Coachella, the music festival in the Southern California desert that has transformed the American concert industry over the last decade, is going out to sea.

Reflecting a growing trend of youth-focused music cruises, Coachella will introduce the S.S. Coachella in December, with two trips through the Caribbean featuring Pulp, Hot Chip, Girl Talk, Yeasayer, Sleigh Bells, James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem and about 15 other acts.

Once known more for show tunes and B-list performers, cruise ships now attract a range of pop acts, from big stars like Kid Rock, Weezer and John Mayer to niche lineups geared to fans of singer-songwriters, indie rock and electronic dance music, or E.D.M.

Goldenvoice, the Los Angeles concert promoter behind Coachella, resisted jumping on the bandwagon until it found what Paul Tollett, its president, described as the perfect vessel: the Celebrity Silhouette, a 1,000-foot, 122,000-ton ship with room for 2,800 fans, cabana-style alcoves and a small theater that Mr. Tollett called a “mini Royal Albert Hall.”