# What Coachella Understands about Branding No One Else Does

An episode of [THE 505 PODCAST](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1591279585), 23 Apr 2026, 1 h 02 min.

Audio: https://podcasts.beehiiv.com/3f71d8b4-2a8c-40eb-8500-c62b76bd9acc/019d43e4-0103-7741-b37f-b81b41dca056/019dba8b-d1c2-72c0-9c9b-c741fa3b37f4/019dba8b-d2b3-7a96-9f3e-d42d15363576.mp3

Check out Artlist's new AI music and get 2 extra months for free here: https://artlist.io/artlist-70446?artlist_aid=the505podcast_2970&utm_source=affiliate_p&utm_medium=the505podcast_2970&utm_campaign=the505podcast_2970 Sign up for our newsletter and get the full breakdown of every episode sent straight to you. https://the505podcast.beehiiv.com/ Coachella just pulled off one of the biggest business plays of the year, and we had to break it down. In this episode, we get into how Justin Bieber’s headline set, record merch sales, brand activations, and overall media frenzy turned the festival into an absolute machine. More importantly, we talk about what creators, brands, and business owners can actually learn from it when it comes to attention, hype, world building, and capitalizing on cultural moments. Timestamps: 0:00 - Intro 0:31 - Recovering from Bieber fever 1:05 - Coachella inflation: $375 in 2013 vs. $625 GA now 1:49 - Why GA is not worth it anymore 2:24 - The security line chaos before Bieber day 3:25 - Bieber breaks Coachella records 4:15 - Skylark merch does $15M across both weekends 5:19 - Why Bieber could pull this off (5 years off the stage) 6:47 - Merch as world building: the Skylark activation 9:16 - Gap and Central Cee: the unlabeled collab play 11:26 - Artlist AI Studio ad read 12:27 - Why artists only play Coachella once 13:38 - The quadruple squeeze: album, tour, merch, Netflix doc 15:02 - Repurposing one performance into endless content 15:32 - 234 posts: Coachella left reach on the table 17:15 - The missing iPhone-in-the-crowd content 18:22 - Showcase the fans, not just the performers 20:13 - Why aren't they posting the hits 22:30 - The "dead crowd" narrative is overblown 23:08 - Coachella's biggest social miss 24:07 - Why 6 days of business means you squeeze harder 25:05 - Sales framework: catch people at peak emotion 25:58 - The YouTube integration was a paid play 26:55 - Mixed reviews on the Bieber set 28:49 - The nostalgia play every brand should steal 29:13 - Coachella's business model breakdown 30:02 - Brand sponsorships and the cost of activating 31:19 - Performing at Coachella as a resume stamp 31:40 - Gap's comeback moment 33:06 - Spider intermission 34:17 - 12.5% of revenue from brands (Lakers comparison) 36:01 - The $60K Coachella table story 37:16 - The offer stack: GA, VIP, Sahara, luxury camping 38:44 - Selling next year's tickets with no lineup announced 40:26 - Who else could headline like Bieber 41:18 - The 2012 bet on two weekends 42:44 - Haggling Uber drivers outside the festival 45:23 - The bedbug situation at World Mark Indio 48:18 - Going full Karen for a full refund 49:37 - Wrapping the business of Coachella 51:02 - Kostas retires from Coachella 52:09 - Filming a rocket launch in the Mojave 53:46 - Tim Cook stepping down at Apple 55:41 - Pod direction change: less guests, more solo 59:18 - Shifting focus back to photo/video creators 1:00:35 - Taking the pressure off growth 1:01:20 - Getting back to the roots of 505 If you liked this episode please send it to a friend and take a screenshot for your story! And as always, we'd love to hear from you guys on what you'd like to hear us talk about or potential guests we should have on. DM US ON IG: (Our DM's are always open!) Bfiggy: https://www.instagram.com/bfiggy/ Kostas: https://www.instagram.com/kostasg95/

## Transcript

[0:00] Coachella just wrapped. Six days of business, $200 million of revenue, 68 million in profit, and 870 million in earned media during weekend one alone.
[0:09] Justin Bieber headlined as the highest paid artist in festival history at $10 million.
[0:13] \[laughs\] His brand, Skylark, made $15 million in merch across both weekends, more than any Coachella act has ever done by a landslide. There's no doubt the Bieber effect is real, but here's what nobody's talking about.
[0:23] Coachella generated nearly a billion dollars in earned media, but their social strategy still left money on the table. That's what we're getting into today. Let's go.
[0:31] I know you weren't feeling super well over the last couple of days, 'cause Bieber fever really hit you hard. Yeah. But are you fully recovered from Coachella? Absolutely recovered. Nice.
[0:39] That, that was the set of the, set of the year. \[laughs\] Set of the decade. The price of admission was worth just Bieber's performance from weekend one. Yeah. But I think we kinda got snubbed, weekend one. Why is that?
[0:49] Weekend one I feel like we got snubbed, man. Weekend two he remembered who he was. I feel like everyone came out for weekend two, and that's usually it's the opposite. Uh-huh. Dude, it's all good. It's all good.
[0:58] I'm recovered now. Me too. You enjoyed your time? My sleep score was a cumulative, like, 38- Mm-hmm... the whole time we were there, but it was the, one of the best weekends ever. So much fun.
[1:06] But today I, I'm really excited to break down all of the media side of it and what makes this engine run- Yeah...
[1:12] because I think there's something that every single person can take from it and put it into the business that they're running. What's also crazy is the first year I ever went to Coachella was 2013. Wow.
[1:23] Tickets I believe were $375. Bro, inflation's hitting the gas and it's hitting Coachella \[laughs\]. And now they're \[laughs\] it's 625, I believe, for GA. So we went GA, which is, you know, it's regular degular.
[1:37] What's also funny. Huh? 2023, for Frank Ocean- Okay... I decided for the first time ever- Huh... to invest in VIP. Uh-huh. This time around I was like, "Is it really that worth it?" So I went GA. Really regretted it.
[1:52] If I ever go back to Coachella, I gotta go at least VIP. Oh, really? Yeah. Okay. You really regretted it. Longer walk times to get into the festival. Dude, time is money. Time is money. Okay.
[2:02] And longer food lines, and so I think that all that accumulates- Mm... to you not being able to see as many sets as you want. I like the way you're thinking. Yeah.
[2:11] I like the way you think, 'cause I thought the same thing. I was over the walk, man. Yeah \[laughs\]. And maybe I'm, maybe... And, and also, dude, I don't wanna be in lines, man. I don't wanna be in lines, okay? Yeah.
[2:20] I'm old, too old to be sitting in lines. Mm-hmm. I'm like, can we pay to get past these lines? Yeah. You know, that's what I'm trying to figure out.
[2:26] Listen, what's funny though, before, before we get into this, there was, for Bieber day, there was about an hour and 15 minute wait just to get in past security. Yeah. Right? It was, like, insane backup.
[2:36] So I'm sitting there wondering, I'm like, "Who's running this show? Who's in charge, man?" And as soon as we get to the front, I realize the guy in charge there is probably, like, eight claws deep.
[2:44] \[laughs\] And I'm like... He's, "You guys having fun?" I'm like, "No, I'm not having fun. It's hot as shit. We're sitting under the beating sun, and then you guys are hammered up here-" Yeah... "running the show."
[2:53] No, they're, they're... Dude. These guys, these guys that are running the gate, when you get up there I'm like, "Oh, that's why it's taking 19 years to get through this thing." I will say- It's all good...
[3:01] in all my years of going to Coachella, never been pat down less getting through security. Take that as you will. \[laughs\] I walked in with a couple of White Claws in my back pocket. They didn't even check.
[3:12] They're not there for that though, man. No.
[3:14] Anyways, everybody was there for Bieber, and we wanna talk about him setting records and how much money Bieber actually generated for the festival, because the Bieber effect was real.
[3:26] And as someone who has gone quite a few times to Coachella, I've, I always know that it's gonna be busy and there's a lot of people, but this year was on another level.
[3:35] And I think you saw it too with how many people were i- just trying to get in. Yeah. Like, I've never... I've, I've only been twice, but the lines that I saw from previous years were not like that at all.
[3:45] You could just walk right in. Like, sure. You weren't really waiting in a line, even in GA. Like, I had went GA. You just walked right up. There's maybe 15 people in front of you. You pop right in.
[3:53] That day of his, of his set was insane, and also to just get out of the festival took an hour and, like, 30 minutes, and you were in bumper-to-bumper traffic. Yeah. It was kinda terrifying.
[4:04] Like, you were literally just stuck with people, and then there was a period of time as you were leaving where you couldn't even leave. I know. Like, you were, you were just standing there. Yeah.
[4:11] You're just like, "This is actually insane." But like- Kinda scary... kinda trippy, but- Yeah... thank God everyone was on their best behavior- Yeah... and we made it out.
