These college students are taking on music industry giants with a festival of their own (2025)

HADLEY — A group of students past and present from the University of Massachusetts is trying to upend the music industry by staging a huge music festival in Hadley later this month.

“We view our cause as a David and Goliath battle with huge promoters and festival conglomerates — the people who have a monopoly over the festival and music experience industry,” said Charley Blacker, founder and owner of Local Mojo. “We view ourselves as David.”

Local Mojo, founded four years ago in a UMass Amherst dorm, matches local entertainment venues, such as bars and arenas, with regional bands, solo musicians and disc jockeys. Blacker and his executive team of two identify the performers — some notable but others largely unknown — assembling a partnership and producing the shows.

Blacker and company make money off the sale of tickets and merchandise such as T-shirts and hats. He said the goal is to turn a profit but also promote a mission.

“We see a big gap where ticket prices are so expensive. It’s all run by these big corporations with the focus on celebrities,” he said. “We really care about the local scene because the magic is about authenticity, and the best shows are local where you’re connected intimately with the musicians.”

Blacker, 22, has graduated and now works in data analytics for an insurance company in Boston. Getting Local Mojo off the ground is music to his ears.

“Insurance is my 9-5 job, then 5-9 is all about Mojo,” he said.

Taking the stage

Blacker said his business has staged numerous performances at The Iron Horse in Northampton along with UMass and The Drake in Amherst. He said Local Mojo also has communities across the country — he calls them ambassadors — that operate somewhat like franchises in Boston, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and South Carolina.

“It’s special that we have formed a brand that’s appreciating the authenticity of local musicians,” said Emily Donovan, 23, who graduated with Blacker. Donovan is biding time as a substitute teacher, hoping Local Mojo makes it big and becomes her full-time gig.

“Some of the bands we work with have released their first song on Spotify,” she said. “It’s not like they have these big credentials and are attracting big crowds. I think it’s cool we’re doing something that not a lot of people have done before and it’s based off of the vibe of the day. It’s almost like a revival of Woodstock.”

Donovan is spending much of her time running the Boston community and booking acts for Mojofest, an outdoor, live music festival Local Mojo is planning to hold at The Club and Pavilion in Hadley on April 26 for six hours beginning at noon.

Organizers are expecting 5,000 people to attend their first-ever paid festival. The team is working with the venue, local authorities and a security firm to ensure public safety and monitor the behavior of the over 21 crowd that will buy and consume alcohol.

Hadley Police Lieutenant Mitchell Kuc, Jr. told The Republican that attendance for events at The Club rarely exceeds 3,000 people. He said his department will be prepared for the concert.

“We have worked with (them) on a traffic plan to ensure that buses are able to get in and out easily, along with ride-shares,” he said in an email. “Traffic entering and exiting the event quickly and efficiently is key to ensuring that traffic issues do not develop on the surrounding roads. Alcohol is always a concern, and we are well practiced in addressing issues that surround over-consumption, with an emphasis on ensuring medical care when it is needed.”

Kuc also said his department is assigning several officers dedicated to the event and they will work with “dozens of event security staff.” He also plans to “notify our law enforcement partners in surrounding communities. Should we need additional assistance, we will reach out to them for support.”

Blacker said his team is trying to mitigate traffic and parking by running 20 shuttle busses that will transport concertgoers from The Spoke at UMass to the concert venue.

“We’re prioritizing safety and making sure this event is done right,” Blacker said. “We are working with the police, fire department and town to make sure this goes on without a hitch.”

First impression

Local Mojo held its first music festival last year that organizers say attracted around 1,000 people to a field off Sunset Avenue in Amherst. The business invested its own cash into producing the admission-free event. It was a dress rehearsal of sorts to see if the music festival concept would play well in the area.

“We didn’t spend a ton on producing the festival. We just wanted to test the waters and put the Mojofest name out there to see if people were going to be interested. It went over really well, so we knew doing one this year was a no-brainer,” Donovan said.

Tickets for this month’s festival went on sale last October and in keeping with its mission, Local Mojo sold them for $10 apiece. That turned out to be a little too generous and since then, the price of entry has risen to $25.

“Our most loyal people bought tickets before we even announced the lineup because they knew we were going to throw a good show. Then we said we had to raise prices to make sure we can cover our costs,” Blacker said.

Organizers hope revenue from admission helps them break even, with profit generated from sponsorships, merchandise sales and the price vendors pay to sell food at the event.

Producers also hope to promote local artists by allowing 40 of them to show and sell their work for a modest fee, Donovan said. Student artists are getting a break on buying a spot to set up shop at the show.

“It might be cheaper to get a student vendor spot than a ticket because we want to have a lot of student vendors. That adds to the experience and will be really cool,” said Alex Parker, 22, who is a senior at UMass and in charge of business development for the concert promoter.

Parker played a key role in lining up sponsors this year, a tough crowd that cared little about the past, even when they heard the free event last year attracted 1,000 people.

“This is the first year we sold tickets. Sponsors don’t care about last year since it was a free event. They’re interested in what we can do this year,” said Parker.

The performers this year include the Dipsea Flower, Morrissey Blvd. along with Nikki and The Barn Boys. The bands are all from Massachusetts.

For more information about Mojofest, visit www.localmojobrand.com/mojofest