BANG!

There is more to Bang Music Festival 2006 then the average festivalgoer could ever imagine, but then again, Bang is not an average festival. Since its inception in 2005, the festival has made great strides in gathering an extensive lineup – Daft Punk, Duran Duran, Gnarls Barkley and Modest Mouse are headlining this year’s gala of 57 performers – for a one-day event held in Miami’s Bicentennial Park on Nov. 11.

So what kind of music can concertgoers expect? Philippe Haddad, CEO of Haddad Productions, the production company responsible for Bang, put it simply: “We’re not country, we’re not Latin; we’re everything.” The festival features an eclectic lineup, five stages, a $75 general admission price tag, countless VIP options, food, drinks and more. One may wonder, “Why Miami?”

“First and foremost, we’re from here,” Haddad said. “Second, it’s very well situated for artists coming from South America and Europe, so we’re basically planting the seed for a lot of people to make it. We’re better situated in the world for that than, let’s say, Los Angeles.”

After last year’s success and a solid lineup this year, Bang has been pulling off a flawless act. However, it is behind the scenes where one will find it’s not always as easy as Bang makes it appear.

“We reach out to (anyone) and everyone that we can,” said Starr Ackerman, marketing director for Bang.

“We’re a new festival, so it’s hard to get sponsors. Brand new festivals can go three or four years without sponsors. Last year we had no sponsorship, but after this year sponsorship should be easy. After this year I don’t think we’ll have to be knocking on anyone’s door; I think they’ll be knocking on ours. Our production is going to be top notch this year.”

Besides the headlining bands, the festival features many DJs such as Europe’s famous Tiesto and Florida native Baby Anne, as well as lesser-known DJs.

“We’re featuring many DJs for two reasons,” Haddad said. “We started out predominantly as an electronic festival and we have a strong electronic background. Miami is electronically based and we are catering to the sound here. Basically the whole downtown club scene is electronic.” So what made the festival switch from one that was “predominantly electronic” to one that features everything?

“I chose the lineup myself based on an open type of format,” Haddad said. “The festival is reacting to what kids want to hear nowadays, and so we’re going for different genres of music. It’s a new concept (featuring different genres of music) and the reaction has been very positive. Although there are different genres of music, it still comes from the same demographic.”

The demographic the festival is catering to appears to be a college-aged crowd interested in a wide range of music.

University of Miami student Stephanie Sladek, who will be attending the festival, said, “There is a lot of bands that I want to see and all the different types of music will make for an interesting turnout of people. It’s exciting – all these different bands and DJs are coming to Miami. Any night in Miami ends up being an interesting night.”

Bang’s appeal to bands, DJs and festivalgoers is the quality treatment one will receive while attending the event.

“The best marketing you can do is provide a great experience for people so that they have something to refer back to,” Ackerman said. “Word of mouth is the best way possible because if you say you went to a concert and had a great time, the person you are talking to will want to go, too.” For more information on purchasing tickets, the full lineup and general inquiries about the festival, refer to:

www.bangmusicfestival.com.