[4:16] But- Okay, so some of the records that he broke was, one, he was the highest paid headliner in Coachella history at $10 million. Could've paid him more. Should have probably paid him more.
[4:25] I think they could've doubled up on it, wouldn't even have affected. Yeah. Wouldn't even have made a dent. 100%.
[4:30] And what's also crazy is his new brand, Skylark, which he just dropped, generated $5 million in just weekend one, but $15 million across both weekends. And the $5 million number dominated anyone in history. Oh, yeah.
[4:46] Like, it, it was, I believe they said, like, two and a half times. Yeah, the previous record was 1.7 million for both weekends, so weekend one already, it dominated. I wasn't standing in line for that hoodie, man.
[4:56] I c- I'm not doing it. Oh, we got it. You got it. Yeah, but we went at a time... No, sorry, Josh- Mm... was there, and they went, waited in line, and I, I texted him.
[5:06] I was like, "Can you grab me one and we'll Venmo you?" Oh. So we didn't actually have to wait in line. Oh, wow, that's really clutch. Yeah. You clutched up. Mm-hmm. I saw that line and I was like, "There's just no way.
[5:13] I don't like anybody-" Dude, it was, like, a few hour long line. No, I was like, I don't, I don't like anybody this much to get- Yeah... to wait this line, dude. I- Just to say hoodie though. Really.
[5:20] Yeah, you're gonna be jealous when you see me rocking it. I won't- But it's all good... I won't be jealous. But that's g- that you did get to skip the line, that's pretty clutch. Yeah.
[5:26] A few things or a few reasons why I believe or we believe that Bieber was able to break these records like he did. Okay. One, it's just Justin fucking Bieber \[laughs\].
[5:36] Also, you, you had this effect of people not being able to see him live for so many years. Yeah, he didn't perform, he hasn't performed at a major festival in over five years. Mm.
[5:47] And there was a whole controversy with Bieber where, like, he was gonna go on tour and then health stuff happened and he pulled out, and so he didn't end up going on tour.
[5:56] You had all those fans that were, like, craving to see him live. Yeah. So okay, you also have a group that maybe, may or may not have ever been to Coachella- Sure...
[6:03] that also is like, "I'm only going for this headliner specifically."I was really excited for just Ju- like, that was why I wanted to go.
[6:11] The only other time I had ever, uh, like, specifically gone for one headliner was the year of Frank Ocean. That worked out well for you. Didn't work out super well. Me and Frank are still beefing- Mm... to this day.
[6:24] Um, but yeah, Bieber has the effect and has the ability to get people to just come out because of how massive of a superstar he is, and I think people forgot,
[6:37] because he'd kinda been out of the limelight and not performed, you kinda forget how much clout and how much pull he actually has as an artist. And, uh, yeah, Coachella took the bet, and it 100% paid off.
[6:48] Did you ever go over to the area where his merch was? Yes, and it had that little blue box, right? That we were talking about. Yeah.
[6:56] Was- I didn't, I didn't go, I didn't go ins- I honestly, I didn't look at the merchandise at all. Sure. I didn't look at any, anyone's merch stuff.
[7:02] So what's interesting about merch at Coachella, at least earlier on, is it was normally just, like, the main Coachella- Like that one-... merch tent... I see, okay.
[7:13] And you go, and they have everything up, and you can decide which you want.
[7:18] I think over the last couple of years, brands and specific artists started doing pop-up, like, activations, and Bieber kinda took his to a whole nother level. He had a whole world built out that you could go...
[7:31] Um, it was like a full-on experience to go get his merch, but also he had an activation. So he created a place for people to go not only get his merch, but create content around that, and that generates...
[7:45] That's- that's earned media right there as well. Yeah, you also, you have so many regular people that are filming in the, you know, in the merch booth, right? Exactly.
[7:53] So, like, you're seeing all that stuff on Reels and on TikTok.
[7:56] You know what's crazy too is when the festival ended on Friday night, and we're obviously in Coachella Valley, and you go back, dude, IG's algorithm, very strong. Mm-hmm. TikTok.
[8:05] It hits you with all kinds of Coachella stuff. Yeah. So you're getting, like, merch people. You're getting food reviews. Like, it knows you're there, right? Yeah. You're in that geolocation.
[8:12] You're getting fed with all that stuff. And I, I saw a few videos of, like, the booths and what they looked like, but I, I didn't, like, walk into them 'cause the lines were so ridiculously long. Yeah.
[8:21] Um, but there was thousands and thousand- tens of thousands of videos being created, and you gotta think about all the cumulative views that all of those bring in.
[8:29] So, like, then it creates a FOMO effect for weekend two- Yeah... 'cause people are saying how long... I saw, like, the line was three hours to get this hoodie.
[8:36] Well, then in weekend two, you have people that are, like, staking it out. As soon as they walk in, like, that's where they're going. His merch feels almost like an artifact- Mm...
[8:44] that you can buy from that specific time. The Skylark hoodie that we ended up buying has his Coachella dates on the back. Normally, when an artist puts out merch or
[8:58] if they put out a clothing line, for example, before he had Skylark, he put out Drew House.
[9:03] You can get limited drops, but to pair a limited drop with the dates behind a, such an iconic performance adds to people wanting to get, like, that hoodie specifically from Coachella because they know they're not gonna be able to get it again.
[9:17] Yeah, and I mean, like you're saying, it's not just, oh, here's the hoodie, and it's just in a white room. Yeah.
[9:22] It's like there is a world here, and I think that all brands, all creators can steal something from that playbook- Yeah...
[9:28] of, like, we should be building out a world, and it should feel like this person's home when you walk into it. I, I- And building out, like, a specific moment- Yeah... as well.
[9:37] Yeah, and I mean, his stage kinda looked like the, the Skylark, uh, like, kind of... You know what I'm talking about? Yes.
[9:43] Yeah, the, like, his stage with that \[laughs\] weird sculpture thing kinda l- made it look like their, their world that they were building for, for the merch. Same with Sabrina. Sabrina did the same thing at her show.
[9:52] Like, the, the backdrop and all of the different things that come along with the set, like, felt very her. And- Yeah...
[9:58] if you, like, went to her Instagram, which is interesting, it kind of felt like it was, like, a parallel which, which makes sense. Like, it's all branding. Mm-hmm.
[10:05] But, like, the stuff that's on her feed, it went right into the world. Yeah. And I actually drove by their, their did a pop-up at a gas station. It was, like, five minutes away from our hotel, and I saw it.
[10:14] I'm like, "Ah," that, like, it looks exactly very similar to what the actual set looked like, and- Yeah... all of those little details kinda go together.
[10:20] You bring up an interesting point though about world building, and I think that brands... Now I think brands are starting to do a better, um- I think they're in on it... a better job of it. Some of them.
[10:31] Um, JT Barnett actually made it some pretty interesting content around, uh, like, brand activations around Coachella and, and who's doing it well. But I think that- Gap did well... Gap did super w- kind of a comeback.
[10:44] Yeah, and well, I mean, they also... You know for sure they paid Central Cee an obscene amount of money to wear that hoodie. There's no way that he- You, you think that they- 100%. Yeah. Absolutely.
[10:54] That's another thing though that the brands don't have to disclose. It's, like, some cheeky marketing shit. Sure.
[10:58] It's not like you have, you know, a, a committee that's like, "You have to disclose you're wearing the hoodie." Yeah. I think they did something smart.
[11:03] I think they hit him up, and were like, "Hey, what's it gonna cost to go on with our hoodie on?" Yeah. Bang, you know? I believe, I believe his merch was also Gap.
[11:11] I could be totally making that up, but I'm almost positive it was, so there's a little collaboration going on there. Sure. But that, I, I mean, that's a strong cultural moment, and they had an, a ridiculous line too.
[11:21] It was, like, hours long. Yeah. It was the longest, one of the longest lines at the festival. I remember seeing it. It was just snaking- Yeah... all the way out.
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[12:28] Something that I learned when I was touring with Loud Luxury, 'cause I asked them about performing Coachella, 'cause I'm like, "You guys are-...
[12:34] easily big enough of an artist and do enough big festivals to be able to play Coachella. But they told me that every artist typically only does Coachella once, typically. Like 90 to 95%.
[12:48] There's a few artists, Disclosure performed this year for, I believe, the third time. Rufus Du Sol has performed, like, three or four times. But, um, they learned that from Tiesto. They said,
[13:00] because most artists only perform probably once, you're gonna ch- you have to choose the right moment to headline.
[13:08] And so I think the reason why Bieber decided to do Coachella this year is because in 2025, he drop- he dropped Swag 1 and 2. So there's a reason for him to do the performance.
[13:20] And so I think you can also look at the performance as, yes, he headlined Coachella, but it's also a huge marketing play for, one, his album- This tour potential...
