Live Nation Outline Plans To Make Download A Cashless Festival

Live Nation have announced plans that will possibly make this year's Download festival a completely cashless event.

The promoter is set to test out the idea on fans forums ahead of this year's event after looking into the technology that may end the need to carry large amounts of money around at festivals.

Fans will be able to top up their wristbands with cash and then pay for goods such as food and drink on the festival site.

John Probyn, Live Nation's chief operating officer in the UK, told Music Week: “Every wristband company is vying for the contract, but it’s basically a band with a built-in computer chip which can be credited with money.

“Similar systems already exist – my golf club has it and universities have it – but it hasn’t been used at a major outdoor festival, so we’ll hopefully give it a limited trial at Download.”

He added on the logistics: “If you can imagine all the tills that you have at a festival – for food, drink, merchandise and concession stalls, fair rides, etc – you’re talking about a significant outlay to get everything working in sync.”

“There’s an obvious benefit for security, because if kids aren’t carrying cash you can cut down on theft, and if they lose the wristband it can be cancelled immediately with a new one issued on site, credited with the same amount of money.

“If their money runs out, they can top up online or even get mum to top up for them from home. That also allows parents to take a degree of control because they could program the wristband so that only a certain amount of the cash could be used for drink, with another chunk earmarked for food.”

Probyn says that many of the fast food venders also seen at festivals are have also been positive about the scheme because it will prevent money being stolen from tills.

He explained: “People think that burger vans are one-man outfits or family-run businesses, but in reality they’re usually owned by corporate enterprises.

“As a result, when we presented the idea of the chipped wristband to them, they loved it because they tend to be manned by agency staff and the amount of pilfering they currently endure is staggering.”

Other ideas Probyn is exploring is keeping credit on one wristband throughout the festival season and allowing fans to use any money leftover at certain retailers after the festival has finished.

The first acts for Download 2009 ahave just been announced, check out the details on Gigwise HERE.