Earlier today, The Governors Ball Music Festival Facebook page posted this link with the caption “To the Fans, Supporters, and Fellow Music Lovers.” Leading readers to a Change.org petition to “Support Gov Ball NYC” the proposition targeted at mayor Bill De Blasio would reject approval of the alleged music festival that is scheduled within weeks of Governors Ball.
The rival festival, run by Coachella founders AEG is scheduled to take place in Flushing Meadows Park in Queens, only minutes over the Astoria Bridge from Randall’s Island, where Gov Ball has found its home since 2012. Governors Ball was founded and run by the much smaller Founder’s Entertainment, who are also responsible for bringing FarmBorough to the island, as well as, Afro Punk in previous years.
While the founders of the festival aka Team Gov Ball consist of Jordan Wolowitz, Tom Russell, and Yoni Reisman have managed to keep attendance up in years (roughly 40,000 as clarified in this article) mainly because of their ability to make the festival more accessible as music fans themselves, as well as, being able to draw major acts like Drake, Florence + the Machine, and Lana Del Rey alone in the past year. Although 2013 saw the festival take a slight inconvenience with the infamous hurricane that left a multitude of soaked and muddy concertgoers trying to escape the island (a fear which plagued attendees this year on Friday) Governors Ball has always been able to draw major audiences and keep visitors returning because of the smaller scale feel of the operation that goes into management of the festival while promising to make itself known as New York’s premier music festival unlike the many others (see: Bamboozle, All Points West, Field Day) who have tried.
To the Fans, Supporters, and Fellow Music Lovers,
We’re writing you today to ask for your support to help keep Gov Ball alive for many years to come. We started the festival back in 2011 with one goal in mind: to bring a major music festival that New Yorkers could call their own to our hometown. One that was specifically curated for the eclectic music lovers of New York City. One that featured the very best of NYC cuisine. And one that operated with the attendee experience as the #1 priority.
As a small, independent company in an industry dominated by major corporations and rapid consolidation, we’ve come a long way and given hundreds of thousands of you first class entertainment. Sadly, today our future is in jeopardy and we need your help.
As reported in The Daily News and multiple industry news outlets, AEG is lobbying the Mayor’s Office and other city agencies for approval of a major festival in Flushing Meadows Park in Queens two weeks after Governors Ball. The timing of this proposed event is an aggressive, greedy attempt by AEG to push a small independent company of born and bred New Yorkers out of business and out of the market.
We are writing you today to ask for your support and tell the Mayor’s Office and the City of New York to reject this proposed event that would take place two weeks after Gov Ball. We are asking that this proposed event take place at another time of year because this would allow both events to succeed. Please help Gov Ball survive and continue to serve you – the fans, friends, and family – for many years to come!
Sign the petition now.
With Sincerity, and Gratitude,
Team Gov Ball