[13:31] the tour potential, and launching this new clothing line. And we hear that there's supposed to be a Netflix doc about the build-up- Yes... that's in the works.
[13:39] So you have, like, a little quadruple, you know, punch happening all at once, and if he drops this tour, people are so, like, hot off of the press- Yeah... for wanting to see him live, and then you have...
[13:51] I, I even think he had a better performance weekend two, like you told me. Yeah. That's what you were saying.
[13:55] I didn't get to watch the performance weekend two, but a lot of people are saying that it was better, and I was super happy with weekend one. Yeah. So, you know. I think, um- Keeps people wanting more.
[14:03] You're like, "Okay, you're dropping, you're dropping another show? I'll go" On the topic of the Netflix documentary that Bieber is supposedly putting out,
[14:13] this happened for the first time, I believe, in 2018, when Beyoncé performed.
[14:16] She was the first one to do a Netflix documentary around her performance, and that's interesting because, like you just brought up, this person or this brand is getting multiple squeezes out of the orange, and it's not just like, let me go on stage and perform.
[14:35] It's like, let me put... Let me invest a lot of money into stage production around
[14:41] a new album or announcing a tour that I'm gonna do, putting out different merch, and then also double-dipping and creating even more media.
[14:50] And you get, you get all this attention around, you know, weekend one and weekend two, then the, then the doc comes out and you get an...
[14:59] You're almost repurposing the performance in another way, AKA- Dude, Bieber had a YouTube video, cut it down to short form. You know what I'm saying? Exa- that's what I said. That, that, that, that's the play. Yeah.
[15:08] \[laughs\] That is the play the creators can take from this, man. You have your, like, long form, bigger thing, and then you got the snackable pieces that kinda come along with it.
[15:15] Yeah, and, you know, we're talking about, uh, you know, brands activating, and there's so many different ways that you can obviously have the brand activation as, like, the world build-out.
[15:26] You're selling the merch, but then you're creating so many different pieces of content around the activation that you're creating.
[15:33] And, like, if you're a creator or a brand, think about how many different ways you can, you know, squeeze the juice out of this thing that you're creating, and how many ways can you repurpose content and, you know, drive as much attention as you can to what you're building out.
[15:48] So Coachella posted on Instagram specifically 234 times from April 9th to today.
[15:55] Which is funny, 'cause I was looking at you counting, and you counted individually, and I so badly wanted to look at you and say, "You can just count the rows- I just didn't think-... and then multiply by 30."
[16:04] \[laughs\] I didn't think, I didn't think there was gonna be that many. Sure. Fair. I, I thought there was only, like, 15 rows Fair... man. I didn't realize it was gonna go that long. But anyways, 234, like,
[16:13] could be way more, dude. Okay, let me just, let me go back. My time at the Lakers, if we had a banger playoff night- Yeah... I could leave the night, me personally- Yeah... contributing 12 or 13 pieces myself. Sure.
[16:26] Just me. So realistically, at the end of the night, I remember, like, big games where I'd go back and total them up, 'cause I was always curious, we'd post 50-something times in an evening.
[16:36] And I think that for Bieber alone, Bieber alone- Yeah... 15, 20 could have went up, and no one would've batted an eye.
[16:44] And I think a, a big, a big problem that a lot of brands, uh, like, they think, is if you're like, "Oh, well, if we post a ton, it kinda, like, dilutes this moment," everyone's not gonna see everything.
[16:54] Like, no one's going to see every single thing you post unless they want to. Like, unless- Yeah... they're consuming it and they, like, want more. I was one of the people that wanted more.
[17:01] I would've loved to see, like, 20 posts from Bieber singing. I would've loved to see him walking out and the crowd going absolutely ballistic. Same thing with Sabrina, same thing with Karol G.
[17:10] Those are moments that I think they, they didn't capitalize on. They posted only a few different things from the bigger sets, and I, I'm like, why are we not getting, like, iPhone from the crowd? Yeah.
[17:20] There should've been, like, a, a Coachella shooter iPhone in the crowd, boom, front row. They get the clip. It's posted immediately. It should've been posted, like, in real time.
[17:28] Something I think Coachella could have done a better job of, one, yes, more iPhone stuff, but having, like, Coachella creators specifically- Dude-... on the ground... the Coachella Creators Club, we're gonna start that.
[17:40] That's what needs to happen. I- Sign u- sign us... I think that because it's such a moment- Dash... and people are... Granted, there are... It's so interesting 'cause I was- Like-...
[17:50] I was watching a Malpe interview of him talking about Coachella, and he's like, "I actually didn't understand and fully comprehend how big Coachella was gonna be for me as an artist."
[18:01] He's like, "I knew that there was a ton of people at the festival," but he's like, "There's millions of people on social media watching the live stream."
[18:09] He's like, "It, it has the opportunity to really put an artist, like, into the stratosphere." Yeah. I remember it happened with Fred Again.
[18:16] Like, Fred Again had an insane Coachella set, and it kinda started him on this insane trajectory. So what I think that Coachella missed out on is just raw iPhone stuff. Quick flip, dude. That's the- Quick flip...
[18:32] that's the difference maker... behind the scenes. Like, people- Yes... want to see what it's like- Yes... in the artist section. Yes. Dude, yes. Behind the scenes. I also think that theyThey missed the mark.
[18:45] I think Coachella missed the mark on really showcasing everything that encompasses the festival. I think they were a little too heavy on the performances themselves.
[18:57] I think they didn't post enough even about all of the performances that were happening, but the fans are such a big part of- And there was a few carous-... the festival. Yeah, there was a few carousels.
[19:09] Like, I, I saw one that was the people that were at the barricade for Karol G. Sure.
[19:13] So, there was, like, a collaborate- or not a collaboration, a col- a carousel of, like, 10 or 15 fans that were, like, posted up in their fits that were specific to, like, her thing. That's great. Photos? Yeah, photos.
[19:23] There should've been more of that, though. There sh- It should've been, like, the... Dude, the Bieber barricade run- Bro... should've been a thing.
[19:27] Why are we not on a Ronin following them to the barricade, like, full sprint, like, see who's gonna get there first. Like, why aren't you interviewing some of these fans at the beginning? That's what I'm saying.
[19:35] Interview content. Bro, we should've been, like, it should've been mini Mike and be like, "Who's gonna get to the barricade first?" This guy's like, "I ran track in college. I'm for sure getting to the barricade first."
[19:42] And then it's a full sprint. Like, they should've been on a golf cart. Or br- bringing water. Golf cart ready. 100%. Bringing water or snacks to the Bieber barricade. To, to the Bieber barricade. Yeah. Yeah, exactly.
[19:49] Like, what's your favorite song? What are you most excited to see tonight? Like, that's the easy snackable shit, and if they don't want the feed to look all ugly- Uh-huh... with, like, UGC shit, just hide it in reels.
[19:57] That's what should happen. 'Cause the, the quality of stuff that they posted was, like, it's elite. It's, like, very high quality shit. Yeah. Like, really nice quality video, very high quality photography.
[20:05] It looks really pristine. I think we're missing just those other... It's tens of millions of eyeballs that could just be grabbed for very low lift stuff. That was missing. Another thing that,
[20:16] and I, I'm assuming Coachella does this on purpose. I don't know why. Okay. Tell me. Whenever they're posting videos- Okay... of the artist performing, it's never the fucking hit.
[20:28] Why are you not playing- Nah, it, the, we, it's gotta be a problem. There ha- dude, there has to be a problem with that. C- in my mind, I saw a video of them post Foster The People performing.
[20:37] Why are you not posting Pumped Up Kicks? With everyone singing, going- That's what I'm saying... going nuts. Espresso. I should see Espresso, you know? Or don't you think that, don't you...
[20:50] Okay, another big thing about Coachella is there's, um, everybody always talks about how the f- uh, the, the crowds are dead. Okay.
[20:59] I think they needed to post more stuff, like, in the pit or in GA of people, like, raging or singing along, because then it goes to show the actual fan experience. I think they showcased- Mm... such high quality content.
[21:11] Like of the, of the artist. Yeah, I see what you're saying. Show me what it's like to, like, actually be at the festival- Mm... in the crowd raging, really enjoying.
[21:17] We should've had a little Insta360 cam or something, so, like, POV camera- Yeah... glasses camera or something of, like, the actual performance in the pit or in an area where people were going off.
[21:27] That would've been more fun. You know, it's funny. I, I didn't... The areas that I was in, everyone was singing. I di- I was never around a group where it was like people were standing straight up.
[21:36] Dude, it's funny because the... I agree, and even in the back, too, 'cause I was with- People were vibing. People were dancing. People were having a good time. It was fun. I'll tell you something,
[21:45] Coachella nowadays looks very different for me compared to when I was f- first couple years. Mainly, I still got that dog in me. I still kinda wanna, you know, push up- Mm...
