Superfly (company)

Superfly is an entertainment and lifestyle company^[1] with offices in New York, San Francisco, and Chicago. They are co-creators of Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival, as well as Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival and Great GoogaMooga.

History

The company was founded in 1996 by Jonathan Mayers, Rick Farman, Richard Goodstone and Kerry Black.^[2]

After gaining notoriety as hosts of after-hours events during the New Orleans Jazz Fest and Mardi Gras, Superfly's owners realized they had hit a plateau, unable to compete with big venues that could profit from alcohol and other sales in addition to ticket fees. They wanted to put on bigger events and came up with the idea of Bonnaroo.^[3]

Bonnaroo

Superfly's approach to the first Bonnaroo during the summer of 2002 was notable for a number of reasons. The venue was remote. The bands were not chart toppers, and most remarkably, promotion was entirely done on the internet, with tickets only being available through their own website (a unique business concept at the time).^[4] The manager of Dave Matthews Band came on as an initial backer, simultaneously guaranteeing a headline act. Word of mouth drove 10,000 ticket sales in the first day of availability, and 70,000 total in 11 days.^[5] They had hoped to sell 40,000.^[3] To this day, Bonnaroo tickets are exclusively available through the company's website, and the festival has grown to be one of the world's largest musical events of the year every year.

Bonnaroo has sold out almost every year since the first festival was held in 2002, and in 2007 Rolling Stone magazine named the festival one of "50 moments that changed the history of rock."^[6]

As a result of a partnership between Ben & Jerry's and the Bonnaroo festival, the ice cream company created a “Bonnaroo Buzz” flavor in 2011.^[7]

The festival used their YouTube channel Bonnaroo365 to get the help of fans in selecting the 2013 lineup by having them submit videos promoting bands they’d like to see.^[8]

Outside Lands

Superfly co-created the San Francisco-based Outside Lands Music & Arts Festival. Launched in 2008, it was the first major ticketed event in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. While bands are a major attraction for the crowds, the event also leverages San Francisco’s local culture with involvement from regional restaurants and wineries providing interesting fare as well as tech companies and non-profit groups adding their own touches like a live broadcast on YouTube and free water bottle refills and bike valet for the environmentally conscious crowd.^[9]

Great GoogaMooga

In 2012 Superfly launched its culinary festival brand, the Great GoogaMooga: a festival that highlights food above music, which debuted in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park in May 2012. The first major food festival of its kind, GoogaMooga emphasizes the culinary experience and works with local sustainable businesses and well known chefs to create an event with quality food as the main attraction.^[10][11] Though the festival's emphasis is on food, it also features acts by a number of prominent bands.

Superfly Marketing Group

Superfly Marketing Group, also referred to as SMG, was created in 2009 to be a strategic partner to brand marketers. SMG has developed marketing programs for JetBlue,^[12][13] Intel, Life is good,^[14] and Adult Swim,^[15] both at Superfly-produced festivals, as well as standalone marketing programs.^[16] In 2013, Superfly Presents acquired The Distillery, a small Chicago creative agency.^[13]

References

External links

• Superfly
• Bonnaroo
• Outside Lands
• Great GoogaMooga
• Superfly Marketing Group