Up against the colonization of the music festival, the In-Ko-Pah seeks to preserve the last frontier of music, non-profit outdoor events. For the last 3 years, a group in San Diego has been running a series of overnight shows at the Desert View Tower that does not offer anything except music in a natural experience.

In-Ko-Pah is not a music festival. It’s founders call it a “High Jinks.” If anything, it’s an anti-festival in Southern California near the border with Mexico. Some bands, who want to play at In-Ko-Pah, can’t. Their agencies, who make a large percentage off music festivals, are beholden to large promoters and their associated profits.

In-Ko-Pah is a non-profit event. There are no vendors. People are allowed to bring their own food and beverages, something unheard of at modern festivals. Some say In-Ko-Pah is like camping with music and not music with camping. The location of the site, the Desert View Tower, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and has been an attraction for eastbound San Diegans for decades; now, it comes to life with sound.

“The concept of the ‘High Jinks’ was to highlight musicians and get away from the daily grind,” In-Ko-Pah founder, Jim La Clair, tells us. He and In-Ko-Pah co-founder John Eisenhart lament how festivals have become commercial products.

“First, they took musicians rights to production, then they took the rights to songs, then they attempted to take the venues, requiring middlemen , and now they are taking the last remaining item: open air festivals,” John notes. “We started this event to return the festival to musicians.” Jim adds. Disgusted with the current trends, In-Ko-Pah strictly resists the term ‘festival’.”

The ‘High Jinks’ gives its revenue of the tickets to musicians and does not make a profit. “No prostitution of musicians, just live music in nature under the stars, as festivals were meant to be,” Jim said. “This is how it always was.”

Events from major corporations are routinely listed in the advertising space of magazines. These events can take precedent over small festivals, even when the small festivals provide advertising revenue. Thus, they suffer in amid a sea of modern payola. Sure one can understand presenting products at an event that would be of benefit for attendees but often these lines go far further than what the event is about, and in the worst cases, sponsorship takes over the theme.

“Festivals are either produced or bought by large agencies,” Jim said. “But the smaller ones are forced to have a harder time getting press.” This might not be the case if In-Ko-Pah focused on a less popular style of music. “If we were Jazz or Classical we would have an easier time posting our events in newspapers as there is little financial competition by large agencies such as Goldenvoice or WME or their associated press outlets.”

“We have had some major bands interested,” Jim said, while lamenting “but we have seen inflated prices when it comes to festivals.” The same band that we had ended up playing at a local venue for $5,000, but to play at our event it would be $25,000,” Jim relays. “While we understand this is part of supply and demand, in the end it is not the musician that gets the extra $20,000. We have had several very positive interactions with small to mid-range agencies but in general those that own or run festivals are a no-go, even if their musicians are into In Ko Pah. Sadly, the festival has become a major commercial entity.”

While the In-Ko-Pah crew do not argue with the need to make profits. The fact remains that many promoters and their corporate affiliates no longer see festivals from the musicians or fans eyes, rather they invest on it as a high-return spreadsheet. Whether right or wrong the fact that yet one more part of American culture has been turned into a commodity is of concern. Sadly, this may lead to the downfall of another American classic, independent outdoor live music events.

Get your ticket here.