F1 Rocks, apparently

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F1 has announced a series of music events to be called “F1 Rocks”:

Universal Music Group International and its JV company All The Worlds is pleased to announce the signing of an agreement with Formula One Administration Limited creating F1 ROCKS, a pioneering and electrifying new global entertainment platform.

F1 ROCKS fuses the world’s most popular annual sporting series with the most iconic music stars to create an unrivalled experience for F1 and music fans alike. At the core of F1 ROCKS is a series of spectacular multi-artist live music events from glamorous Formula 1 race locations around the world. The combination of live performances from the world’s biggest acts together with stars from the world of movies, sport and fashion will create TV shows & Digital content that will be broadcast and streamed to a global audience.

"The partnership between the world’s most thrilling sport and the world’s biggest music company is one of the most exciting entertainment initiatives to be launched anywhere," said Lucian Grainge, Chairman/CEO of Universal Music Group International.

"The combination of music, megastars and motor sport will create a groundbreaking, all-new entertainment spectacular, channeled through the multiple platforms open to our two global brands. I’m very much looking forward to working with Bernie. He had the imagination to see the potential in F1 Rocks from the very beginning, and we want to make it a huge success on a global scale.”

Bernie Ecclestone, CEO of the Formula One Group added: "I have always said that we are in the entertainment business and this deal marks a new dimension for Formula One. It is the result of many months of discussions with Lucian and I am very pleased we are now ready to go. Universal are the biggest players in the music industry and we have high hopes for what we can achieve together."

I like the phrase “world’s most popular annual sporting series” – is that what we have to call it now? And do these “iconic music stars” have names?

Worthwhile promotional venture or cynical money-churning? Who do you want to see playing at F1 Rocks? Have your say in the comments…

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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33 comments on “F1 Rocks, apparently”

  1. Anyone else see the link already? (Hint: Pussycat Dolls)

  2. I would like to see Kimi singing……lol…..

  3. Was it 2007 or 2008 when The Who played a gig at the Australian GP? I seem to remember it went down pretty well.

    As F1 and gigs are two of my favourite things, I’d have to give this the thumbs up. I can only see it working in certain places though, or at least, the major names would probably only perform in the major countries.

    But yeah, not a bad idea.

    1. The Who are playing this year.

      Kiss played last year.

  4. They should invite THOSE GUYS to play:

    1. Definitely !

      Eddie Jordan was great entertainment !

    2. I had the misfortune of seeing EJ’s group after the British GP a couple of years ago.
      I’ve heard better in my local pub on a Wednesday ‘pick up the mic’ evening.
      Even more unfortunate is that we’re gonna have to listen to his Ecclestone fawning commentary fairly soon too (in about 90mins as I type!)

  5. That’s a rather vague press release.

    “NEWS: We’re going to do some things with music. And movie stars. We think it’s going to be quite good.”

  6. Anyone but Status Quo.

  7. Didn’t Champ Car try this rock/racing fusion concept with Elton John a while back?

  8. I suppose a lot of iconics want to go to Bahrain.

  9. Would love to see David Gilmour play at F1 Rocks!

  10. kiss played at the Aussie GP last year, The Who is playing @ this years GP

    1. Terry Fabulous
      27th March 2009, 21:22

      And they have been very VERY successful at getting the crowd to hang around after the race and turn the day into a real festival.
      it is a great idea to boost flagging ticket sales by giving two for the price of one (race AND concert).

      And gawd knows they need to do everything they can to boost ticket sales in this environment!!

  11. Max and Bernie duet – singing “Money Money Money”

  12. Well, I like what they are doing in Australia with concerts included in a price of admission. The Who is my favourite band and F1 is my favourite sport and I was trying to figure out a way to get to the Australia and watch the race but I couldn’t even afford plane ticket… Damn my low salary!

    Anyway, what bands played during GP weekends? Kiss, Pink Floyd, The Who… anybody else?

  13. THE WHOOOOO!!!!!!

  14. sepang is doing the same thing with Jamiroquai

  15. @Mondo David Gilmour?

    What would he play, Run Like Hell? A fitting title for McLaren’s 2009 campaign so far I think!

  16. I have to admit I was a little surprised when I found out that most races don’t have after-race concerts. They were always a feature of the Australian GP when it was in Adelaide, and even the V8 Supercars meet (Clisal 500) which is held in Adelaide has after-race concerts. Infact the Clipsal 500 has 4, one after each day of the event with multiple bands each night. They’ve always pulled decent crowds and are actually advertised indepedent of the racing, a lot of people go just for the concert.

    Its a good idea, it definitely adds value and it can only help ticket sales.

  17. The Indy 500 does this too in order to get people to the track. I think they have 3 Doors Down this year.

  18. Good idea, would be good to have more on track entertainment, really earn that ticket price.

  19. No need to hire rock groups to entertain people at the GPs.
    We already have the Fab Four :
    Flavor Flav, Bernie M., Papa Mo and Lou

  20. Oh dear, you just know it’s gonna be a bunch of fat old dinosaur rock groups from the 70’s and 80’s. Dreadful.
    For all F1’s talk about being the most advanced technology they’ve got a long way to go in the culture department.
    Get with the times – appeal to the younger generations ie. the ones that will follow it in the future when old farts like me are too senile…

    1. I was just about to say it would all be old bands. Even if it is new bands it’ll be difficult for it to appeal to the majority of people. I for one would prefer no one playing at all if the alterative is pop, hip-hop, r’n’b or old bands- except for iron maiden. And as they’re playing interlagos this year (not during the race unfortunately) perhaps they could be coerced back for the race and play other venues. Of course it won’t happen. But it’s a dream. In reality, it WILL be pussycat dolls. And I’ll weep.

    2. Another thought, F1 will be at Donnington next year, which is host to Download festival. That’d be a laugh.

    3. If you could mute the Pussycat Dolls and play your own music over the top while they dance around, I’d be happy with that.
      I will never feel any sympathy for Hamilton no matter how much bad he has on the track – he’s got Nicole to cheer him up when he goes home. Lucky little fella.

  21. Sounds like the tracks are trying to drum up more desperately needed cash. It’d be nice to see some of the defunct tracks brought back into use.

  22. We’ve been having gigs at Sepang for many years now. This year we’re getting Jamiroqui and we’ve had Deep Purple and Status Quo in the past. We normally get local acts every year, which turns out to be rubbish most of the time.

    Too bad I’ll be missing Sepang this year..and Jamiroqui as well..due to some really bad organization, there’s an Oasis gig in Singapore on the Sunday…unfortunately, my priorities lie south!!

    1. Sheesh! Oasis over F1? That’s akin to choosing Jo Brand over Adriana Lima.

  23. Pussycat Dolls are confirmed for launch event……hot news today from inside Universal Music…..Oh dear. How crap is that :(

  24. Great concept, Universal doing thier own thing as usual..not sure its going to work though and I for one cannot under stand the line up…try to please everyone and you end up pleasing no one.

    Let battle commence

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