👋 This is Warner from The AvA Connection. Connect with me here.
📞 Today we have a two-for-one! Although I spend most of my days making memes and running Assistants vs. Agents, I also have a… real job (shhh don’t tell). I’ve been working with Founder of Splash House, GV Surf Club & Desert Air & Becky Rosen-Checa, Talent Buyer @ Goldenvoice in the festival world for the past few years, and wanted to share their inspiring stories about how they both bet on themselves and it’s now paying off in a huge way.
📞 The Call Log: Tyler McLean & Becky Rosen-Checa
Tyler McLean is the founder and producer of Splash House, the iconic electronic music festival held in Palm Springs, California. Born and raised in Palm Springs, McLean graduated from UCLA with degrees in Communications and Political Science. In 2013, while still a senior at UCLA, he launched Splash House with the vision of revitalizing the city's summer scene by combining its rich pool party tradition with contemporary dance music. Over the years, Splash House has grown significantly, expanding to multiple weekends and attracting thousands of visitors, while booking essentially every big name in dance music: Odesza, John Summit, Chris Lake, Justice, Duke Dumont, Diplo, Lane 8 & many more. I think even my mom knows some of those names.
While you may know him from Splash House, McLean has been quietly building two new staples in the Palm Springs music scene: Desert Air, a November festival that just had its 2nd year at the Palm Springs Air Museum, and Goldenvoice Surf Club, a 4-day music & surf series taking place over both Coachella weekends at the brand new Palm Springs Surf Club.
He’s aligned closely with Becky Rosen-Checa in recent years, who now leads the talent buying of his events from the Goldenvoice side, as well as handling Fox Pomona and one-off events in L.A. You’ve probably seen her at a festival wearing a fur coat made by a brand you can’t pronounce with martini in hand. While her music taste is ~chefs kiss~ what’s more impressive is her story: she went from receptionist at AEG/Goldenvoice to now one of the rising stars in the live music industry. (SO YOU’RE SAYING THERE’S A CHANCE - JIM CARREY VOICE).
With the 2nd weekend of Goldenvoice Surf Club happening this Saturday and Sunday, I thought this would be a timely interview.
Our conversation is below:
AvA: What was your first role or project in the music industry?
Becky: I started as the receptionist at AEG/Goldenvoice in 2017. I wanted to work in the industry but had no experience and it was the only job I could get, so I adopted a “no job is too small” mentality and vowed to be the best receptionist they had ever seen. Seemingly it worked, and about 8 months later Jenn Yacoubian hired me to be her assistant. The rest is history!
Tyler: Starting Splash House in 2013. I had zero industry experience — just a love for dance music and an idea to bring it to my hometown. Everything else I had to learn and figure out along the way.
AvA: GV Surf Club delivers four distinct yet cohesive lineups across two weekends. What’s your process for curating talent that elevates the experience while giving each day its own identity?
Becky: We start by booking a headliner per day and then work with each of those artists to build out the rest of their day’s lineup. Involving the headliner in this process helps create an identity for each day that is distinct from the others.
AvA: Beyond the standard metrics (followers, streams, hard ticket sales, engagement etc.) what intangible qualities or signals do you look for in an artist early on that make you believe they’re worth betting on?
Becky: Honestly, I mostly just go off vibes, but I also think having a unique sound is important – a voice or production style that you haven’t heard before & can easily place thereafter.
Desert Air / Credit: Billboard
AvA: You’ve built Splash House, GV Surf Club, and Desert Air into cultural moments, all rooted in unique backdrops of Palm Springs. What is it about the region that makes it the right canvas for these events, and how do you continue to differentiate these products from a growing number of events in the area?
Tyler: I grew up in the desert and have a deep love for it, which is part of my drive to create more culture and experiences there. Palm Springs has the venues, rooms, and other infrastructure that make building festival experiences possible, not to mention just being a beautiful place to spend a weekend. Being so close to LA & the rest of So Cal also makes it accessible without the cost or effort of long travel.
GV Surf Club / Credit: Goldenvoice
GV Surf Club / Credit: Goldenvoice
AvA: Splash House is now in its 12th year, and has grown from a boutique festival into multiple weekends with some of the biggest names in dance music. How do you think about continuing to develop the festival while preserving the core identities that have resonated with fans since day one?
Tyler: We’ve approached every year with a drive and excitement to bring something new to the show – whether that’s through the programming, production, or other parts of the experience. Our willingness to grow, evolve and experiment has been important staying relevant this many years in, but we’ve tried to be fan-focused on every step to not lose touch of the core identity. It’s the reason we’ve kept the capacity of the show the same since 2018.
AvA: What is one piece of advice you have for someone just starting their career in the music industry?
Becky: “Get your f**king ass up and work” – Kim Kardashian
Tyler: Be the person who shows up, who follows through, and who makes it enjoyable to work together. Bring good energy and you’ll usually find it returned.
AvA: If you could build an event around one act (dead or alive) who would it be?
Becky: Kate Bush headlined festival & the undercard is all artists who have been influenced by her.
Tyler: The Beach Boys at the Surf Club 😉 Olive branch to the retirees in Palm Springs who live next to our parties.
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This newsletter is written by Warner Bailey and edited by Riley Furey
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