iSkew

As a PR guy I'm normally not so beholden to press releases, but this is a good one (and the first I've ever really seen from Roo organizers). The boilerplate does explain Roo pretty well. Plus, it's great news...

http://sev.prnewswire.com/entertainment/20070110/NYW12210012007-1.html

Bonnaroo Purchases Festival Site

NEW YORK, Jan. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Bonnaroo organizers Superfly Productions and AC Entertainment have purchased a major portion of the site where the annual music festival is held. The purchase of 530 acres encompasses all of the performance areas and much of the camping and parking area used for the annual festival; the festival will continue to lease another 250 acres that currently serve as additional parking and camping.

In addition to becoming the permanent venue for Bonnaroo, the purchase will allow organizers to open the site for a variety of other select events.

"We are really excited about making this investment," Superfly's Jonathan Mayers said. "It's an incredible property that can lend itself to many different kinds of events and gatherings. Our hope is that this will become one of the premier event sites in the world. We plan to work closely with all local officials as we determine what types of events will be a good match for this site. We are very open-minded about working with anyone interested in using the property," Mayers continued.

The new owners are developing a master plan for the land that will be phased in over several years. Improvements will focus on making the event more comfortable for fans and increasing the efficiency of Bonnaroo production as well as developing the infrastructure necessary to host multiple events. Initial improvements will likely begin following Bonnaroo 2007.

Since its inception, Bonnaroo has contributed more than $1 million directly to Coffee County organizations. In addition to annual charitable contributions, the festivals activities provide annual revenue to the county. Measured in a 2005 study, the economic impact of the event on Coffee County was more than $14 million in business revenues and more than $4 million in personal income.

"One reason we decided to make this purchase is because we love Coffee County," Mayers said. "Now that we are even more a part of the community, we are looking forward to identifying long-term programs and projects that could benefit from Bonnaroo support."

Scheduled for June 14-17, 2007, this year's Bonnaroo will be the sixth annual event.

The festival website is http://www.bonnaroo.com/ ABOUT BONNAROO

Since its inception in 2002, Bonnaroo has become a landmark event revered as "Festival of the Year" by Pollstar, Spin, Billboard and Rolling Stone, among other accolades. A four-day, multi-stage camping festival held on a 700-acre farm in Manchester, Tennessee, the event has sold out four out of five years averaging 80,000 tickets per year, all without the help of any traditional advertising. The festival has spawned a suite of complementary products, including festival merchandise, digital downloads, nationally syndicated radio and Internet radio shows, several volumes of live CDs, and a series of DVD documentaries, the first of which reached gold status within five months of its release date.

With headliners like the Dave Matthews Band, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Radiohead, Neil Young, Bob Dylan, Beck and The Dead, Bonnaroo features many of the top artists in the grassroots rock genre, along with hosts of acts in complementary styles such as jazz, bluegrass, singer/songwriter, hip hop and electronica. Bonnaroo programming combines the richness of roots traditions with the freshness of the cutting edge, bringing many styles and formats into one dynamic experience. In its five years of existence, a staggering range of artists have performed at Bonnaroo, from veteran legends such as James Brown, David Byrne and John Prine, to hip-hop groups like Jurassic 5 and the Roots, to progressive indie-rock bands like Modest Mouse, Bright Eyes, Death Cab for Cutie and the Mars Volta.

Hailed among critics and fans for its near-flawless logistics, peaceful vibe, and eclectic lineup, Bonnaroo features eleven music stages and a 100-acre entertainment village. Bonnaroo takes on the microcosmic economy and infrastructure of a small city. In addition to dozens of epic performances, the festival buzzes with round-the-clock attractions and activities including a classic arcade, cinema, silent disco, comedy club, theater performers, beer festival, playground, kids area, artist workshops, yoga classes, and a music technology village, not to mention over a hundred vendors, cafes, and concessionaires providing high quality crafts and foods.

With aggressive programming and staunch support from the market, the event quickly evolved from its status as the culmination of the jam band movement into a mainstream phenomenon. Revered as "festival of the year" by such influential publications as Spin and Pollstar, Bonnaroo has been recognized as a significant force in the current pop music landscape by several major national media outlets, including the New York Times, which noted that Bonnaroo has "revolutionized the modern rock festival" and called it "the American rock festival to end all festivals." Rolling Stone has also consistently praised the event, and naming it one of the 50 moments that changed the history of rock & roll.

For more information, contact: Ken Weinstein: 212-619-1360
Website: http://www.bonnaroo.com/

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