Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival

Even though it is not a done deal, there have already been a lot of obituaries written for All Points West since the NY Times reported last week that the "outlook is in doubt" for a 2010 festival. We'll hold off on any pronouncements, but it is not to early to assess the possible factors producer Goldenvoice/AEG may be weighing before making a final decision.

The one that has been most bandied about (in the Times and elsewhere)—the difficulty of securing headline acts—seems least credible to me. Yes, if they were starting from scratch it would be difficult to book A-list performers at this late date. But AEG is the second largest concert promoter in the country and it produces Coachella, arguably the most important alternative rock festival in the business, among other events. Surely it has the juice to bring in major acts.