Most of you probably watched the 12.12.12 Sandy Relief Concert last week, which took place at Madison Square Garden featuring some of the biggest names in music. Bon Jovi, Eric Clapton, Paul McCartney, The Rolling Stones and Bruce Springsteen were just some of the headline artists that rocked the stage for an important cause – encouraging fans to donate funds to support the victims of Hurricane Sandy. From Red Hook to Coney Island to the Rockaways, millions were affected by Sandy, and we were proud to be among the supporters of the Robin Hood Foundation’s relief efforts.

As we announced last month, all revenues from 12.12.12 tickets purchased on StubHub were donated to the Robin Hood Foundation. We are proud to share that we raised $1 million for the relief effort. Chris Tsakalakis, the president of StubHub, joined Charlie Rose, Gayle King and Norah O’Donnell on CBS This Morning last week to talk about the concert. Check out the clip here: http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=50136891n.

We want to thank everyone who donated to this cause!

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Today’s guest blog comes courtesy of Shannon J. Barbara, public relations coordinator, while Joellen is out.

Come Monday morning, one of the hottest tickets in New York City will be to attend “12.12.12” The Concert for Sandy Relief. With all profits from each ticket going to the Robin Hood Foundation to help those affected by Hurricane Sandy, on Dec. 12 Madison Square Garden will be packed with big-hearted, charitable fans.  Given the important cause and amazing lineup, featuring Bon Jovi, Dave Grohl, Eddie Vedder, Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band, Paul McCartney, Kanye West, Roger Waters, Alicia Keys, The Who and Billy Joel, it’ll probably sell out in minutes.

As a secondary ticket site, we at StubHub will inevitably see tickets posted on our site shortly after Monday’s on-sale. However, rather than remove these listings, we see this as an opportunity to make sure that profits from these tickets go where they were initially intended: to the Sandy relief effort. That’s why we’ll be donating 100% of all profits from the ticket sales to the Robin Hood Foundation.

We’re also making it easy for sellers to donate funds from tickets sold to one of several nonprofit organizations leading Hurricane Sandy relief efforts, including the Robin Hood Relief Fund as well as the American Red Cross, Save the Children, the Humane Society of the United States and the Salvation Army.

If you won’t be in New York City, or are unable to attend the concert, you can still help those in the tri-state area. Donations can be made to the Robin Hood Relief Fund by visiting www.robinhood.org/rhsandy. 

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Bonnaroo, the annual weekend long music extravaganza on a farm in Manchester, Tennessee, took place last weekend and StubHub was there to soak in all the festivities. We were thrilled to once again pitch our tent at one of the most prestigious music festivals in the world. As disappointed as I was to miss Radiohead, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Skrillex, and the rest of the talented lineup, I was off in Miami that weekend. However, my good friend Briana Wynant, who works with partnerships at StubHub, was there for the whole festival. 

As part of our sponsorship with Bonnaroo, we were able to set-up a Digital Music Lounge, where fans could come and sample new music by festival-licensed artists and create customized playlists to bring the experience home.  Briana said that fans really took to the kiosks and loved being able to make customized Bonnaroo Playlists courtesy of StubHub.

Briana said the most memorable part for our fans were the live performances hosted in the StubHub tent. We invited The Punch Brothers, Black Box Revelation and Mariachi el Bronx to come inside and play. Their performances, like the one by the Punch Brothers in the photo below, blew everyone out of the water.

For those who wanted to stay in touch on the latest sports action, our Digital Music Lounge also served up some sports entertainment. We set up a fully operational sports bar, equipped with TVs, bartenders, and Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals. If you wanted to catch the game, StubHub was there to let you see it. We’re all about keeping the fans happy!

 Finally - -new this year —for one lucky music fan, we provided a VIP package for eight, which included “All Access” credentials, a private tour bus, 24/7 concierge service, exclusive onsite gourmet catering and open bar, and 24/7 golf cart service with chauffeurs. It was a fun way to enjoy all the sights and sounds of Bonnaroo in comfort.

Next up on our festival tour? We’ll be back at Outside Lands in San Francisco in August. Stay tuned for future giveaways surrounding that festival!

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I’m excited to announce a new project that StubHub is running called Ultimate Fan. Over on our Facebook page (which you all should be fans of already!), is the first of what will be a monthly fan program to find the biggest fanatic of a particular genre. With June kicking off the summer concert season and Bonnaroo just a few days away, what better theme to launch the Ultimate Fan series then the “Ultimate Festival Fan!”

Here’s how it works. If you think you’re the Ultimate Festival Fan, head over to our Facebook page and submit a photo and/or short story that demonstrates you are the ultimate fan. This doesn’t mean that you visited Coachella once with your parents. This means that you’ve crisscrossed the country, waited in 10-hour parking lines, slept in tents, bartered for water, and know the organizers at Outside Lands and Sasquatch on a first name basis. At the end of the month, we’ll chose the top 10 finalists and put their stories/photos up for vote. The crowd will then pick the ultimate fan who will receive a $500 StubHub gift certificate. Not bad, huh!

Each month we’ll spotlight a new category so if you’ve never braved the dust storms of Coachella, don’t worry, we’ll have another option to enter in July. Make sure to check out our Facebook page for more details. Good luck!

