YouTube Announces Coachella Documentary

In celebration of the music festival's 20th anniversary, Youtube Originals today announced it is partnering with Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival for a feature-length documentary "Coachella: 20 Years in the Desert" set to premiere March 31. The announcement comes on the heels of Coachella's official 2020 lineup and with news that Youtube is back as the exclusive live stream partner for both weekends of the festival.

A documentary feature two decades in the making, "Coachella: 20 Years in the Desert" opens up the vault for the very first time to present the performances and behind-the-scenes stories that shaped the music festival. The film gives a rare look at Coachella's colorful beginning, presents exclusive, never-before-seen footage and interviews, and features key performances from some of the biggest names in music, including Billie Eilish, Kanye West, Daft Punk, Travis Scott, BLACKPINK, LCD Soundsystem, Rage Against The Machine, Pixies, Swedish House Mafia, Jane's Addiction, Björk, The White Stripes, Madonna, Moby, Beck, Radiohead and more.

YouTube also announced today that it will return for the tenth year in a row as the official playlist and live stream partner for both weekends of Coachella. This year, Youtube Premium members will receive exclusive Coachella perks, including access to a members-only allocation of passes for purchase. As general on-sale Weekend 1 passes are sold out, Youtube Premium members are one of the only groups with access to this limited supply. Youtube continues to take the magic of Coachella beyond the Indio desert and into the homes and phones of millions of people around the world, providing a global stage for artists and fans to connect with live stream performances from headliners to some of the biggest artists on the rise.

"Coachella: 20 Years in the Desert" is produced and directed by Chris Perkel. Raymond Leon Roker and Paul Tollett serve as executive producers. The documentary is a Goldenvoice and Hamsterdam production, in association with AEG Studios.

Susanne Daniels is Global Head of Original Content for YouTube. Alex Piper, Head of Unscripted, Youtube Originals, and Margaret Burris, Development Lead, Youtube Originals will oversee "Coachella: 20 Years in the Desert" for the global platform.

Lyor Cohen is the Global Head of Music for YouTube. Ali Rivera serves as Head of Artist Partnerships and Live Music.

"Coachella: 20 Years in the Desert" joins a robust slate of music-focused Youtube Originals including recent hits like "Coldplay: Everyday Life - Live in Jordan," "The Gift: THE JOURNEY of Johnny Cash," "How to Be: Mark Ronson," "Taylor Swift - Lover's Lounge (Live)," "MALUMA: Lo Que Era, Lo Que Soy, Lo Que Seré," "Ariana Grande: Dangerous Woman Diaries" and "Demi Lovato: Simply Complicated," and forthcoming projects including "Justin Bieber: Seasons," which premieres on Youtube on January 27.

As part of YouTube's previously announced new programming strategy, for the first time, YouTube's audience of 2 billion logged-in monthly users will have the opportunity to enjoy new Youtube Originals series and specials, including "Coachella: 20 Years in the Desert," for free with ads. YouTube's subscription service, Youtube Premium, will continue to offer ad-free access to all Youtube Originals and either early access to episodes of select series or access to all episodes available at once to binge, as well as exclusive content behind the paywall for Youtube Premium members. The news follows record growth for Youtube Originals, with total views of the full 2019 slate growing more than 40% compared to the year before.

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