The coronavirus pandemic has forced music festivals to examine how they operate and figure out whether there is even a future. This includes Rolling Loud, which is one of the most popular hip-hop festivals in the world. For those who are unaware, Rolling Loud was founded in 2015.
The first festival took place in Miami, Florida, but the festival has since expanded to other major cities. Rolling Loud also had plans to expand internationally. Some of the most famous rappers in the world, such as J.Cole, Travis Scott, Future, ASAP Rocky, Post Malone, Cardi B, and Gucci Mane, have performed at the festival.
The Rolling Loud festival also made international headlines in 2019 because the New York Police Department intervened before the festival. The NYPD declared five of the rappers on the lineup a “security risk”. The artists were subsequently removed from the roster only days before the festival, which led to significant backlash from both fans and performers.
Beyond Festivals
Rolling Loud has officially entered a content partnership with Twitch. Rolling Loud will air three music festivals on the platform exclusively, called “Loud Streams.” The first festival will air on September 11th and 12th, and the lineup will be announced shortly. That isn’t all – Rolling Loud also plans on releasing additional podcasts and streams.
Tariq Cherif, a co-founder of Rolling Loud, had already wanted to get into the media space before the pandemic. He now views it as the perfect opportunity to begin creating content, stating: “We have a strong brand and we’re going to be able to apply that throughout our weekly programming schedule and through these digital festivals.”
More Interactive
The festival shows will be completely free on Twitch. However, Rolling Loud plans on offering “elevated experiences” for paying subscribers. The Rolling Loud co-founders claimed that they will be offering the most interactive virtual concerts in the world, and expressed dismay at some of the other live streams that have occurred since the pandemic started.
Artists will apparently be taking time out of their set to address a chat screen that fans can see. Cherif made it clear that he believes that there isn’t a sufficient “energy exchange” during live streams, and hopes to change that.
Additional Details
There are some more details regarding the content that Rolling Loud will be releasing. They will be launching a show called “The Leak”, which will focus on showcasing newer artists and music. Another show, called “Got Bars”, will involve a freestyle competition. The co-founders of Rolling Loud, Matt Zingler, and Tariq Cherif will also host a Livestream podcast called “The Rotation.”
One of the co-founders of Rolling Loud, Matt Zingler, pointed out that this was more about providing content for fans who are missing out on live concert experiences. He stated that profit wasn’t the primary motive. Specifically, Zingler stated: “Twitch basically gave us a budget and we spent it all.” However, he does believe that the shows can be monetized better in the future.
