of the audience provides music festival organizers with a rich array of target groups. However, how to provide a higher quality consumer experience for different types of audiences and music enthusiasts has become one of the most critical aspects in the commercialization of music festivals.

King, the producer of the Xingdaotian Music Festival, told the Jingzhe Research Institute, "I personally love music festivals because it's a great platform for music fans and musicians to enjoy live performances. But the market is the market, and sometimes it's not just about doing what you like. Being responsible to consumers is the best quality guarantee. The music festival industry has also entered a period of reshuffling recently, and perhaps in the future, audiences will only choose to attend reputable music festival brands."

(Note: Translated text has been adapted for cultural relevance and natural English expression.)