Arizona has been famous for a lot of things: the Grand Canyon, Sedona, cowboys and cacti. It has never really been known as a hub of alternative lifestyle or popular culture.
But perhaps it's time to think about opening Arizona's doors to the younger generation.
According to 2010 Census data, people under 15 and over 50 — people who typically would not go to a large music festival — make up 53 percent of Arizona's population, leaving 47 percent of the state’s population with money to burn and a desire to attend a big, communal festival a little out in the cold.
So what's a 20-something punk rock, indie-pop music lover to do? Well, there's Coachella in California and Bonaroo in Tennessee and Lollapalooza, which travels around the country. Perhaps, it’s time to bring a big festival to the desert.
These large music festivals generate millions of dollars in revenue — thanks to the huge influx of people from out of state who come to stay and need places to sleep, eat and shop while they're here — and fill the need for more jobs both directly and indirectly related to the festival.
The logistics of planning a giant festival can be daunting: where to put it, the organization of such a large event, security and medical concerns. These all seem like great reasons not to host an event like this.
But if Arizona is looking for a way to boost revenue, and I'm pretty sure the state could use a hand, a music festival should be an option.
A study by the Ontario Trillium Foundation tracked the economic impact of small, medium and large festivals in the Ontario area. Even a small festival, defined by the study as one costing less than $75,000 to host, generated almost three million dollars in revenue for the local and provincial government.
This would not only benefit the state economically. Hosting an annual music festival would help to bolster a community that is running mostly unnoticed in Arizona. The local music scene, while undeniably there, needs a venue like a large music festival to help push local and underground artists and get their talent noticed.
A festival like Coachella held here in Arizona would also help cement a community of music and art lovers that is not as well known here as it is in places that host big festivals. When Phoenix becomes a music destination, it attracts an entirely different type of tourist. No more Hawaiian-shirt-wearing, camera-toting families with itineraries.
Although hosting a music festival is not going to solve Arizona's economic woes, it will definitely give a boost to industries that are suffering because of the downturn in the economy. Restaurants, hotels and recreation facilities are all businesses that suffer when people have less money to spend, as they are luxury industries. A music festival could help regenerate some of those businesses and also give Phoenix a new personality.
Contact this music-loving columnist at omcquarr@asu.edu
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