[21:57] front of the, front of the crowd, kind of rage, and Sarah Catherine, a little more reserved. Uh-huh. She's a little anxious with the big crowds. Uh-huh.
[22:04] Doesn't love to get in there, and I'm like, \[claps\] "Babe, we should get a little closer." \[laughs\] We're a little, little far in the back.
[22:08] But even when you're \[laughs\] in the back, uh, even when you're in the back, people are still dancing, but I just think it's so funny because Coachella has such a reputation for being this, like, influencer Olympics, crowds are dead, uh, people should be raging a lot harder,
[22:27] and I think that that's just kinda what you see. Dude, I think you'll find whatever you wanna find. Yeah. If you wanna see that, you'll only see that.
[22:35] I was like s- I feel like that's the people that are looking for a reason to be in a shitty mood. Sure. Like, I, I, I never even was, like, looking left and right, "Oh, my God, there's people taking pictures."
[22:44] You ever been to fucking Disneyland? Yeah. It's the same shit, dude. It's the same exact thing, just with families. You know who- You know what I'm, you know what I'm saying? You know who had one of the best crowds? Who?
[22:52] Bunt. Yeah, I was on the hill for that. Dude. He played a really good little mashup, and then he went in the crowd. Yeah. You know which one I'm talking about? Uh-huh. It was really good. Good for that guy.
[23:01] Um, but long story short, when it comes to Coachella and their social strategy, it's the, it's honestly the main reason why we wanted to make this episode. Part, like, obviously we went to Coachella.
[23:11] We mainly went for Bieber, and that was amazing. We were just genuinely shocked as two guys who make content for brands every single week how much of a missed opportunity we felt like they had.
[23:24] I think also there should've been a, there should've been a BTS Coachella vlog, okay? Hear me out. Okay. There should've been a 15 to 20-minute-long Coachella vlog from the day, like, 6:00 a.m.
[23:36] to, to, like, the day, the last song of the day. Mm. So, you bop around to, like, all the different artists or all your bigger headliners or whatever, and you also should be, like, interviewing people.
[23:46] I, I also loved, there's so much, um, so much media that gets repurposed by random brands that, like, show up and do, like, a mic series. Yeah.
[23:53] There was one where it was, like, this one dude, I don't know what his name is, I don't know the outlet, but he was like, "This is your guide to Coachella 2026."
[24:00] All these brands are, like, hopping on their moment- Yeah... and they have the opportunity to just shit on all their moments- Mm-hmm... because they have the access. It's like you're going backstage.
[24:08] Maybe they're right behind the golf cart where the Bieber's driving up in. It's, like, all those little moments that otherwise are, like, not possible to get that only you get if you have access at the festival.
[24:18] Another reason why, and I just thought of this while you were talking, another reason why I think they need to squeeze the juice more is because they're in business six days out of the year. Crazy.
[24:29] So, your, your engagement- Yeah... and opportunity to post content throughout the year is, isA lot slimmer.
[24:37] \[laughs\] Obviously there's so much content that they can, like, repurpose and stuff throughout the year, but it's like while the event's going on, why not go as hard as you can?
[24:47] And so the pre-sale for next year is gonna go live in about eight days- Yeah... which is crazy. So I'd anticipate leading up to the eight days, I already got a text. They're already texting you.
[24:57] They're like, "Hey, we're gonna go live in eight days. Get your ticket. Pre-order it. It'll be the cheapest that it'll be." They're riding the hype of the moment to get them back for round two.
[25:06] Okay, this is something to take, okay? If you're making videos or photos, or you're doing shit for clients, okay? Hear me out.
[25:11] As soon as you deliver the thing and they're the most freaking happy or they've loved working with you, you got a result, boom, it's talk about the next thing. Yeah.
[25:18] Let's lock in for the next thing, and that way they're, like, at their peak happiness moment and they're rented out. 100%. The, the other time is, like, when people are the most sad. Okay? \[laughs\] Sure.
[25:27] So when you're, like, when someone comes to you, they're like, they have a huge problem and they need it fixed, that's when you can sell people shit, right? They're like, "I need...
[25:33] I have a huge problem and I need this tomorrow." Yeah. Great. That's a moment that you can sell something.
[25:37] Or the moment people are super fired up and they're like, "This was the best thing ever," boom, then we go in for the sell, i.e., they're going in for the sell right now. We're all super happy.
[25:44] You still have the serotonin boost of seeing the content. They're like, "Oh, by the way, the ticket's on sale." Boom, gets you while you're hot. 100%. You know what I'm saying? They're, like, right in there.
[25:53] Something we didn't bring up- Huh?... about Bieber- Oh... and his actual performance is the nostalgia play. Oh, the YouTube. With the YouTube. Okay, do you think YouTube paid for that shit? What do you think? What?
[26:07] For him to have YouTube Premium? No, just I'm saying for him to inte- \[laughs\] Could you imagine him doing ads? No, just for him to integrate that into the set. You don't think there's a play there?
[26:16] No, I think- You really don't think there's a play there? For YouTube specifically? I think he called YouTube and said, "This is what I'm thinking." Oh. Toss your brother the bag. Oh, you think that YouTube paid Bieber?
[26:28] If, if Justin is, is a smart lad, which I believe Justin Bieber is a smart lad, I would have called YouTube and said, "Listen, I'm thinking of doing this. I want 5 million." Could have. I also- You don't think...
[26:41] Do you think he did that? No. Really? Yeah, I don't think he called YouTube. Oh, I'd, I'd cap- I'd capitalize it. Any... Dude, anything I'm wearing, I'm like, "Yo, I'm wearing this hat." Uh-huh. "5 million.
[26:48] Million dollars. Million dollars for the hat." Yeah. No, I mean, he's just- YouTube also integrated at Coachella, so that's why I think there- Interesting... I think there ha- is some sort of play there.
[26:57] Leaving weekend one- Okay... I had some mixed reviews about his set. From people or from yourself? Myse- Oh, from yourself. For myself. Okay. I think he has
[27:10] arguably the best voice of any artist I've heard live, and I think it's hard to argue, 'cause he sounds fucking incred- like, he sounds better live than he does on his actual recordings.
[27:25] What I was frustrated with personally, a personal expectation, was I wanted to hear more music from, uh, Justice and Purpose, and I understand,
[27:38] I understand him wanting to play a lot of music from his new albums, and I thought it was cool how he did the YouTube stuff.
[27:45] Just as a fan, I've gone to, I've gone to shows where an artist hasn't played, like, one song that you really wanna hear, and I'm like, "Damn, that's a bummer."
[27:54] But Bieber has so many hits that I'm like, damn, I wish you would've played slightly less of, like, the new stuff and a little bit more from Purpose and Justice.
[28:04] But then the other thing is as cool as the YouTube stuff was,
[28:10] and I think I understood the play a little bit more after the fact, because he was just playing one-minute snippets, it was like you were getting into a song and then he stopped it, and then there was a little bit of a lull, and then he went into the next one.
[28:23] And I'm like, dude, I was just jam... Like, he wa- for me personally, he wasn't- You want a little longer. Wanted a little bit longer. Little bit longer.
[28:30] But anyways, long story short, I think nostalgia is something a lot of brands need to start incorporating more into their marketing because the reaction that people had on social media to the nostalgia play that Bieber did, granted it's kind of like a unicorn thing because Bieber's a 101, we kinda grew up with him on YouTube, that's how he got his start.
[28:55] Um, and so I thought it was cool that he did pull up the, the YouTube stuff.
[28:59] But I think that as a brand or a creator, if you can lean into the stuff that you grew up with and the nostalgia play, it hits a certain part of somebody's soul and makes somebody wanna, like, interact with you as a creator or a, or a brand more.
[29:15] Without a doubt. Let's talk about the business model. Okay. Okay, this is interesting. So GA brings in $96 million, 96.1. Okay. VIP, 31.2 million. Sponsorships, 25 million. F&B, 22 million. What's F&B? Food and beverage.
[29:32] Food and beverage, 22 million. Merch, $10 million. Shuttle, seven and a half. Parking and camping, six million, and the hotel packages, 2.9. You had no idea what food and B was, huh? \[laughs\] I had... No.
[29:43] I was like, dude, shit, I have no idea what F&B could be, man. \[laughs\] That's a crazy... $22 million worth of- Like F&B, is that Facebook? What the- Yeah, \[laughs\] that's exactly what I thought.
[29:51] But they s- they seemingly net about 68, $69 million. Pretty- So 34% margins... pretty, pretty profitable. You know what's crazy though is the first year they ever ran Coachella, they lost like 900K, the three guys.
[30:04] Yeah. It's amazing. They could have totally stopped. They were 900K in the hole, and they just kept- They were like, "We got something here"... kept, kept going.
[30:12] The sponsorships is an interesting thing because, because of how culturally relevant Coachella is, brands are willing to pay mad bread just to be there. Like you were saying, Gap had an activation.
