How To Survive (And Have a Fun Ass Time) Doing Press For A Music Festival: No Gatekeeping
Written by Daphne Bryant
All images courtesy of Head In The Clouds
Don’t let these high-end influencers fool you! If you want to go to a music festival for free and make content, it’s actually a lot easier than it seems. Here’s everything you need to know in order to survive (and have a fun ass time) doing press for a music festival!
APPLYING
While I can’t speak for photo passes, this is what you need to obtain a media one:
First things first: build a portfolio. Compile music-related articles, interviews, reviews, etc., that you’ve had published before. It’s very important to have it all in one place, for ease. When I applied for Head In The Clouds, I just dropped a link to the Dreamworldgirl Zine website. The more aligned, professional, and diverse your portfolio is, the better.
Secure a confirmed assignment from a publication. If you don’t have your own publication, you can always work for another music, lifestyle, or culture outlet. Reach out, offer to cover the event, and once you’re confirmed, apply under the publication’s name.
Find the application. Music festivals are always looking for press, and typically put media applications on their official sites months in advance. Just poke around the website a little—you should be able to find it and easily apply!
Submit a pitch and angle. When applying, you will likely have to provide your name(s) and email, publication details (ex: print or digital, social media following, etc.), expected coverage type (review, photos, interview), and press release details: AKA, when the coverage will come out.
Pro Tip: If possible, I’d have two people from your team apply to do media! I did HITC festival alone, and while I made/met up with friends and had a really great time regardless, it definitely would’ve been helpful to have another set of hands on deck! For festivals like HITC, you can in fact receive two passes!
WAIT! PATIENTLY! After you apply, it may be weeks or months before you hear back from the festival. Just hold tight: if you’re accepted, you will receive an email with next steps.
COVERAGE PLAN PREP
Once accepted, you’ll need to start prepping a detailed coverage plan.
Which artists will you focus on? If you’re working for yourself like I do, pick artists that are aligned with your publication (ex: we focused primarily on women and queer artists). If you’re working for someone else, it is likely they will draft up a plan for you, which will include specific artists that they want covered for the mag. Once you know which artists you’re going to cover, you’ll also know when to arrive and when to leave based on their set times.
How many pieces will you release? Dreamworldgirl released two videos (a festival fashion recap and mini-vlog), will be releasing four written pieces: reviews of KiiiKiii and XG’s performances, an overall festivalgoing write-up, as well as this hyper-specific survival guide and finally, a carousel post with digital creator and influencer @heyitshershy! That’s seven total pieces! You can totally do less, but probably shouldn’t do more if you’re working solo—for your own sanity!
How will you take notes during the festival? I brought my laptop and my phone, and mostly used the Notes App to write notes for coverage.
Will you collaborate with anyone during the festival? Prior to the festival, I made a feed post on the DWG account saying I wanted to make content with as many people there as possible, which is how I ended up landing the collab with Hershy! I am sure there are more formal ways to go about this, but a simple feed post was the most chill and easy way for me!
GENERAL FESTIVAL PREP
You’ll also want to make a list of all the things you should bring or know before going to the festival! Luckily, HITC made a list here, and most good festivals will also post preparation lists like it. Below are my personal notes about planning your fit.
Festival fashion is a really big deal! While you’ll find that most people doing press and media will sport all-black casualwear, I personally didn’t want to sacrifice personal style for so-called“ professionalism”. After all, I do work for myself (in case you didn’t remember LMAOAOAO)—there’s no boss above me or restrictive dress code, so I wore a tank top, glittery gray booty shorts, matching animal-print hand warmers and fluffy white leg warmers atop cherry red Doc Martens.
ACTUALLY GETTING INTO THE FESTIVAL
I’m not going to lie: this was kind of the most stressful part LOL.
Know that you will get turned around and led every which way. Even with maps and instructions from HITC’s team, finding the media entrance can be super difficult. Many of the people working the festival only know information about their specific roles or designated areas, so they were woefully unhelpful. I was sent to three or four different places before I finally made it to the right place so…wear comfy shoes…you’re likely going to be walking a lot. And be patient and polite—everyone’s just trying to figure it out! Even one of the artist’s publicists was having a hard time getting in, so don’t beat yourself up if you’re a little confused. Ask questions, speak to supervisors if you need to, you will find your way to the entrance eventually.
