OMF Moves to Berkeley Greek, Blockchain Powered Fest Announces Zedd, Big Sean, Matt And Kim

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The inaugural Our Music Festival, which bills itself as the first crypto-fueled festival, has announced a venue change and lineup with Zedd, Big Sean, electronic dance producer (and event co-founder) 3LAU, Matt & Kim and Charlotte Lawrence at the Greek Theatre at UC Berkeley Oct. 20.

In collaboration with dance music producer 3LAU, blockchain studio SingularDTV and Columbus-based festival promoter Prime Social Group, OMF is setting out to change the festival experience.

“The way festivals work right now: you buy a ticket, you go to an event, you consume that experience, and you don’t get anything else even though you’re providing so much more value in the process,” 3LAU CEO Justin Blau told Pollstar. “You get to do it all again next year and usually pay a higher ticket price, that’s how live music has existed.” 

OMF will use blockchain technology to grant a type of “sky mile” that rewards concert attendees for participation and gives them bigger influence in an event, all the way to even potentially helping pick the artist lineup.

“The difference between what we’re doing and any other cryptocurrency project is that we provide real-world-use case for redemption. OMF will provide discounted and early access to tickets, backstage tours, food and beverage, or merch, the possibilities are pretty endless,” Blau said, adding that the OMF festivals will have their own native currency as the network rolls out. 

Also involved in the OMF launch are AM Only founder and Paradigm partner Paul Morris and Paradigm agents Lee Anderson (who represents Zedd), Sam Hunt, and CAA agents Hunter Williams, Zach Iser and Phil Quist.

Zedd has been headlining both domestically and overseas, with many dates in Asia, recurring gigs at the Omnia Nightclub in Las Vegas, as well as festivals including Lollapalooza, Electric Daisy, Shaky Beats, and Love Loud.

“We just did Zedd In The Park, we had two months from the day we decided to do it to until the show took place, and we were able to sell 16,000 tickets and sell out in advance,” Zedd’s agent, Lee Anderson, told Pollstar. The Insomniac event took place July 3 at L.A. State Historic Park, with Whethan, Medasin and Oliver Tree on the bill. “I’d say one that was one of the best shows I’ve ever been a part of, in any capacity, in my entire career. I think you will see him continue to be very active both releasing music and touring over the next year.”

Prime Social Group Co-CEO and founder Adam Lynn told Pollstar the booking agents involved with OMF are acting as advisers and helping to expand OMF to Europe and Asia. The goal is to eventually incorporate the OMF tech into PSG’s own festival brands, including the Breakaway and Prime events that total about 15 events in the United States, as well as others.  Lynn said the move to Berkeley’s Greek Theatre feels like a better home for the event than the originally announced San Francisco Civic Center Plaza.

The inaugural OMF is a sort of rollout and the organizers stress that all of tech may not be fully functional yet as they build up the user base and collect data. 

While blockchain has become a tech buzzword that has led to a lot of empty promises and PR opportunities, Blau stresses the implications for the concert business are obvious and user-friendly, with the ability to increase efficiency in ticketing and data collection (publicly) on top of giving fans value with the crypto-currency.

“The trick is automating the process in a simple way so fans can understand it,” Blau said. “A fan shouldn’t have to understand the intricacies of blockchain technology to benefit from it, they just need to know ‘Oh, when I tell a friend about the festival I get rewarded for my loyalty.”