[30:28] I wonder how much Gap had to pay just to be able to activate at Coachella. Dude, I mean, \[sighs\] multiple millions. Has to be. Has to be multiple millions. It, it...
[30:40] But the reason why it's worth it is not bec- like-It's like you, you got 100 and... or 220-ish thousand people from weekend one and weekend two to be, like, walking around. It's a f- it's, you know, it's a free ad.
[30:52] But I think- Not a free ad. It paid a lot for the ad \[laughs\]. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Not a free ad. \[laughs\] Here's what's interesting:
[30:59] for a artist to make it onto the bill and perform at Coachella is the equi- it's like something you would put on your resume. Yeah. It's like, "I have performed at Coachella."
[31:10] It is a stamp of approval, and I feel like it is the same way with a brand. If a brand is able to activate at Coachella, it ups their cool points a little bit. Mm. I don't know if...
[31:23] People are talking about Gap now because they activated at Coachella. Dude, and let's, let's, let's be real, I mean, Gap was in the shitter not that long ago. Like, right? I think so. Gap was a barren wasteland.
[31:35] You walk by that store, you're like, "Dude..." It's funny, I actually went in there the other day with Chloe, and I, I hadn't, I hadn't been in Gap in... since I was, like, a little kid.
[31:42] I popped in, I was like, "This is cool shit." Like, this is, like, high-quality denim. These are cool shirts, like, nice, very nice hoodies. Like- Yeah... you know, popping.
[31:51] But I think what's interesting, right, is- I would've never said that had I not walked in there. Yeah, like- Like, I, I was shocked at the men's collection. I was like, "All right."
[31:59] If I'm not mistaken, the same people who own Gap own Banana Republic and Old Navy. Okay. I think. Could be totally messing that up. Banana Republic... I haven't been in a Ban- Banana Republic in 20 years.
[32:16] You're sleeping on Banana Republic. Oh. They got some cool stuff, but I don't think that they're... Granted, it's a little bit more, like, elevated. Like, Gap now, the... It's like, okay, they have this sick
[32:27] activation at Coachella. Big moment. Really cool. Big cultural people wearing their stuff. And then you see C- uh, Central Cee wearing- Yeah... the Gap.
[32:33] It's like, okay, now you kinda see Gap in a different light, and you can't really do that with- Nah... like, a campaign. Like, just a regular campaign. Yeah, yeah.
[32:44] You, you have to, you have to, like, insert yourself into the conversation- Yes... and then also have figures that are rocking it that are like, "Ah, that's cool now." Yeah. You know what I mean?
[32:53] Which is the reason why, um, uh, like, celebrity or influencer endorsements are so important, because you can't buy that through,
[33:08] you can't buy that through, like, a commercial, if that makes sense. There's, uh, there's, like, a certain cool factor that certain individuals have, and by collaborating with them... Holy shit. What?
[33:19] There's a massive spider. Oh, fuck. Oh, shit. \[laughs\] Should I pick it up? What are you doing? Oh, I got it, dude. You're picking up- Oh, I got it. We're gonna save it. Oh, I was- Oh, he fell. Oh, he's on my chair.
[33:34] Dude, you gonna take that thing outside or kill it? Yeah, I might take it outside. I'm doing a good deed. Oh, I got him. Oh, shit. Wow. Oh, shit. Dude, you're a- Oh, I'm like a young Steve Irwin, dude.
[33:44] Dude, are you not- I'm like a young Steve Irwin, dog... like, petrified, I'm petrified of \[gasps\]. Oh, he got it. Brother. Oh, this is an insane... Look at that. You're not scared of it? No. Oh, dude, I hate spiders.
[33:55] Dude, I catch them all the time. Okay, take that shit outside. I'll try to, but I gotta get my headphones off. Ah. Open the door. Wow. All right, pause. Where are you going, this way? Pause for intermission.
[34:07] Okay, anyways, don't know where we were, but Gap's cool now. There's no need to fret. \[laughs\] You guys got \[laughs\]... You guys got a young Irwin right here. Dude. I think I could be in the fam.
[34:17] That really impressed me. Thank you. I appreciate that. Okay, so this is interesting. On the, on the topic of brands integrating, 12.5% of Coachella's total revenue came from brands just paying to be there.
[34:33] No, that makes sense, 'cause I... Even when I was at the Lakers, I remember I was very confused, like, how an NBA team made money, and I think a lot of people are.
[34:41] Like, you would think a massive majority of it would be from merchandise, and- Oh, I would think tickets. Okay, well, tickets for sure, obviously. Obviously. Or I guess tickets and, tickets and merch. Yeah.
[34:49] Most people would say merch. It's, like, 1% for most teams, because the NBA owns the rights to the name of the jerseys. Like, the Lakers don't own the Lakers. Oh, that's interesting.
[35:00] NBA owns it, so then the teams can't disband and go make their own. Like, you couldn't be like, "Oh, well, we're the biggest and we're the best, so the four of us are gonna go make our own league- Yeah...
[35:07] and do this thing." So they don't really make much money from that. They make it from season ticket members, the media rights for where this... like, the station, like Spectrum buys that for, like, $100 million.
[35:17] And then you have the, uh, the brands, like the brand partnerships. So the Lakers were, like, number one in brand partnerships or number two. I remember if the Warriors, like, beat us one year or something.
[35:26] But that's where they made a lot of their money. So I was, like, kinda... I... It was, like, eye-opening to be like, "Oh,
[35:32] I'm making all these fucking videos, and this is how, like, the whole company makes money, like, off of these videos- Yeah... which is kinda weird to think about. But that makes sense how they're making...
[35:39] Like, American Express is there. They charge American Express up the ass, dude. Rivian was there, American Express- Yeah... Gap. Uh, who else am I missing? Like, a lot... There was t- uh, beverage brands that were there.
[35:51] There were alcoholic, I remember. Uh, but, like, all those brands are paying so much money to just, like, be a part of that weekend and be a part of culture and, like, do something fun, you know?
[36:00] Speaking of paying a lot of money. Ooh. This'll be fun. Okay. So, uh, I'm not gonna name the company, but my fiance- Okay... works for a company. All right. And the company,
[36:13] last year they threw a Coachella party, but it was the same night as a different party or something. Didn't go so well. Mm.
[36:22] So then Sarah Catherine threw out the idea, "Hey, we should, like, invite creators and get a house and do that, and we'll make content around that." And they're like, \[fingers snap\] "Great idea." So it's a startup,
[36:33] and they spent money on a table for Justin Bieber night, weekend two. How much do you think they dropped on a table? You get the table for the whole day. The whole day?
[36:45] Um, but it was, uh, in the artist section to watch Bieber on the main stage.50 to 70 Oh, you're close. You did not Brenda it, which I was surprised about. Hmm. Uh, $60,000. Oh, wow. I was right in the pocket.
[37:00] Yeah, dude, you were literally right in the pocket. Dude, right in the pocket. Yeah, that's about what I expected it to be. Coachella's just so damn expensive. It's a damn money-making machine.
[37:07] I also saw someone talking about how, you know, they got the Sahara tent, or like f- the, you know, the Sahara experience, where you get the r- artist wristband. You pay, like, 25,000 for your ticket. The camping thing?
[37:18] Yeah, yeah. Yeah. They, like, lu- they glamp, basically. Yes. But you're, like, right there, right up in the festival. Yeah. I mean, there's just so many different ways to make money. It's interesting.
[37:25] There's, they have, like, an offer stack, okay? Yeah. You got the GA, which is, like, everyone, regular degulars just like us. We went GA.
[37:32] Well, then there's a- always gonna be a percentage of people that are down to pay a little bit more. Mm-hmm. So then you have your VIPs, and then there's the rich ass fuckers in- Yeah... they're in the VIP group.
[37:40] They're like, "Yo, I'm down to spend 10. What does 10 get me?" Yeah.
[37:43] And there's just elite levels to it all the way up, because, dude, there's people, I saw someone say that they spent \[laughs\] they made a video about it.
[37:49] It was like 57,000 for their weekend for them and their significant other, but they're rich. It doesn't matter. Sure. No debt, no debts. Yeah.
[37:55] But there's always gonna be a percentage of people that if they transact with you, they will be down to take the next step up, and they're like, "Oh, I want more. What does more get me? Oh, it gets me a less walk."
[38:04] Well, what is this next step up? "Well, it gets me this really nice camper, and I don't have to walk at all, AC." Yeah.
[38:10] It's like, yes, you're gonna have people that regular camp, but you're also gonna have the luxury campers that are like, "I don't even wanna get a hotel. I just wanna be on the grounds, ready to-" Yeah... rock and roll.
