Summer 2009 will no doubt go down in musical history. In addition to legendary artists such as The Dead and Phish touring, music festivals are shooting up like wildflowers (now more than 15 major festivals spread across the country). With Bonnaroo Music Festival tickets alone costing upwards of $250 and the economy heading into the gutter, many live music enthusiasts are left high and dry. Seth Weiner, CEO of Shimon Presents Inc., seems to have the answer, “Well, it’s simple really. Festival-goers can’t afford tickets, and on the same note, Music Festivals need to lower their labor costs to meet economic strains. It just made sense to bring the two together.”
Yes, that’s right. You can actually sign up to work a music festival in exchange for your festival ticket. Participants in the Work Exchange Team program enjoy working in diverse fields, and are matched carefully with jobs they have previous experience in or enjoy. Ryan Hug, a regular festival attendee, speaks of his experiences with the Work Exchange Team. “I worked at Rothbury Music Festival last year with a few friends and helped build the Sherwood Forest, which turned out to be one of the most magical parts of the festival. Seeing the finished forest was one of my greatest feelings of accomplishment, and I truly felt connected to the event.”
Working in exchange for a festival ticket is not, in fact, such a rare opportunity. Shimon Presents Inc. works with music festivals all over the country, including Wakarusa Music Festival in Arkansas, Rothbury Music Festival in Michigan, All Good Music Festival in West Virginia, Gathering of the Vibes in Connecticut, and many more. You would be hard pressed to live in an area where Shimon Presents does not have some sort of presence. In addition to their onsite working opportunities, you can promote events by joining any of their grass roots marketing and/or online street teams. “I really get the best of both worlds,” says Amy Eckles, Shimon Presents Marketing Director, “not only do I get the opportunity to connect music enthusiasts with their passion, but in the process I also help to provide an invaluable service to the promoters. Music festivals and fans are inextricably linked – you can’t have one without the other, and they love to be together.”
You can find the Work Exchange Team (WET) at:
Wakarusa Music Festival (Ozark, AR) – June 4-7
Rothbury Music Festival (Rothbury, MI) – July 2-5
All Good Music Festival (Masontown, WV) – July 10-12
Gathering of the Vibes (Bridgeport, CT) – July 23-26
Wanderlust Festival (Lake Tahoe, CA) – July 24-26
Mulberry Mountain Music Harvest (Ozark, AR) – Aug 12-15
Virginia Wine Festival (Centreville, VA) – Sept 19-20
Bear Creek Music Festival (Live Oak, FL) – Nov 13-15
Our street teams and/or online street teams are currently working to promote the following events:
DelFest (Cumberland, MD) – May 22-24
Mountain Jam (Hunter Mountain, NY) – May 28-31
Wakarusa Music Festival (Ozark, AR) – June 4-7
Floyd Fandango Beer & Wine Festival (Floyd, VA) – July 4-5
All Good Music Festival (Masontown, WV) – July 10-12
FloydFest (Floyd, VA) – July 23-26
Gathering of the Vibes (Bridgeport, CT) – July 23-26
Bear Creek Music Festival (Live Oak, FL) – Nov 13-15
Jamcruise (Caribbean Seas) – Jan 3-8
Caribbean Holidaze (Runaway Bay, Jamaica) Dec 10-14
