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_2970Sign 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 - Intro0:31 - Recovering from Bieber fever1:05 - Coachella inflation: $375 in 2013 vs. $625 GA now1:49 - Why GA is not worth it anymore2:24 - The security line chaos before Bieber day3:25 - Bieber breaks Coachella records4:15 - Skylark merch does $15M across both weekends5:19 - Why Bieber could pull this off (5 years off the stage)6:47 - Merch as world building: the Skylark activation9:16 - Gap and Central Cee: the unlabeled collab play11:26 - Artlist AI Studio ad read12:27 - Why artists only play Coachella once13:38 - The quadruple squeeze: album, tour, merch, Netflix doc15:02 - Repurposing one performance into endless content15:32 - 234 posts: Coachella left reach on the table17:15 - The missing iPhone-in-the-crowd content18:22 - Showcase the fans, not just the performers20:13 - Why aren't they posting the hits22:30 - The "dead crowd" narrative is overblown23:08 - Coachella's biggest social miss24:07 - Why 6 days of business means you squeeze harder25:05 - Sales framework: catch people at peak emotion25:58 - The YouTube integration was a paid play26:55 - Mixed reviews on the Bieber set28:49 - The nostalgia play every brand should steal29:13 - Coachella's business model breakdown30:02 - Brand sponsorships and the cost of activating31:19 - Performing at Coachella as a resume stamp31:40 - Gap's comeback moment33:06 - Spider intermission34:17 - 12.5% of revenue from brands (Lakers comparison)36:01 - The $60K Coachella table story37:16 - The offer stack: GA, VIP, Sahara, luxury camping38:44 - Selling next year's tickets with no lineup announced40:26 - Who else could headline like Bieber41:18 - The 2012 bet on two weekends42:44 - Haggling Uber drivers outside the festival45:23 - The bedbug situation at World Mark Indio48:18 - Going full Karen for a full refund49:37 - Wrapping the business of Coachella51:02 - Kostas retires from Coachella52:09 - Filming a rocket launch in the Mojave53:46 - Tim Cook stepping down at Apple55:41 - Pod direction change: less guests, more solo59:18 - Shifting focus back to photo/video creators1:00:35 - Taking the pressure off growth1:01:20 - Getting back to the roots of 505If 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/