For those prone to pocket-watching, music festival season is rife with possibilities to profoundly waste one’s time. Like clockwork, each new year of festival offerings brings with it a fresh wave of people publicly wondering about what a headliner might, in theory, bring home with such a prime slot. This is especially true for Coachella, which this year boasted the following trio of headliners: Lady Gaga, Green Day, and Post Malone.
For what it’s worth, which couldn’t possibly be much, we’ve attempted to offer some clarity on the topic, albeit without the benefit of direct confirmation. Keep reading for more.
How much does a Coachella headliner make?
Actual paperwork regarding such figures isn't made public. Still, some experts in the field, not to mention artists themselves, have offered insight over the years. In a recent episode of The Town with Matthew Belloni featuring Dave Brooks, the senior director of live music and touring at Billboard, it’s said that a Coachella headliner can command $5 million per weekend, or $10 million total.
This alleged number can fluctuate, with past headliners, including Beyoncé, having been claimed to have potentially received a good bit more than that.
What if a Coachella headliner cancels?
That depends, though Frank Ocean’s 2023 decision to call off his would-be second weekend headlining performance is an example of this variable in action. At the time, Ocean was reported by Billboard to potentially be bringing in around $4 million for each weekend. When his second set was canceled, blink-182—at the time newly reunited with Tom DeLonge—stepped in, with the punk trio reportedly making the same rate. In 2022, Ye reportedly gave up more than $8 million by dropping out of Coachella.
How many people go to Coachella?
A reported total of over 80,000 tickets per weekend were sold for the 2024 edition.