[38:17] So whatever, whatever thing it is that you sell, there's always going to be a percentage of them that are down to do something that's either, like, m- lets you more pieces of content,
[38:27] more co- hoodies, more whatever, like, a better at, more exclusive experience. Something that is so unique to Coachella
[38:37] that I don't know if I can think of anything besides maybe the Super Bowl, maybe F1- I was gonna say F1... that can pull this off. Okay. You just said Coachella is releasing tickets for next year.
[38:55] We don't know who the fuck's performing. No. What other festival or what other event- What other thing can do that? What other thing can do that where people, they're gonna sell their tickets.
[39:05] They're go- the tickets are gonna go on sale. It's gonna sell out. People have no fucking idea who is even performing next year yet. Yeah. I, I think they've just built so much, uh- You might be on the lineup... I could.
[39:18] \[laughs\] I could be on there. Yeah, they've, they've just built so much trust that, that you know that they're gonna go big. Yeah. And they, they have to one-up it, you know?
[39:25] They're like, or they have to, like, equal it out. I think it's gonna be really hard to one-up Justin Bieber and get someone, like, of that caliber. Uh, but like- Yeah...
[39:34] yeah, you know that they're going to bring heavy hitters, and now the media that they've collected throughout that, you know, throughout those two weekends is going to be what, like, drives it all the way. Mm-hmm.
[39:43] They're just gonna keep reminding you, like, "Bieber, remember how cool that was when we had this big of a person? Like, we're gonna do that again, and you guys should come." Who else do you think...
[39:52] I don't know if any other artist genuinely could pull in- No... what Bieber can, but, like, who do you think would maybe be close? The only other person would maybe be Taylor Swift.
[40:01] I, I was gonna say Taylor, but I think, like, she just s- she sells out her shit anyways herself. She doesn't need it. Like, she doesn't need it at all. She could just do a billion dollars on the road.
[40:11] Like, you know, she's, like, almost too damn big for the damn festival. But I would argue that,
[40:19] and I, I think, I think- I, I, I don't think any artist could do what the sellout of that many arenas around the globe consecutively. I think it's, like, one of one. It's pretty crazy.
[40:32] It was, it was the m- highest grossing tour in the world in, in history. You don't think Bieber could do that? I mean, I, I, I think that- Like, the artists that come to mind for me are- Mm...
[40:43] are, okay, so Taylor Swift- Yeah... Beyoncé. Beyoncé. Um- Bieber... Bieber, Harry Styles. Mm. Mm-hmm. Does, does Mendes- Maybe, maybe-... does Mendes do it, or is he not- No, no, no... not, is not even- Maybe Bad Bunny.
[40:58] Oh, Bad Bunny's a good one. Ed Sheeran is, like, always up there. I mean, I, I, I- But, like, I don't think, I don't think Ed Sheeran is, like, gonna come to Coachella...
[41:04] I wasn't familiar with Karol G's game, but I mean, Karol G also has, you know, 71 million on Instagram. Yeah, she just launched her new tour as well. That is crazy. 71 million on the Gram. Yeah. You know?
[41:18] I mean, it's like, that's insane. She put on a hell of a performance. I didn't e- I even see it weekend one. I watched her weekend two. It was amazing on the, on the TV. It's great. Pissed, I should've went to it.
[41:30] I went to Cascade \[laughs\] instead. I know, I know, I know. \[laughs\] I messed that up big time.
[41:34] Another, another thing that's interesting about, uh, the business side of Coachella is how back in 2012 was actually the first year that they decided to split it up into two weekends. So Coachella was- Oh...
[41:44] originally just one weekend, and then 2022, they made the bet that, uh, scarcity was kinda just the perception online, and, like, they could double down. They have the room, obviously.
[42:00] They can leave it set up weekend after weekend, and people would still pay to go. It's not like there was a- Was it the first time-... not enough people... it was sold out? Is that a thing, or no? Say that again.
[42:10] It was, like, was this the first time that it was sold out? Nah, I think, I think Coachella's been selling out- Okay... to be honest. Okay. Wow. Um- I just feel like there was way more people.
[42:20] I saw, I think I saw that there was more tickets released this year, 'cause last year it did not feel... Like, I stayed till the very end of Post Malone. Uh-huh. And I walked out free of, like- Yeah...
[42:30] a sea of peop- like, there was obviously a shit ton of people that were leaving, but it wasn't, like, bumper to bumper, I can't move. Yeah. Like, you don't have a choice \[laughs\] but to go- Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah...
[42:38] the direction of the crowd. \[laughs\] Dude, I just think that, I think that's just, like, to Bieber. I bet you they did release more tickets. Um,
[42:47] but it wasn't, dude, it's not even just, like, the prices of the tickets or the resell prices. Like, it goes all the way down to hotel prices. BrotherYeah.
[42:59] Airbnbs were canceling on people to try to double up on their rent \[laughs\]. Like, these hotels or Airbnbs, normally they're charging a fraction- Brother, brother, we, we stayed at a, such a mid hotel. This place...
[43:14] Listen, okay, if you're going to Coachella, don't stay at the WorldMark Indio. Okay? First of all, room next to us, bedbugs, just a ton of bedbugs. Oh, that sucks. Yeah. Room next to us, bedbugs.
[43:24] The, uh, the shuttle situation to get over there was totally fine, and then you have the Bieber effect on the second day. Yeah. Just a nightmare to get out of there. Well, you texted me.
[43:33] You're like, "Dude, there was, like, a four-hour wait for a shuttle." Crazy. It's just, like, actually insane. And they were like, "Oh, well, it was actually only two."
[43:38] I'm like, "You think that I'm gonna wait two fucking hours- Yeah... after the thing ends?" No, I went out, we went out, I flagged a guy down. I was like, "What's it gonna cost us to get there?"
[43:47] Haggled with him for a second. Oh, this is a good... You're gonna like this. \[laughs\] So when I went out, the first guy that I tried to, to go at, he had no idea that I was, you know, Mr. Sales. Mm-hmm.
[43:57] So I'm like, "What do you want to drive us to this place?" And he's like, "What are you willing to pay?" Classic- \[laughs\]... classic battle. I was like, I've never been- What's your rate? What's your budget?
[44:05] I've never been more prepared for this moment. I was like, "What do you want?" And he- \[laughs\] Well, I typically do this. Yeah, he's like, "What do you want?" And, and then he's like, "What do you pay?"
[44:12] He- We're just going back and forth. It was like the Spider-Man meme, what do you want, what do you pay? I was like... Well, now I'm like, "I'm gonna lowball you." So I'm like, "I'll give you 40 bucks."
[44:19] \[laughs\] 'Cause I wanna know what this guy wanted. He's like, "Hmm." He goes... He's like, "Too low." I'm like, "Well, just tell me what you want. Tell me the number, and we'll, we'll, we'll work from there."
[44:29] And he's like, \[sighs\] "200." I go, "You're not getting 200." I go, "Dude, you're not even gonna make 200 on any ride tonight. Like, let's be real. I'll give you 75 bucks." And then he's like, starts thinking about it.
[44:39] 'Cause realistically I'm like, I'm down to pay about 100 to $150- Sure, sure... for this fucking ride. Yeah. \[laughs\] He's like, \[sighs\] "I'll do it for 100." Pull out the $100 bill.
[44:49] He had a ride already on his Uber for 30 bucks, and he's like, "I have a ride already." I'm like, "Dude, it's 100 bucks. You just said yes to the 100 bucks." He goes, "I can't do it. I can't do it."
[44:57] And then he just left. So he wasn't down. But the next guy, he told me he wanted 200 bucks. And I'm like, "Nah, I'll do it for..." Or he wanted 250, and I'm like, "I'd do it for 100," knowing I'd go up to 150.
[45:08] And he goes, "200." I'm like, "I'll do it for 150, like, right now. Like, we'll hop in right now. You're not getting a ride for 150." And he's like, "You're right."
[45:14] \[laughs\] And we got it for 150, and it took us, like, 30 seconds to find that guy. It was like, first guy was a no. Second guy, auto yes.
[45:21] But, uh, yeah, yeah, I was like, I've never been more prepared to haggle with these guys. Dude, I have, uh- The Uber guys. I was ready, dude. I forgot about this. Okay. So I also had a, what I thought was bedbugs- Oh...
[45:33] at our hotel. Uh-huh. Just lint. Just turned, just turned out to be a little bit of lint on the sheets. Anyways, so we check into the hotel, and then me and Sarah Catherine both get into bed. We go to sleep.
[45:45] Wake up in the morning, I go to get coffee, and she's like, "I think we have serious fucking bedbugs." And I was like, "What are you talking about?"
[45:53] So she pulls back the duvet, and there's, like, a bunch of stuff which is just lint from dirty sheets. Or I don't even know if it was dirty sheets. I think it was just a bunch of lint from the washed sheets. Okay.
[46:06] Whatever. So I go to call the manager. 'Cause you think it's bedbugs. 'Cause I think it's bedbugs. I go, "You gotta come check this out. We got some s- we got a serious issue." An infestation. Infestation.
