Music Festival Backline Equipment Trends for 2023

Booking and scheduling the backline equipment that is used at every music festival is an essential part of the event logistics planning. What are the trends organisers should be considering this year when making decisions about the suppliers and specifications of their backline equipment for future events. 

Technological advances drive the ongoing changes often seen in the range and quality of backline equipment commonly used at music festivals. Organisers are always looking for improvements in quality, ease of use and innovation. This needs to be balanced with the cost of hiring equipment which have seen price rises for this year's festival season in line with all suppliers to the live events industry. In addition, there are always new festivals appearing which puts pressure on the supply and availability of the best quality equipment further increasing rental prices.

Technology.
There is an increase in the use of digital and wireless technology for instruments and amplification. This allows musicians to have more flexibility in their performances and reduces the need for physical cables and wires on a stage. Wireless technology allows load in and load out for artist transitions to be much faster along with rapid seamless changes of sound and light settings.

Sustainability. 
In line with the festival's sustainability policies organisers will want a commitment from their backline suppliers to use eco-friendly equipment and sustainable practices at the event. This may include the use of more sustainable materials used in the manufacture of any equipment plus evidence of appropriate recycling of old outdated equipment. Technology should also enable equipment to be more energy efficient using less electricity whilst maintaining the quality and power of amplification.

Diversity.  
The emergence of DEI (Diversity Equity and Inclusion) in working practices for all business similarly applies to festival organisations and their suppliers. Aside from a commitment to DEI for festival staff the same principles apply to backline sound and light engineers as well as the equipment supplier’s staff. Festival organisers can work closely with backline suppliers to ensure that stages and equipment set up is accessible and accommodating for musicians who may have disabilities.

With potentially limited supply of equipment this year some festival organisers may have to compromise when arranging their backline equipment. Some may be forced to use older equipment with the result that sound quality may suffer along with the need to use analogue systems and cable installations. This could lead to festival-goer complaints about the lack of quality in amplification plus higher energy costs and unhappy artists who may be used to using the latest backline equipment. The booking of backline equipment for 2023 should have taken place last year and any festival that has yet to do so may find difficulty in obtaining decent equipment at a reasonable price.

For festival organisers planning their events using a software management platform like Festival Pro gives them all the functionality they need manage every aspect of their event logistics. The guys who are responsible for this software have been in the front line of event management for many years and the features are built from that experience and are performance artists themselves. The Festival Pro platform is easy to use and has comprehensive features with specific modules for managing artists, contractors, venues/stages, vendors, volunteers, sponsors, guestlists, ticketing, cashless payments and contactless ordering.

Photo by Carlos Augusto from Pixabay

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