By: Odunayo Ishola
Ah, Coachella! You might call it the modern-day Woodstock, and you would pretty much be right. With people barefoot frolicking through the open field, sensational live music blaring throughout the day, amazing company and great vibes all round, what’s not to love about Coachella?
If you didn’t know what Coachella is before this year, you most certainly do now! Thanks to Snapchat, those of us who weren’t lucky enough to make the festival this year were able to live vicariously, and almost in real time with the people who were lucky enough to attend! In my little room in Ohio, I was filled with so much life as I watched the entire festival unravel on my Snapchat feed.
Of course this isn’t the first time Coachella has been televised. It isn’t even the first time it’s been televised live. Since 2011, YouTube has always live streamed the opening weekend of Coachella. However, this is the first time we’ve experienced it through the eyes of the audience. The mishmash of different people recording their experiences gave the festival a three dimensional life of its own. We were able to get a very real feel of what it would’ve been like to be there. It wasn’t just about the music and the live performances. This year, for the first time, we got the full effect of what it would’ve been like to be at Coachella. We watched as people enjoyed the company of their friends. We watched as they did yoga, played frisbee, and danced alongside strangers, just simply having a good time. And we also saw raw moments of performances. From the incredible butterfly stage to the super awkward kiss Madonna and Drake shared on said stage, everything was laid out for our viewing. All captured in ten seconds or less, by a million different people.
If you didn’t know what Coachella is before this year, you most certainly do now! Thanks to Snapchat, those of us who weren’t lucky enough to make the festival this year were able to live vicariously, and almost in real time with the people who were lucky enough to attend! In my little room in Ohio, I was filled with so much life as I watched the entire festival unravel on my Snapchat feed.
Of course this isn’t the first time Coachella has been televised. It isn’t even the first time it’s been televised live. Since 2011, YouTube has always live streamed the opening weekend of Coachella. However, this is the first time we’ve experienced it through the eyes of the audience. The mishmash of different people recording their experiences gave the festival a three dimensional life of its own. We were able to get a very real feel of what it would’ve been like to be there. It wasn’t just about the music and the live performances. This year, for the first time, we got the full effect of what it would’ve been like to be at Coachella. We watched as people enjoyed the company of their friends. We watched as they did yoga, played frisbee, and danced alongside strangers, just simply having a good time. And we also saw raw moments of performances. From the incredible butterfly stage to the super awkward kiss Madonna and Drake shared on said stage, everything was laid out for our viewing. All captured in ten seconds or less, by a million different people.
Snapchat isn’t one to disclose its usage data, however, CEO Evan Spiegel, shared that over 40 million people viewed the Coachella story over the weekend! 40 million! If that isn’t brilliant media planning, and buying, I don’t know what is. It was rumored that the tickets for Coachella sold out within 20 minutes this year. I wonder, with the publicity Snapchat garnered for the event, how much more tickets will be sold for next year.
