Reinventing the Festival Experience from Jam Cruises to Beach Fests
In this episode of the Live Music Industry Podcast, Matt Ford sits down with Andy Levine, Founder and CEO of Topeka, to talk about building Moon Crush, a festival with no lines in Miramar Beach, Florida, where every fan has their own reserved "cove." They dig into how the venue works, why artists like Luke Combs, Brandi Carlile, and Tedeschi Trucks sign on, and how Andy runs offers and revenue-share deals in Prism.
They also explore Andy's founding of Sixthman, from taking 400 Sister Hazel fans on a cruise in 2001 to 250 full-ship charters, and why he believes he's in the community business, not just the music business.
In this episode:
- What makes the Moon Crush cove model different from a typical festival
- How the venue delivers food, drinks, and ice to 6,000 fans with no lines
- Why artists take less money to spend a weekend with their most passionate fans
- Using Prism's AI chat, offer templates, and co-pro tools with artist revenue-share partners
- How a Napster-era fear led to the first Rock Boat and the full-ship charter business
- What Hurricane Katrina and loyal guests taught Sixthman about community
- Why 4,000 to 6,000 people is the sweet spot for intimate events with real headliners
- How asking for feedback built enough trust to save the company
Plus, Andy shares his vision for taking Moon Crush to new destinations as a trusted, boutique brand, "almost like Ironman," that fans can count on anywhere.
