Amid a struggling economy and a concert festival market that saw attendance dips in 2008, Coachella promoter Goldenvoice will offer fans the option to purchase tickets under a layaway plan for the upcoming April fest, according to a report in Monday's USA Today by Edna Gundersen. Fans will now have the option to pay smaller chunks in multiple stages.
A three-day pass to Coachella will carry the budget-unfriendly price of $269, and USA Today notes that fans will have two alternatives beyond paying the money upfront or raking in more credit card debt. It's not a first for Goldenvoice, as last year's Stagecoach fest offered fans a layaway option.
Goldenvoice founder Paul Tollett says the layaway program was a success for the country event. He's quoted in the article as saying that 24% of ticket-buyers picked layaway.
When it comes to Coachella, of which USA Today notes a full line-up will be announced this week, fans will have the option of paying half the ticket cost on the on-sale date, followed by the rest on April 1. Or attendees can “pay 10% followed by equal installments on March 1 and April 1 without interest or additional fees."
USA Today notes layaway will not be available for $99 single-day tickets. Coachella is set for April 17-19.
What's your dream lineup for Coachella?
OK, so the rumors are flying and some of them are deliciously outlandish, but hey, we like to dream as much as the next person. Past Coachellas have brought us Roger Waters and his runaway pig, the most ripping set Daft Punk has ever performed (in Pop & Hiss' humble opinion), Prince covering Radiohead's “Creep," Madonna's 20-minute infomercial with threats to the audience (do not spill water on that woman's catwalk), the Pixies reuniting (and barely talking) and other amazing moments of sweaty, mass concert-going. So, we ask you, in the midst of announcement fever '09, who do you want to see in the lineup? What are your predictions for reunions or wild-card performers? Your favorite rumor? Who do you not want to see playing anywhere near that field of dreams? Leave your comments below.
