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This week on the New Music Business podcast features Bob Babisch, the Vice President of Entertainment for the glorious Summerfest. Following its 1968 debut, Summerfest has evolved into what is now recognized as “the World’s Largest Music Festival” and Milwaukee’s cornerstone summer celebration with approximately 800k people. Babisch manages tens of millions of dollars in the entertainment budget for Summerfest on an annual basis, and has worked with a plethora of artists over his 46 years in the music industry, from The Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder to Whitney Houston, Lady Gaga and Kanye West. Learn more about Summerfest here: https://www.summerfest.com
5:05 Welcome
7:38 The history of Summerfest
9:42 How many people each stage holds
11:54 Structuring the festival lineup
13:27 Showcasing local Wisconsin artists
16:45 Keeping up with the times
18:30 When Summerfest starts booking acts
22:15 Fishing where the fish are
23:38 The finances behind Summerfest
30:17 The production crew
35:25 Change over times and standard line checks
38:46 Video screens on stage
39:51 Festival hospitality
41:39 Smaller ground stages
43:44 How to get booked at Summerfest
47:29 Final question
Edited and mixed by Maxton Hunter
Music by Brassroots District
Produced by the team at Ari’s Take
