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eporter Vol. CXXII Issue 14
Stetson University | DeLand, Fla.
Baauer Who? Sarah Dean News and Layout Editor
The much-anticipated release of this year’s HatterPalooza artist came and went without the level of predicted excitement. The chosen performer is Baauer, an EDM music producer whose claim to fame was the viral “Harlem Shake.” Opening for Baauer is Californian rapper Sage the Gemini, who is best known for his single “Gas Pedal,” which was once #29 on the Billboard Hot 100. Naudia Jones, president of Hatter Productions, was confident in the choice. “We knew EDM was very popular last year, and we wanted to pair it with a more urban artist,” Jones said. “This year we definitely wanted to make sure that we worked to see what the student body wanted,” said co-event planner Patrice Perkins. “We looked at a lot of hip-hop artists because we got feedback from students saying that was something they would like to see on campus.” However, student responses have been mixed after the March 27 reveal. “Basically, I feel jipped,” said sophomore Gabbie Paredes. She and others believe the online poll given by HatterProductions in the fall semester was misleading. “Yes, I understand that things weren't set in stone, but I feel that they shouldn't have had us vote for the person we wanted most if they thought they couldn't get them/if they thought things would fall through,” Paredes said. The poll was a topic of student conversation in the fall, and now some students are wondering why Hatter Productions not only chose someone who was not on the poll in the first place, but why EDM was the chosen musical style two years in a row. “I'm really disappointed in the artist choice,” said sophomore Delaney Christine. “The polls that were sent out to students had me excited to see a bigger artist like Panic at the Disco or Young the Giant. Instead, we have another EDM artist coming, something I'm personally not into and won't be going to see.” Although students may have been expecting a bigger-name artist, the members of Hatter Productions emphasized that the costs of doing so was out of their budget range, and that when it came down to it, Stetson students would rather “have a good time” at a free show than pay for tickets. “There’s a large misconception about artists’ costs,” Jones said. “A lot of people think it’s very easy to get a bigger-name artist, but if we want to have
someone like Macklemore perform, it would cost $200,000. It’s not easy to get a large, known-name artist with a small budget. A lot of bigger schools can have bigger-name artists because they have a lot of students pooling into paying their student activities fee, and they may charge a $20 ticket. That tends not to work here.” “Anytime we brought up ticket sales of any sort...it’s just not the culture normative here at Stetson,” said Perkins. “Not only is the artist expensive, but we have to think about, when we’re picking an artist, who are they bringing with them? If they tour with a group of 50 people, we have to pay for those 50 people to eat and make sure that we can provide them with traveling, on top of their production.” “Those production costs can add up to another $30,000, easy,” added Hatter Productions Vice President Chadler Ledray. Despite the negative feedback, Hatter Productions insists that they had the students’ best interests in mind when choosing the artists, and that having a known name is not necessarily important when it comes to student attendance and enjoyment. “Last year we had over 800 in attendance for 3LAU, and that was not a very common name at all. So, they were more there for the experience than the name,” Ledray said. As for the now-controversial online poll, Jones and Perkins admitted that most of the artists on the poll were just examples, and not all of them were in the running to be chosen in the first place. “Some were just different types of styles to see what Stetson wanted,” Perkins said. These style and artist choices have come under fire. “I wish Hatter Productions had picked an artist from another genre instead of making HatterPalooza seem like an EDM festival every year,” Christine said. “Cue four different remixes of ‘Harlem Shake,’” said sophomore Orion Maier. Senior Alyssa Bajek expressed disappointment not only in the artist choice, but in Hatter Productions overall. “My freshman year, Hatter Productions had great events and was a great community building organization. They really never had an event that didn't come through on its promises. This year, I've found their output to be overall disappointing. From having to buy paint at paint party to Winter Wonderland cutting out skating and other attractions, there have been few events this year that lived up to their promise,” Bajek said.
Wars: Inside Wrapper A condomtasting this experiment Page 2 issue:
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Students express mixed feelings after HatterPalooza artist reveal
WESH-TV’s Bob Kealing Visits Stetson
Photo Courtesy: Katie Dezes
Communication and Journalism minors pose for a picture with Bob Kealing after the meet-and-greet organized by Dr. Watts.
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Story on Page 4 Local artist Mic the Prophet announces debut album Page 8