Coachella: EI Weekend 3567
Discussing the business of Coachella, from telephone number artist fees to mega-merch sales and fast food at hyperinflated prices.
Exchange Invest is a unique information resource combining the day’s stories in a newsletter for investors in exchanges/financial markets infrastructure.
Exchange Invest was founded by former exchange CEO and author of the first bestselling book of fintech (“Capital Market Revolution!” FT 1999) Patrick Young. Monday through Friday, our daily paid subscriber email discusses the business of bourses of all kinds across the world.
Last Week
In previous weeks, we have discussed the most expensive paintings: Part I: Salvator Mundi | Part II: Interchange | Part III: The Card Players | Part IV: Nafea Faa Ipoipo | Part V: Number 17A.
On this day in 2016, Thomson Reuters began the final phase-out of Thomson One. The vendor had recently sent end-of-life notices to customers of its legacy Thomson One desktops, announcing that it retired the platform the following year.
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MACRO THOUGHTS
Here’s Everything About Coachella’s History You Didn’t Know (But Probably Should)
We are Mitu
A name that began as a typo (should be Conchilla), Coachella began, in part, because Pearl Jam was fighting Ticketmaster over monopolistic service fees (How Pearl Jam inspired Coachella Festival | Far Out Magazine). It almost collapsed financially in its first year (Goldenvoice / Paul Tollett (President & CEO) — organizer lost roughly $850,000), arriving right after Woodstock ’99. Tollett later called the decision to announce and stage the festival just two months after Woodstock ’99 “financial suicide.” Tollett’s original instinct was to combine “trendy artists who were not necessarily chart successes” and turn the curation itself into the magnet. And over time, it turned from an anti-Woodstock experiment (high-comfort festival experience) into one of the most profitable and culturally powerful festivals on earth.
IN BIGWORLD
The Straits of Hormuz affair is causing airline headaches.
True, Air Caledonie (serving French overseas territory) has filed for bankruptcy as a result of domestic issues.
However, various airlines have already disappeared. Not sure too many will mourn the passing of Air Albania, some may miss Slovenian discounter AlpAvia and Emilio Romagna centric Italian discounter GoToFly based in Forli, Italy.
Meanwhile longstanding Mexican charter company (founded 1994) Magnicharters has suspended all flights until May.
The service oblivious German monopolist, Luftwaffe, meanwhile, ditched an entire sub brand Lufthansa Cityline in the past week (as well as announcing removal of their A340–600 fleet in the TLD airline).
Watch this space and as a knock on, expect secondhand jet prices to soften after being remarkably firm in recent months as airlines cut capacity and other carriers disappear entirely.
BITCARNAGE
MiCA’s Not Enough
MiCA’s Not Enough: Bybit CEO Says Firms Need Other Licenses To Turn A Profit In Europe
CoinDesk
…In some senses, hardly news methinks, this has been obvious for months albeit the EU didn’t help itself by making the demand of payment licences at a pretty late stage last year.
NB What seems like an eon ago but is actually barely 24 months or thereabouts, US crypto bros were berating the Biden admin and saying the EU was the future of crypto. They meant a pro-growth environment… At the time, I pointed out this concept of EU as pro-growth flew in the face of the EU’s history and… well, Trump happened, saving a fair bit of egg face repo for the bros, I suppose.
If you enjoyed this excerpt you may be interested to know that you can read Bitcarnage every day in Exchange Invest.
Alternatively, if you want to follow Bitcarnage — the daily update on happenings in the world of crypto and digital assets, then you can find Bitcarnage as a standalone on Substack.
Podcasts This Week
The Business Behind Coachella (With Tati Cirisano)
Trapital Apple Podcast
OF INTEREST
As always, a review of interesting reading to provoke thoughts and consideration… Not sure we agree with much of it….but it’s thought-provoking!
Coachella 2026 Hits $200m, But Profit Isn’t What You’d Expect
TheStreet
Total Revenue: More than $200 million, highest-grossing music festivals in the U.S.
Attendance: Approximately 750,000 people.
Coachella 2026: How Premium Brands Are Cashing In On A ‘Consumer Wonderland’
LA Times
Top Brand Activations From Coachella 2026
BizBash
This year, activations spanned everything from first-of-its-kind concepts to returning fan favorites:
Pinterest: A phone-free experience on the festival grounds
Barbie: Self-expression with a pretty-in-pink installation
Aperol: Day Club as a new on-site gathering spot
NYLON (Neutrogena): NYLON House, Neutrogena “Torture Test,” free sunscreen
Heineken: Heineken House on festival grounds as a 21+ beer garden
Gap: “Hoodie House” on-site with lounge seating, hoodie customization, desert-inspired spaces for content and artist connections
Method: Largest activation with off-site “Method Oasis”
Coca-Cola: Coca-Cola Pop Shop (free coke) & Sonic Desert: invite-only off-site daytime party
Youtube: YouTube Village — a hybrid on/off-site hub blending live-streaming studios, creator meetups, and AR content tools
818 Tequila: An invite-only desert speakeasy and mingling with stars like Kylie Jenner and Hailey Bieber
And many more activated both on and off the grounds with experiences designed to capture attention and content.
Ranked: These Are The Highest Paid Acts There Have Ever Been At Coachella
Expert Explains How Laptop Section Of Justin Bieber’s Coachella Performance Actually Worked
The Tab
The Business Of The Biebers
Vogue
JustinBieber was the highest paid Coachella act of all time. Justin Bieber and Hailey Bieber are a power couple oversee a two-pronged business empire:
Justin Bieber Performance: Headlined Weekend 1 (April 11) for record $10M; 90-minute nostalgic set with YouTube clips, millennial hits, Billie Eilish guest spot (Weekend 2)
Skylrk Merch: Generated $5M Weekend 1 sales ($15M total); worn onstage by Justin
Hailey Bieber & Rhode: Partnered on 818 Tequila Outpost pop-ups (spiked iced coffees, peptide lip treatments); styled festival looks (Skylrk/Greg Ross/Loewe); joined Justin onstage
LOOK: 10 Highlights From Coachella 2026 (In Photos)
Inquirer
7 Reasons Why Coachella Is (Still) So Popular
Sound of Life
What Is Coachella & Why You Must Go At Least Once In Your Life!
Stylish Lyme
South Korea’s Biggest K-Pop Labels Are Considering Joining Forces To Create Their Own Coachella
Images Dawn
IPO-VID LIVESTREAM PODCAST
The latest IPO-VID podcast “Reflections From Jamaica,” PLY was joined by Marlene Street Forrest, whose long leadership at the Jamaica Stock Exchange helped shape the institution’s modern development. In this conversation, she reflects on lessons from building markets, strengthening governance, and expanding capital market opportunities in Jamaica, alongside insights from her work in leadership and advisory roles today..
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Zero Coal BSE.
LAST WORD
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