THE VIBE IN THE PRESS AREA/MEDIA LOUNGE
The“ vibe” is for sure different depending on what festival you’re at (and who you are), but here’s my advice for HITC in particular:
Expect a cramped space! This year’s HITC Press Area was super, duper crowded and cramped. There weren’t enough seats since artists were flowing in and out of the room doing interviews, so I sat on the floor most of the time. I’m not saying you need to bring a pillow or blanket or anything, but certainly expect to be a bit uncomfortable with the amount of space alone. And also! The whole calling dibs on certain seats? It doesn’t work here. Don’t even worry about showing up early to snag a seat; when you leave the room to get notes or go shoot, the spot you claimed will likely be taken by someone else, and you’ll need to find another.
Be friendly and don’t be afraid to make friends and/or network! Even if you’re inherently shy, like me, you should make sure to introduce yourself to, at the very least, people sitting next to you in the press room. Say hello, talk about your outlet, get Instagrams and numbers, and just…be kind! People will notice if you seem stand-offish, and they’ll remember it the next time they see you—because once you start doing media, you will be running in the same circles with the same people for years, decades even!
I was lucky enough to bond with a photographer from San Diego, to have my friend Renee there doing photos for a different magazine, and to run into Noelle, a Golden Voice employee who I happened to choreograph with in college. I also met up with a bunch of internet acquaintances and friends at the festival itself, so I definitely wasn’t lonely at any point, but if you have a feeling you might be, just remember that there is 100% someone else in the same boat.
Be prepared to see your favs (and not fangirl too hard/lose your shit). When you’re working press, you should expect to see many of your fav artists up-close and personal. When I was checking in-to security I ran into Megan from Katseye and she smiled at me. In the Artist Compound, I played eye tag with one particular boy group member (my bias, if you can believe it), as well as Tsubasa from ONE OR EIGHT (such a cutie bruh). I even got to see my ult groups KiiiKiii, LNGSHOT and XG be interviewed in the press room; they were all mere feet away from me, it was CRAZYYY! But, I had to keep my cool. This isn’t a meet and greet. You’re there as press, on the clock, and you can’t fangirl too hard or lose your shit. You are not Y/N (unless…in which case you will probably sign an NDA and not be allowed to talk about it! Wink hehe)!
Bring a charger for all of your devices. There will be plenty of outlets in the media area, but you won’t be able to use them if you forget a charger for your laptop, phone, iPad, etc.
Bring headphones too! Because I was actively editing videos, working on reviews, and listening to music during the festival (which you should do too BTW; get ahead on everything), I brought my headphones! This is super optional depending on what kind of coverage you’re doing (and I know it seems counterintuitive, to bring headphones to an event with plenty of live music, but just trust me on this one).
Whenever I needed to escape from the festival/take a chill pill, the press room was waiting for me! This is a super underrated perk of doing media at a festival. The AC will be blasting, there will be free water and snacks, and you don’t have to worry about“ missing” performances since there’s a TV that plays the sets live for you.
ALL ABOUT THE PERFORMANCES
Of course, the performances are the biggest part of the festival! You’ll want to be on-site for as many of them as possible. Below is some newbie advice!
You don’t have to be barricaded or VIP to work the event and get good content. While the idea of seeing your fav performers up-close is definitely alluring, I don’t recommend pushing your way through crowds or begging to be front and center. HITC only gives GA passes to those with media credentials anyway, and you’ll receive press-approved photos from them after the festival! In my opinion, it’s 100% possible to enjoy the performances anywhere on the grassy area. As long as you’re close enough to actually see the performers, hear the music, and get a sense for the crowd’s vibe and energy, you should be good. If anything, it was super refreshing to chill and hear good music on my own terms.
Record a healthy amount (AKA CLIPS, not full videos) of the songs! Not just so that you can memorialize the moment, but so that you can capture specific moments that made the crowd go crazy, or fun speaking engagement moments that the artists do, or the visuals, or the outfits, or the choreography or whatever it is you want to write about post-festival. Yes, you’ll be taking written notes, but unless you have a photographic memory I really doubt you’ll be able to remember everything notable.
HOW TO SPEND YOUR DOWN TIME
While it may be tempting for you to chill or work in the Press Area whenever you’re not covering performances, I’d encourage you to at some point get out there and really experience the event!
Support vendors and try some yummy food/drinks! I got a spicy ahi TUNA poke bowl and a lychee dragonfruit lemonade from official HITC vendors and they were both FIREEEE. I admittedly do not hydrate a bunch during events, but I did have at least three Red Bulls too LOL.
Try the activations/get merch! But expect the lines to be long. HITC had everyone from Sephora to Asian American Girl Club, but I didn’t end up going to any because I had to focus on coverage. If you’re there with someone else, I’m sure it’d be a lit easier to split tasks and do some shopping/learn more about all the different brands and organizations featured.
