Jake Shane was watching Lady Gaga’s set at Coachella when he got overwhelmed. The creator, who is known for his hilarious, honest videos, evacuated the dance floor and headed back to his abode. “I got about three songs in, and I went to my friends and said, ‘I can’t do this,’” he says. But Shane, a noted fan of Mother Monster, didn’t have to miss the rest of her set—he could tune in to YouTube’s livestream.
The creator joined a chorus of Gaga fans who weren’t at the festival for some reason or another, all of whom wouldn’t dare to miss a landmark performance by the pop star. By providing fans with a livestream, which YouTube has now been doing since 2011, the company makes Coachella accessible to those who couldn’t score a ticket. Fans who attend the first weekend can also rewatch their favorite sets via YouTube during the second, or weekend two attendees can use the weekend one livestream to plan their can’t-miss shows. “It’s really hard to talk about Coachella without YouTube and YouTube without Coachella,” Ali Rivera, head of live music and artist partnerships for YouTube, says. “From a production standpoint, artists bring their A-game. Every artist gets the opportunity, and they’re not going to waste it. They show up for the world.”
This has since trickled down to the swarm of influencers YouTube hosts too, who document their experiences at the festival and give their communities an inside look. “Coachella is the influencer Olympics,” Hannah Stocking, a comedic creator, says. “I come here for the content. People were saying, ‘Who were you excited to see?’ The ferris wheel. I want to take pictures at sunset, and then after that, I’m yours.”
“It’s literally Hunger Games,” Erica Ha of the Ha Sisters, says, talking about the ’fits she sees at the festival. “This is what the audience wants. We’re clocked in.”
Of course, influencers make time for music too (Stocking was particularly excited to see Green Day), but for many, Coachella is about the look, the perfect shot, and the vlogs. YouTube’s on-site activation offered creators and musicians spaces to film videos, take pictures, and come together. On the first weekend’s second day, YouTube’s Creator Party allowed the influencers to mingle as well, creating opportunities for collaboration and community. “[YouTube] throws such fun events for creators,” Benjamin De Almeida, whose channel BenOfTheWeek has 8.4 million subscribers, says. “There are so many creative moments that happen here [at Coachella]. It’s so inspiring.”
New this year are a slew of creator-centric livestreams hosted by the company; now, fans at home can watch an influencer’s own stream of a Coachella performance, a feature YouTube has worked hard to create. “Every year it keeps [expanding] more and more. People love seeing the experience through their favorite creators,” Matt McLernon, who handles artist partnerships at YouTube, says. “Creators are in the fabric of all of this and bring such a unique heart to it.”
Shane, one of YouTube’s valued partners, hosted one of these streams during weekend one, with special appearances from Alix Earle, Tink, and more. The creator, who got his start on TikTok, points to YouTube as a platform well-suited for long-form content; it’s allowed him to broadcast episodes of his successful podcast Therapuss, where he interviews A-list stars. Now, with his first livestream ever, he’s taking his digital footprint to new heights. “I’ve never really done anything like this before,” he says. “I’m really excited for people at home to not only get to experience the shows, but also what it’s like on the ground.”
As Coachella heads into weekend two, YouTube continues to expand its reach. “Coachella is music and fashion and food,” Rivera says. “We want the best creators to cover it and bring their fans to really show the full Coachella.”
