The Other and "Kind of Pyramid Level" Headliners

[ghostdancer1]

48 minutes ago, Matt42 said:

Kylie Minogue and Miley Cyrus

 

 

er, no.

Billie started 1hr 45mins after Kylie finished. She wasn't up against Kylie whatsoever.

she started at the same time Miley finished.

[jyoung]

We watched Kylie and about half of Miley Cyrus. I was gutted as I was looking forward to Loyle Carner but figured I'd have the chance to see him again and Miley less so.

Miley was fantastic. I was annoyed that I left early for Billie which ended up being a bit of an underwhelming set. I'm a fan but it didn't live up to my expectations. I know there were problems with the sound.

Maybe a headline set in the dark would suit her better or maybe she's just more suited to shows with more of her own fans (see Reading for instance)...

[Jeremy Irons]

Billie has been at the front of the zeitgeist for roughly a year, maybe a year and a half, correct?

Are there any other examples of artists who have spent roughly the same amount time within the zeitgeist and then going onto headline the Other Stage?

I suppose Stormzy went from a mid-afternoon on the Other to a headline slot on the Pyramid within a Glastonbury sized leap-year, but he had been firmly within the popular consciousness for 4/5 years already.

It seems like a risky bet to me, but that's not to say Emily doesn't go for risky bets. 

 

[Matt42]

I think some people forget that the Arctic Monkeys were booked to headline off the back of their debut album.

I know they released favourite worst nightmare before the festival - but this album came out at the end of April. They definitely were booked before album 2 was released.

[thrillhouse188]

Billie is a really interesting one, obviously she's absolutely massive, but would still be a risky booking as Pyramid headliner at this point in time. Doing the Other as a 'Pyramid sized' would be the perfect compromise

[Rum Ham]

You's are off your box if you think Billie Eilish will ever headline Glastonbury at any stage in her career.

[jyoung]

The pool of headliners is getting smaller. Forget what you are used to. The metrics previously used to measure a headliner will not be applicable for much longer. It's a change and people aren't used to the idea, that's why they say it can't happen (but it will)...

Bookers are going to have to get creative. They can take the lead or eventually the crowd. A bona fide star such as Billie, selling out arenas across the globe and engaging fans the way in which she does, is impossible to ignore. One album or not. That's why she's already headlining other fests. They already know.

[Jeremy Irons]

6 minutes ago, Matt42 said:

I think some people forget that the Arctic Monkeys were booked to headline off the back of their debut album.

I know they released favourite worst nightmare before the festival - but this album came out at the end of April. They definitely were booked before album 2 was released.

Yes, but also they'd had two No.1 singles two years previously and had an incomparable presence on the wild-west file-sharing sites of the time for 2-3 years before that slot with some album-lites. 

[thrillhouse188]

2 minutes ago, Rum Ham said:

You's are off your box if you think Billie Eilish will ever headline Glastonbury at any stage in her career.

No one knows how her career trajectory will go in the next few years, so it's surely quite silly to say something so definitive either way 

[fatyeti24]

1 hour ago, Matt42 said:

To put it into perspective Billie has sold 137,800 tickets in the UK alone already.

Yeah, but is she happy?

[CJTM]

10 minutes ago, Rum Ham said:

You's are off your box if you think Billie Eilish will ever headline Glastonbury at any stage in her career.

are we still doing OK boomer?

[thrillhouse188]

14 minutes ago, Matt42 said:

I think some people forget that the Arctic Monkeys were booked to headline off the back of their debut album.

I know they released favourite worst nightmare before the festival - but this album came out at the end of April. They definitely were booked before album 2 was released.

I'd argue there's definitely a difference in demographic which makes her a more risky, that being said for a lot of people who aren't massive fans, but defo interested, glasto would be the perfect chance to see her without having to be surrounded by teenage super fans haha

[Matt42]

11 minutes ago, Rum Ham said:

You's are off your box if you think Billie Eilish will ever headline Glastonbury at any stage in her career.

I really struggle to grasp the logic behind this. Can you explain to me why she will never headline Glastonbury.

 

9 minutes ago, jyoung said:

The pool of headliners is getting smaller. Forget what you are used to. The metrics previously used to measure a headliner will not be applicable for much longer. It's a change and people aren't used to it.

Exactly this. Streaming has ripped up the rule book. The old metrics and ways that artists get big are on the decline and festivals realise who really sell tickets and who the festival goers want to see.

[wro_lap]

Hot take: I don’t think Billie Eilish will play Glastonbury 2020.