[46:16] Long story short, he gets the cleaner to come over. They're like, "It's not bedbugs because if it was bedbugs or bedbug feces, if you, like, touch it, there would be blood." And I was like, "Okay, cool." I go,
[46:27] "Regardless, it's fucking dirty sheets, and this is insane. I need you to talk to, like, a manager because I need to be compensated." So- You went full Karen. I did go full Karen. I went full B. Figgy. Yeah.
[46:38] That's exactly what I would do. Long story short- Gotta have leverage though, dude. Yeah. You didn't have much leverage. Did you have a photo of it and shit? Yeah, we recorded it. Okay. All right.
[46:45] I was like, "This can get really bad for your hotel." \[laughs\] So then, so then he's like, "Let me talk to the man- Uh-huh... let me talk to the owner of the hotel." Uh-huh. "We'll get you situated."
[46:56] I bump into him, like, 30 minutes later. He's like, uh, he goes, "I just talked to them. They're gonna put a room credit on your room.
[47:04] If you don't use that credit, like, it'll be bumped back, like, you'll be, uh, credited back to your thing." I go, "Okay. Do you..." I was like, "How much can a fucking room credit be?"
[47:13] I was like, "Do you know how much it is?" He's like, "I don't. That's all they told me. Um, but we can figure it out." I go, "Okay, cool. Great. I'm just gonna enjoy the festival."
[47:20] We still got the whole day to, a whole weekend to go. I check out on the last day. There's a new general manager. Oh, a new GM. I go up to her and I say, uh, "Hey, I'm checking out. Just wanted to check in.
[47:32] Michael told me about the credit. I just wanted to see if you had any idea of, like, how much it was." She said- $3... $50. That's rude. I go, "Well-" That's rude. I go, "Now you just pissed me off."
[47:46] I go, "Michael's not here, so I can't go..." I'm like- Yeah... "This poor lady is- Yeah, she doesn't know... can't shoot the messenger." Yeah, you gotta, you gotta be, you gotta be mad at Michael.
[47:54] I go- Michael screwed you. Yeah. I go, "You need to tell Michael that..." I go, "You know, better yet, give me Michael's number." Oh. And, and so then she goes, "Just call the hotel. He'll be here tomorrow."
[48:05] I go, "Okay, cool." So I call in the morning. I go, "Hey, Michael, you remember me? Uh, and-" Your worst nightmare. Yeah, yeah. I go, "Remember the bedbug situation thing? Dirty sheets?" And he's like, "Yeah."
[48:16] I go, "You know, do you think $50 is acceptable?" What'd he say? And I start kinda, like, leaning into him, and then he pulls the whole, like, "It wasn't me. It was the man, it was the owner.
[48:27] Like, I can't say," blah, blah, blah. I go, "I need you to tell them that, like, I'm looking for a full night compensation." And, like \[laughs\]
[48:34] I go, "Between me and my fiance, we have 250,000 followers on social media, and, um, I work in hospitality. I don't think you want to, like, go down this hole- You're the-... so we're gonna- You're the worst...
[48:45] we're gonna get a refund." \[laughs\] You're the worst. And so, uh, uh... Well, dude, if they would've given me, like, a- You're the worst...
[48:51] if they would've given me a decent discount, I would've been, like, totally fine. I got so mad that they were like, dirty sheets, bedbug situation that wasn't really bedbugs. But, like, all you're offering me is $50.
[49:03] Like, it's disrespectful, so now I'm pissed off, and it takes a lot for me to get pissed off. \[laughs\] So you're gonna give me a full night refund.
[49:09] And anyways, she sent me a text saying that they gave me the full refund.You got a full night? Yeah, yeah. Wow. So- That's great... anyways... that's amazing... sometimes you just gotta haggle.
[49:17] I didn't used to be like this, and then we became friends. And then you started to haggle. \[laughs\] Dude, just depends, man. Dude, hey, you, you can handle it one way or two ways, man. You can be nice. Yeah.
[49:26] Give me, you know- Listen, we can do this the easy way or the hard way. \[laughs\] Anything else you wanna talk about on the business of Coachella? I think that really covers the- Yeah...
[49:35] the, the business of the, one of the most valuable entertainment, you know, things in the world. I just think it's insane that a business that is only technically open
[49:46] t- uh, six days a year generates close to $70 million.
[49:51] Granted, I understand that there's the whole business year round of booking talent, getting everything situated, but the fact that it is just two weekends a year and generating $70 million is crazy.
[50:03] Dude, but I, I bet it just sucks to deal with these artists. You bet it's the worst. Yes. I bet it's miserable to deal with all of these fucking managers and their stupid questions.
[50:15] And, like, haggling how much the rate is. Yes, dude. And then they're like, "Oh, our, my artist does this." Yeah. It's like, "Listen, dude, no one gives a shit about- Yeah...
[50:21] your artist at 3:00 PM that's going on this random stage. It's Bieberchella." Yeah. "You understand? Yeah. Yeah, yeah. It's Sabrina Chella, Karol G." That's who they m- care about.
[50:28] They probably realistically are like, "Who are the top 10 folks that we gotta get to bring these people here?" Yes, it's- And then everyone else really doesn't matter. It's just like, "All right.
[50:36] You want 50,000 for the day? Sure, like, just get them in here. It doesn't really matter." It's the, it's the headliners, and then it's the- Your front row... top line. Your top line. That's it.
[50:44] And then it's, like, a handful of, like, up-and-comers. 'Cause I didn't know... I, I realistically didn't know- Sure... any- anyone else. I was- You're just, like, not tapped in. I know people.
[50:52] You're just not- I know people. You're not that cultured when it comes to music, and it's all good. I know people. \[laughs\] But I think it was, uh... I think it was, it was shocked, so. Yeah. Anyways. Shocks. Anyways.
[51:02] What do- Are you gonna go back to Coachella? I'm back. I'm, I'll be there. Boom. Really? I'm there. I might retire. You really? I think I might hang my jerseys up in the rafters. That's what happens when you hit 30.
[51:13] You just can it, huh? I got two years left in me. I, me personally, I was just like... I've seen, I've seen, like, arguably the biggest person I would wanna see- Mm... at Coachella.
[51:25] Uh, I was there when Beyonce performed. I was there when Harry Styles headlined. The one artist I would love to see, two artists that I would love to see headline Coachella personally are Adele and Coldplay. Mm.
[51:36] I think they would be unbelievable headliners, but I think that, like, because I've done Coachella eight years- Yeah... I'm like, I, I feel like I've done it.
[51:45] If there, if something just so happens where- If it would excite you, you would go back. Yeah, and I'm never going GA again. Okay. Wow. We, you know, I just... What's the line?
[51:55] I just don't think that at this point in my life I'm meant to suffer. \[laughs\] What's the line from The White Lotus? Yeah. I know what- Yeah... you're talking about. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I, uh- \[laughs\]...
[52:04] I'm gonna be skipping that line, man. I'm skipping the line next year. How do we get artist bands? Yeah. \[laughs\] Which is the real question. We need to find, we need to make friends with someone that is an artist.
[52:13] Dude, I went to... This is totally off topic. I went to the desert on Monday. I've never had- Early... I've never had a 3:00 AM call time. Never. I've never had a... Actually, no, um- Lobby call- Yeah...
[52:24] different than call time. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Call time, like, we had to be ready to go. We drove to the desert, just pitch black, all the way out from LA to the Mojave Desert, and we were filming a rocket launch.
[52:34] Shit was insane, dude. I had a camera that was 1,000 frames per second, and it's only in frame for- \[laughs\] Two seconds... maybe two seconds, if that.
[52:42] Like, this rocket was so quick, it went all the way up to 40,000 feet. It was the craziest thing I'd ever seen. And what was the rocket launch for?
[52:49] This rocket is going to be for, like, a defense company, and it's gonna be able to, like, go out and shoot down, uh, missiles.
[52:56] If it was like, if something was being attacked, it's gonna go up and, like, pe-pe-pe-pe-pe-pe-pew. Nice. Which is crazy.
[53:01] But we were, that was the first launch ever for this, like, space company, and we were filming it for them. So it was- And was it successful? Yeah, it was very successful.
[53:07] But dude, they, they lost the top part of the rocket. I guess it was really expensive. They, it wasn't near there, which, yeah, they, they were sad. But- You'd think you'd need that. Yeah.
[53:16] They're gonna just have to build another one, but we filmed them a really cool video, and- Oh, meaning they lost it when it was launched? Yeah, like, it launched and then- I see...
[53:22] up in the air it was supposed to, like, stay together, and that piece did not come back down. Yeah, someone's getting fired. Someone's get- \[laughs\] someone's in trouble for, for that part not coming back down.
