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 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
 
 

SOURCE Bonnaroo