Scion Discusses Selection Process for Rock Fest

Posted on Feb 15th 2010 5:00PM by Vicki Siolos Comments

In anticipation of the second Scion Rock Fest this March, Noisecreep spoke with Scion Sales Promotions Manager Jeri Yoshizu, who directs all aspects of the car company's involvement with art, film and pop culture initiatives. She told Noisecreep that "nothing is ever planned to be continuous." Experimentation is key and tweaks are made for improvements. "We never continue things just to do them. It has to make sense," she said. The success of 2009's debut and this year's sophomore installment could turn the free event into into an annual underground staple, like Hellfest or Krazy Fest, within the American metal and hardcore communities.

Throwing a free music festival is definitely one way to garner success, but more exciting is the event's changing location. Scion Rock Fest's debut in 2009 took place in Atlanta, GA while this year's version will happen in Columbus, Ohio. Yoshizu said the decision to move was based on the venues that supported the community. "I put a lot of thought after discussing it with many different people coming from many different angles," she told Noisecreep. "I am not looking for a massive mainstream audience so, therefore, I do not have to go where the general population is big. I look for what makes sense to the listener."

As for the festival's lineup, which boasts Cannibal Corpse and Pelican but also features a varied list of up-and-coming bands, Yoshizu says that the selection process is definitely a group effort, and that "anyone in marketing who tells you that they are an expert and knows every act intimately is lying. I have a trusted group of people whose opinions are collected and weighed in on a final decision."

Generating the highest revenue is not the goal here, and the coordinators have never worked with talent agencies for selecting bands. "There is no one person whom I feel has the magic golden egg on talent, " adds Yoshizu, "It's a process, but a solid one."

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