Lyor's Letter: Coachella 2019
Many of us are on our way to the desert for Coachella, which reminds me that this time last year, I was absolutely blown away by Beyoncé’s performance on the main stage. It was one of those moon landing moments that united everybody around music—even for those not lucky enough to see it in person, YouTube made it possible for the whole world to be a part of it, with almost 500,000 people tuning in to watch our live stream. So I’m really thrilled that for this year’s Coachella, our ninth as the official live stream partner, we get to bring the music to all of you.
This is a year of a LOT of firsts for YouTube! In addition to viewing the live stream on YouTube, you can also watch it directly on our gorgeous YouTube Music app (iOS, Android). We’re making sure you can catch all of the magic happening in the desert, starting the live stream at 4pm PT Friday, April 12 on Weekend 1 and running it all the way through the weekend with performances from headliners Childish Gambino, Tame Impala, and Ariana Grande, plus artists like Maggie Rogers, Burna Boy, Dermot Kennedy and more. For the first time ever, we’re keeping the cameras rolling on Weekend 2 with a carefully curated live stream called Coachella Curated, which will include live music performances from select artists, artist commentary, mini-docs and more, to accompany all the amazing live music. And, as the official playlist partner, special Coachella playlists are available within the YouTube Music app so you can go deep on The Lineup.
We also have some fun activations onsite this year. YouTube Music will host the only lounge backstage outside of the artist trailers — we’d love to have you drop by. If you’re stuck in New York, we’ll be live streaming BLACKPINK’s performance in Times Square at 11:30pm ET on Friday April 12. And, Lil Miquela, the virtual influencer and avastar, will be teaming up with YouTube Music to “host” artist interviews with performers like J Balvin and King Princess. It’s the first time she’s ever spoken on camera, by the way.
The point is, there’s something—there’s a lot, in fact—for everybody. Again, I cannot think of a better way of bringing everyone together to share an unmissable music moment like Coachella, and showcase what only YouTube is uniquely capable of doing, which is bringing the power of performance to everyone through live video.
We hope you join us at Coachella this year, whether you’re on the Polo Fields or in your home, anywhere in the world.
With love and respect,
Lyor