Industry Insider: Slacker Media Group Founder Ross Friedman Discusses the Live Event Industry

Simply put, Ross Friedman is an innovator. In considering the history of nightclubs and dance clubs, not a whole lot has changed about them since the discotheque emerged in Europe in the 1960s and the more modern club came about in the United States in the 1970s.

At 26 years of age, Friedman is reimagining nightlife for a whole new generation. He is the founder of Slacker Media Group. They describe themselves as an entity “dedicated to curating unforgettable experiences at the intersection of music, lifestyle, and entertainment.” Slacker’s primary focus is on attendee experience. More than just a promoter, Slacker views their organizers as event curators. Behind each event concept is a team of nationally touring DJs, production designers, and marketers. They come together in an effort to conjure up unforgettable event experiences.

The goal is for these experiences to be so unique and satisfying that attendees want to make them part of their regular lifestyle. With Slacker, Friedman has constructed two national touring brands: It’s A 2000s Party and Sploinky Rave. The former taps into early millennial nostalgia, featuring Y2K-focused DJ sets. Its spring tour attracted close to 50,000 fans in 50 cities. Sploinky Rave is more EDM-focused, featuring high-energy, bass-fueled music experiences complete with innovative technology. It debuted last month at AREA15 in Las Vegas, featuring real-time hologram visuals. It’s the same technology that is being used at the hugely popular Sphere, also in Las Vegas.

Joining entrepreneurial grit and cultural fluency, Friedman is revolutionizing nightlife. He joins us today for our Industry Insider interview to discuss the live event industry, the role of branding, innovation in the live space, and much more.

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A post shared by It’s A 2000’s Party (@itsa2000sparty)

What’s one hard truth about the live events or music industry that no one prepares you for when you’re just starting out?

Ross Friedman: “The music industry is unforgiving. You can put your all into a show or project, and it can (and often does) fall flat. You can risk thousands of dollars to create an amazing experience for other people, and instead lose that money and make those same people very unhappy with you. Success and longevity in the music industry are all about stamina, being able to keep going when the going gets tough, and being willing to try again when you fall down.”

How do you balance the commercial side of the industry with your passion for creating compelling and profitable experiences?

“I find that as an event producer/curator, the two often go hand in hand. What drives event profitability and long-term growth is being able to do things that no one else is doing and creating experiences that are unforgettable. It takes creativity and innovation to do that, and when that creativity dries up, it’s the commercial side that suffers.”

What’s the most overlooked aspect of building a successful touring brand?

“It sounds obvious, but the core concept. The concept behind the brand needs to be fully thought out, and there needs to be real demand for the concept that you are creating. The world does not need another Swiftie-themed night. Be creative and build something that no one else has done before. Find demographics or groups that are underserved. Carve out your niche with your concept, and build an audience with your branding.”

Sploinky Rave 2025, photo courtesy of Slacker Media Group

Sploinky Rave 2025, photo courtesy of Slacker Media Group

Sploinky Rave 2025, photo courtesy of Slacker Media Group

Sploinky Rave 2025, photo courtesy of Slacker Media Group

What’s the biggest mistake emerging that promoters or artists make when assembling their first team (managers, agents, publicists, etc.)?

“I think there are two common mistakes that people make when assembling their team. The first is thinking like an employee instead of a CEO. As an artist or promoter, you are the one steering the ship and making decisions. The people around you are there to make those decisions a reality. Far too often, I see creatives being bossed around by their management or their teams.

“Secondly, creatives need to ask: Are they my friend or are they my manager? While working with friends can be exciting and fun, it’s important to set clear roles and boundaries early on. Mixing business with friendship comes with a slew of challenges, and more often than not, it ends with unsuccessful businesses and broken friendships.”

Do you think the rise of niche communities online has changed how live events and fan bases are built?

“Absolutely. With the rise of predictive algorithms like TikTok and Instagram Reels, people are being exposed to communities and niches that they never knew existed. There are so many micro and macro communities that are popping up because of this, and they are gaining more traction than ever before. Artists and promoters can now reach fans in ways that were not possible ten or 15 years ago, and that accessibility to audiences has paved the way for good creatives to cut through the noise and corporate paywalls.”

It’s a 200s Party, photo courtesy of Slacker Media Group

It’s a 200s Party, photo courtesy of Slacker Media Group

It’s a 200s Party, photo courtesy of Slacker Media Group

It’s a 200s Party, photo courtesy of Slacker Media Group

What role do you think branding plays in the long-term success of event concepts like It’s A 2000s Party or Sploinky Rave?

“Branding is the second most important part of any touring brand behind the concept, and it goes beyond having a fancy logo and a cool promo video. Understanding who our audience is and what they are truly looking for in an event has allowed us to not only bring attendees in the door once, but create long-term fans who will come to an event again and again and know that they will have an incredible time. Building positive brand equity is what can make or break a business in the long term, and it’s something that I prioritize across all of our brands and events.”

Do you believe there’s still room for independent promoters to thrive, or is the industry too saturated with major players?

“I definitely think that there is room for independent promoters in the music industry, and in some ways, they have some advantages over the major players. While it is of course incredibly difficult to compete or even coexist with these major companies, being independent allows promoters to move faster and be more creative than others. They can capitalize on emerging industry trends quicker, and they have the leeway to be creative and push the envelope in ways that major corporations won’t allow.

“The biggest opportunity for independent promoters right now, in my opinion, is the emergence of non-traditional spaces being used for concerts, as well as the rise of non-traditional events in general.”

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What’s your opinion on how music festivals and touring brands have changed the dynamics of artist discovery and fan engagement?

“I think that artist discovery and fan engagement are constantly changing, and touring brands are a great example of this. Themed events like ours are built on a specific genre or concept instead of a headliner. This gives us two opportunities: the first is to introduce new artists and increase engagement for established artists via the playlists, visuals, and production.

“The second, and in some ways the more interesting opportunity, is that we have a platform to put emerging or undiscovered artists onto a large stage in front of an audience that is already interested in the genre/concept. I think events like ours are an emerging tool for artist discovery that is just beginning to take shape within the larger ecosystem of live events.”

How important is innovation in the live space, and what inspired your use of hologram technology at Sploinky Rave?

“In the live event industry, if you’re not innovating, you’re falling behind. With Sploinky Rave, we knew we wanted to innovate on the production side of the event since EDM and Bass events already have such high bars for production. On top of that, we needed to innovate in a way that was portable and scalable, as we often have multiple shows in one night and travel by plane almost exclusively. With these constraints in mind and after hundreds of hours of research and development, we landed on hologram technology as both a high-impact production element and a tool that can be packed up and travelled in a carry-on case.”

In retrospect, how much of your success do you attribute to hard work, and how much to timing or luck? Can young entrepreneurs “manufacture” their own opportunities?

“I believe that ‘luck’ is the intersection of preparation and opportunity. I also believe that opportunities are like trains; if you miss one, another will come along soon enough. The key to both of these is hard work and perseverance. Entrepreneurs can ‘manufacture’ their own opportunities by working hard and preparing for the opportunities that currently exist, and the opportunities that may be coming next. They also have to work hard to persevere until the right opportunity comes along.”