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Spring is here, and with it comes the unofficial kick off of music festival season. Last week, thousands of music fans traveled to Austin for SXSW 2012 Music Week to see more than 2,000 artists perform all over the city. The streets are shut down, and every bar, hotel and street corner is filled with musicians and fans discovering new acts and checking out some of their favorite bands for free.

While you may think of SX as home to indie rock bands, we actually saw a ton of DJs and electronic music at this year’s festival, with people especially excited about Skrillex, Neon Indianand Miike Snow. With the electro genre becoming more and more mainstream, we weren’t surprised to see this year’s three-day Ultra Music Festival in Miami sell out months in advance. With headliners including Tiesto, Justice and David Guetta and dozens of other artists, demand is soaring – more than 2,500 tickets have been purchased on StubHub so far. This is a massive jump from last year, when less than 600 tickets were purchased. Compare that to 2010, when we saw less than 100 buyers on StubHub for this event.

(Skrillex at SXSW 2012 via: http://www.elektrodaily.com/news/2012/03/elektros-sxsw-recap/)

It’s clear that demand for this genre is growing exponentially, and not just here in the U.S. – it’s a trend spanning from Dubai to Hong Kong, the Philippines and beyond. Everyone loves electro! Check out our festival tips as you head out to UMF this weekend, and get your tickets here if you haven’t already. If you’re not the festival type, but are looking to join the fun, there are a ton ofafter parties you can grab tickets for instead. Either way, better get your dancing pants on!

I’m back with Part II of my Q&A with Michael Pingel. Today we’ve got some great suggestions for those of you who are heading out to camping festivals this year. We know you’re already brave enough to sleep in the elements for a few days, but why risk forgetting anything when these tips could make your weekend great!

Michael hanging out at his fully-stocked campsite during Wakarusa 2010 in Arkansas.

JF: You’ve already shared some great tips for daytime festivals – but what about the ones where fans will camp overnight?

MP: For the most part, these festivals are held in remote locations, and unless you want to become a scavenger by the last day you’d better be overly prepared. If you think you’ll go through a case of bottled water, pack two. If you think you’ll change your socks and drawers once a day, pack another pair just in case. There are also questions you must ask yourself before departing:

1. Where will I sleep? Tent camping is most common, but also the least comfortable, and chances of sleeping in are slim to none. Most festivals include tent camping in the admission fee, and some offer a VIP upgrade to a location that may offer more relief from the elements. Most also offer limited RV camping, but passes sell out quickly. RV is the way to go if you want to enjoy comfort while you’re there.
2. How will I feed myself? Vending options tend to resemble a local county fair. If bringing your own food, check the festival website to ensure small grills are allowed – most do not allow open fire pits. Also, make sure you have a plan to keep your perishable goods fresh. Ice is typically available in the campgrounds, but melts fast. A quick trip to a dry ice factory will save your bacon and eggs come Sunday morning.
3. Will I be camping near my car? If the festival doesn’t allow you to park near your campsite you’ll want to bring something with wheels (wagon, wheel barrel, dolly, etc.) to move your gear. If you can park and camp in the same location, be careful that your car doesn’t get blocked in. You never know when an emergency trip to the nearest Wal-Mart or 7-11 will be necessary.
4. Where’s the nearest convenience store? If I was a betting man, I’d bet more than 75% of festival attendees will make at least one run to the store for something they ran out of or forgot. Use your favorite online mapping application to locate these spots. 
5. How will I recharge my electronics? You’ll be in the middle of nowhere, so will you really need to stay in touch with anyone not at the festival? If you absolutely need to connect with the outside world, consider portable charging devices that use batteries, and buy a lot of batteries. Car chargers work, but the last thing you want is to drain your car battery charging a cell phone.

JF: Those are definitely helpfully things to keep in mind! Are there any other things you’d recommend for the overnighters?

MP: Absolutely! Other very important things to remember:

1. A campsite identifier – There is nothing that will turn a great day of music into a miserable night of wandering if you can’t locate your tent. Take some time to build a 10-12-foot pole and attach a unique flag to it. The most important part is to remember what flag you put on the pole.  Make sure yours is unique!
2. Potable and non-potable water – Most festivals offer showers or bathing options for campers.  There is usually a small fee for these facilities and lines can be very long. Bring a large jug of water to dump on your head so you can avoid the fees and lines. You’re just going to get dirty again, so why bother showering?
3. Flashlight/lantern/head light – It’s going to get dark while at the festival and there are many trip hazards on the grounds. An injury will be the biggest buzz kill at a festival. 
4. Chair/hammock/stool – You probably won’t be able to bring a lounging device into the actual concert area, but you’ll need a place to take a load off at your campsite. Build some rest time into your day so you can make it to the late night shows and dance the night away.

JF: Any last tips you have for those heading out to festivals this year?

MP: Yes, make sure you have a full tank of gas! Chances are very strong that there will be a line of cars waiting to get into the grounds and you’ll be in traffic for a long time. Fill your tank before you get in this line of traffic. You won’t want to hear your car chugging for gas when you want to leave.  Jumper cables are also handy.

Thanks to Michael for his really helpful tips. Hopefully this will help you find even more enjoyment at your music festival of choice this year.