[Matt42]

9 minutes ago, Jeremy Irons said:

Yes, but also they'd had two No.1 singles two years previously and had an incomparable presence on the wild-west file-sharing sites of the time for 2-3 years before that slot with some album-lites. 

Yeah I understand your point but this “artists need three albums before they can headline” logic applies to the music era before the streaming generation. 
 

You can achieve more with one album now. You don’t need to have a song sat on the radio for months to get a fanbase anymore.

[Beaster]

18 minutes ago, CJTM said:

are we still doing OK boomer?

You've been drinkin man

[Jeremy Irons]

3 minutes ago, Matt42 said:

Yeah I understand your point but this “artists need three albums before they can headline” logic applies to the music era before the streaming generation. 
 

You can achieve more with one album now. You don’t need to have a song sat on the radio for months to get a fanbase anymore.

Not at all my logic, I completely agree with you on that. 

I'm saying that in terms of the 2005 equivalent of streaming, which was file-sharing, limewire etc. AM had as massive a following without having released an album or signed a publishing/record deal and through that, achieved two No.1 singles**. In a very similar fashion and I reckon equatable to how Billie created her following on SoundCloud then went onto dominate the mainstream. 

My point being that AM were out in the wilderness achieving that type success for at least 2/3 years before they got the call up, where as Billie has being doing it for probably half, if not less then that time. Although certainly, I think an argument can be made that more festival bookers are taking bigger bets on artists which have comparatively less time in the zeitgeist than ever before (for good or for worse). 

 

** I also think there an interesting comparison to be made between streaming and file-sharing, massive streaming numbers I think mis-represent how many people are listening off Spotify designed playlisting/radio or casual listeners that dock into for a couple listens, decide its not for them and then bugger off again. Whereas the bands back in the mid 2000's were getting who knows how many downloads off these file-sharing sites. Certainly, when you were going through the effort to download their songs (illegally)  it's more likely you were gonna rinse & repeat and be converted to a fully paid-up fan.

[waltere]

48 minutes ago, Jeremy Irons said:

Billie has been at the front of the zeitgeist for roughly a year, maybe a year and a half, correct?

Are there any other examples of artists who have spent roughly the same amount time within the zeitgeist and then going onto headline the Other Stage?

I suppose Stormzy went from a mid-afternoon on the Other to a headline slot on the Pyramid within a Glastonbury sized leap-year, but he had been firmly within the popular consciousness for 4/5 years already.

It seems like a risky bet to me, but that's not to say Emily doesn't go for risky bets. 

 

Never forget that in 2014 Jake Bugg headlined the Other (above Pixies and the Manics!)

Taking risky bets on 'zeitgeist' artists doesn't always result in bookings which age well.

[august1]

Foals, Dua Lipa, Biffy is my guess.

2 bands with a big back catalogue and Dua Lipa is hard to place. Think she'll be massive by the time the festival rolls round. Arguably bigger than Stormzy.

 

[CJTM]

1 minute ago, august1 said:

Foals, Dua Lipa, Biffy is my guess.

2 bands with a big back catalogue and Dua Lipa is hard to place. Think she'll be massive by the time the festival rolls round. Arguably bigger than Stormzy.

 

Biffy said they haven't been asked and by the sounds of it, don't they have the OS headliners already in place by Emily's comments?

[sisco]

3 minutes ago, CJTM said:

Biffy said they haven't been asked and by the sounds of it, don't they have the OS headliners already in place by Emily's comments?

Thought Biffy said ‘that’d be telling’

Edited November 14, 2019 by sisco

[Matt42]

6 minutes ago, waltere said:

Never forget that in 2014 Jake Bugg headlined the Other (above Pixies and the Manics!)

Taking risky bets on 'zeitgeist' artists doesn't always result in bookings which age well.

I mean. Taking a punt on Jake Bugg is not the same as taking a punt on Billie Eilish.

[Quark]

7 minutes ago, Matt42 said:

I mean. Taking a punt on Jake Bugg is not the same as taking a punt on Billie Eilish.

You're right. It's a bigger punt on Billie.

History's full of blokes with guitars who've stuck to a formula and been successful. Might be dull, might not be imaginative, but it's true.

History's also full of people who've gone down a different path, produced something that doesn't sound like anything else and captured the zeitgeist, and then.....

[Crazyfool01]

is zeitgeist the word of the day ?  

[Jeremy Irons]

19 minutes ago, august1 said:

Foals, Dua Lipa, Biffy is my guess.

I reckon do-away with Biffy and slot in 1975 and you're onto a winner.