Even though the Spring Fling budget only grew by $2,000 this year — a smaller increase than that of previous years — the Spring Fling Committee will likely still have plenty of resources left after paying for the headlining act, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, based on the amount other universities paid Macklemore this spring.
Over the past four years, the Spring Fling budget has steadily increased — the YCC spent $150,000, $175,000 and $175,278.96 on the concert in 2010, 2011 and 2012, respectively. But in 2012, the YCC originally allotted $183,000 for the concert — nearly $10,000 more than the year before — and this year’s budget of $185,000 marks just a $2,000 increase. Recent Macklemore & Ryan Lewis appearances have cost other schools from roughly $27,500 to $50,000, but YCC Secretary Joey Yagoda ’14 said he would not disclose the amount the Yale College Council will pay for the duo.
Yagoda said he cannot release information about how much the YCC paid headliner artists in past years, but he added that the YCC has some flexibility to adjust its budget if necessary.
“[The Spring Fling Committee] need[s] to stay under budget, but there’s flexibility potentially as we choose how to allot the rest of the budget as the year goes forward,” he said.
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis are currently charging $80,000 for performances, said Kacie Thomas, an arts and entertainment coordinator at the University of Northern Colorado who said she recently acquired an updated list of prices for artists. The University of Northern Colorado, where Macklemore & Ryan Lewis performed on March 3, secured Macklemore for $27,500 by booking far in advance, Thomas added.
“Fortunately for us, we started a contract process with Macklemore & Ryan Lewis in October, before ‘Thrift Shop’ really exploded,” Thomas said. “Because he wasn’t really well-known yet, we got him for $27,500.”
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis will also perform at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology on April 26 — three days before Yale’s Spring Fling. Bruno Faviero, a news editor at MIT’s student newspaper The Tech, said the Undergraduate Association Events Committee paid Macklemore & Ryan Lewis $50,000.
Spring Fling Committee Chair Ethan Karetsky ’14 said he cannot release information about when Macklemore was booked because of contractual obligations. The Spring Fling Committee sent out a survey asking students for feedback about potential headliner artists in October and met with the Women’s Center to discuss potential artists in November, and the News reported on Feb. 9 that Macklemore & Ryan Lewis would perform at this year’s Spring Fling concert.
Best Coast, DJ RL Grime and band Grouplove will join Macklemore & Ryan Lewis at this year’s Spring Fling.