[53:30] \[laughs\] But it was really cool. It was a very, very successful launch. They were stoked on it, and it worked, and it was just, uh, just different. I mean, it's cool to film different stuff.
[53:39] It is cool to film different stuff. Cool, to different... Yeah. Now that we're just bullshitting- Uh... did you see that Tim Cook's stepping down as CEO- Uh-huh... of Apple? I wonder who's- Put in 15. Huh?
[53:49] They, they, they said it was another guy that had been there for a long time. Oh, s- okay. Yeah, dude. Yeah, dude, you gotta promote internally. Yeah. \[laughs\] Predecessor. Let's see. His...
[54:00] Oh, no, that, not predecessor. Successor. Predecessor is- You need a predator. \[laughs\] Still can't believe that. We should talk about that. John Ternus, their current senior VP of hardware engineering.
[54:12] Want me to see what he looks like? White- Oh, interesting... just a white dude. Uh, effective September 1st, 2026, he'll transition out. Ternus is a 25-year Apple veteran.
[54:23] He's led key hardware projects, including the transition to Apple Silicon, and is considered a key leader for the company's future. I wonder who else was, like, in conversation. Yeah.
[54:32] I w- And what do you think Tim Cook's gonna do? He, he, Tim is, Tim, how old is Tim? Tim is, like, 65. You think he's just retiring? Yeah. Oh, yeah. He's done. He's, he'll just sit on the board.
[54:42] He's 60-something, I think. 65. Yeah, he's 65. I would just chill. Tim Cook has the most insane routine, like d- it's like he gets up at 4:00 AM every day. Oh, really? Yeah. It's crazy.
[54:51] I w- I listened to him talk about, like, his routine. Tim probably just wants to chill, man. Probably a good time to reach out and get him on the pod. That is the time. Tim, tell us about all the secrets.
[55:00] Tim wouldn't be able to talk about anything, though, dude. \[laughs\] Uh, uh, 15 years though as CEO is pretty crazy. I mean, they've continued domination. But now they're not doing the iPhone every year.
[55:09] People aren't buying these things, man. Yeah, you think, you think Tim's a little stressed about the AI stuff, and he's like, "I just gotta, let me get out before it gets too crazy." Let this guy take over that shit.
[55:18] Yeah.Yeah, I mean, 15- Yeah, so is there not a new iPhone coming, \[clears throat\] coming out this year? I believe not. I believe in September they're skipping because I think that this, not really many... There was...
[55:27] Honestly, there's nothing to be excited about besides it being orange. This, this is the same phone as the one I had before. Yeah. Exact same. There's nothing new. Mine's, like, mine's been glitchy, dude.
[55:36] Mine doesn't run smooth. Do you have the new one? Yeah, and I've tried restarting it, like, multiple times, and- You might have a bug in there, man. I know. You got, we gotta get that checked out. I think I got a lemon.
[55:44] We gotta get... Yeah, we gotta get you figured out with that one. Hope you guys have been liking the solo episodes.
[55:48] It's, uh, it's something that I think we're gonna keep doing going into this year, and I think we're gonna be talking more about creative stuff again, which is- Yeah, back to the photo/video stuff. Dude, just back. Yeah.
[55:58] We're just... We're gonna go back to it. What do you wanna talk about- I-... when it comes to that kind of stuff? I don't know, man. You guys are gonna have to let us know.
[56:06] We're- No, I'm talking about, like, we can cut this, but do you wanna kinda say some shit about... Yeah. Okay. I'm down. So then we'll leave it in. Yeah. Yeah. I think we're...
[56:16] I think for a period of time we had saw that the pod was getting a ton of viewership in the more business space, and we took it that way.
[56:26] And as we, as we've, like, grown in that world, I think it's gotten increasingly harder to get guests on. Yeah. And if you guys are wondering, like, the whole thing for a pod is the guests, right? Yeah.
[56:37] Like, that is, that is how you grow a successful show, and dealing with people's schedules in business land makes me wanna put a knife in my eyeball. I also think when we first started the podcast, we had these, like,
[56:52] dreams of aspi- We had these dreams and aspirations of making it this massive, massive show, and I think as the years have gone on, um, would we like, you know, more subs and more views?
[57:06] Like, absolutely, but I don't think that's necessarily, like, our MO anymore. I think we kinda just want it to be something that is sustainable. Like, what can we do to do this for quite a long time? Yeah.
[57:18] Like- Because we're at a point right now, just like full transparent, like, fully transparently, where, like, we have one guest scheduled for next weekend, and then no guests. No guests. And so it's tough. It's...
[57:33] A- also the pod isn't our... The pod is not our full-time job by any means, but it takes up a full-time job- Worth of time... worth of time. Yeah, and so thinking about, like, how do we keep doing the pod every week?
[57:47] And we are still on. We're shooting all the time. We're filming shit all the time. We're doing projects for clients, and I think there's still so much value we can bring into creative world.
[57:58] Also, the way we've been doing it, because of how much time and effort goes into, like, booking a guest, it has bec- it has started to feel, um- It's like a job that you don't want. Yes. Yeah.
[58:14] And, like, me and Brayden, our favorite part about podcasting is just sitting down in this chair, shooting the shit, giving some game away, and it's started to turn into something that was just stressing, stressing us out way more that it, way more than it needed to be, especially for something that isn't our full-time thing.
[58:33] Yeah. I'm, I'm also curious what, what you guys wanna hear. Uh, for those of you, too, that have followed us for the last, like, four years, what excited you the most about the show while, like, during this time period?
[58:46] Like, what have, what do you feel like we should keep doing going forward? Because, you know, we wanna be of service. I think there's, there's a lot to still cover.
[58:55] I think there's, like, many episodes that we can do solo. And, you know, like, I'm going to Indiana next week for a week, and I think I got a shoot in Miami in a few weeks.
[59:04] But, you know, still actively making so many videos for brands, so anything that we can do to help you on- Yeah... your journey I think it would be, will be cool.
[59:12] And if there's anyone that you wanna hear us talk to that you're, like, dying for us to interview that are in the creative world, like, send them our way, and we'll see what we can do to, to DM some of those people.
[59:22] I think, I think, though, going forward it'll be less guest episodes, but we'll try obviously to get the biggest and best people that we can on in the space.
[59:30] And I also think it'll be probably less, uh, focused around founders- Yeah... selling, like, physical things, and more so people just in the
[59:40] social media space, photographers, videographers, um- Yeah, like DPs, directors. Yeah. You know, people that are more in the creative realm. Yes.
[59:50] 'Cause I, I, I think we were also thinking, like, okay, well, if we go this business route, right?
[59:56] If we go \[laughs\] if we go the business route, there's only realistically so many people that are, that are f- like, forward-facing, that are, like, down to come on something like this. Sure.
[1:00:07] That's another thing that I think we're, like, contemplating- Yeah... in this transitionary period is, like, okay, well, you have some of these people on that are doing awesome things. Great. Well, there's only
[1:00:16] 10 of them that we would be interested in talking to. Sure. You know? Or even... Or, like, you snap your fingers, in a year you have all of them, which is what I feel- Yeah...
[1:00:24] like we're running into in photo/video land in a, in a way. Mm-hmm. But I think that if we can keep tailoring the conversations around- But I also-... the work that you're, the work that we're doing.
[1:00:33] But I also think the reason we were thinking about that for the photo/video stuff was- Was trying to grow... was trying to grow. Exactly. And I think that if we kind of...
[1:00:41] Obviously, you want the show to grow, but, like, if we take the pressure off of ourselves of feeling like we need the show to get to a certain number, or it needs to grow and get a certain amount of viewership, like, if you forget that, it's, like, great.
[1:00:54] I think the, the amount of people that we are then willing to have on the show, and there's a lot of people where we felt like the conversation would be really good, but- They weren't big enough...
[1:01:06] they weren't maybe big enough or they, we didn't think that they would bring in a certain amount of viewership, so we kinda pass on the conversation.
[1:01:11] And now if we don't really care about it and we just kinda wanna have a great show, and it's something where you guys tune in, hang out with us every single week, tell a friend about it so that the show grows, like, organically, that's all we can kinda ask for.
[1:01:25] Yeah. And I think, I think getting back to, like, the roots of 505- Yeah... is gonna be really fun. Mm-hmm. And, dude, don't worry, I fucking read your guys' mean comments.
[1:01:35] \[laughs\] Some of you guys are assholes, and it's fine, dude. \[laughs\] It's all good. I love you guys. Anyways, that's it. \[laughs\] We love you. Dude, send me a nice comment. Yeah, dude. Dude, send me a nice one.
[1:01:45] And share this with a friend. Dude, tell your mom about the pod. Uh-huh. It's been super fun. Hope you guys liked this episode. We'll see you guys all next week.
[1:01:51] Make sure to hit the subscribe button, drop us a comment, leave us a like. We'll see you guys all soon. Peace.

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