AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Dell and YouTube today announced an exclusive partnership to deliver live webcasts of this year's four major music festivals: New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza and Austin City Limits (ACL). Through Dell's technology and YouTube's global reach, music lovers worldwide will experience a unique connection to music's biggest stars through multiple live channels, behind-the-scenes content and exclusive artist interviews.

“As a platform, YouTube is committed to bringing original content and unique music experiences to fans, artists, and festivals in a way that benefits the entire music ecosystem,” said Robert Kyncl, global head of content for YouTube. “This live streaming partnership is an exciting example of our commitment to music and YouTube is thrilled to join Dell in bringing four incredible festivals to the world's largest stage and a diversity of music to fans worldwide.”

Music festival locations, details and dates:

• New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival (New Orleans) – April 27 – May 6, 2012 – A celebration of Louisiana's indigenous music culture that features thousands of musicians on multiple stages over 10 days supported by 400,000 visitors.
• Bonnaroo (Manchester, TN) – June 7-10, 2012 – Features 80,000 campers, 700 acres of Tennessee nature, 150 performances and 10+ stages of music.
• Lollapalooza (Chicago) – Aug. 3-5, 2012 – Spanning over 115 acres of Grant Park and 95,000 attendees a day, Lollapalooza features multiple stages, and a diverse array of 130+ artists from hip-hop, electronica, reggae, indie, rock, modern roots, and many more.
• Austin City Limits (Austin, TX) – Oct. 12-14, 2012 – ACL plays host to more than 130 artists from across the globe on multiple stages on 46 acres of green grass in beautiful Zilker Park, bringing 75,000 music lovers a day together with unforgettable music and unmistakable Austin vibe.

Music fans attending South by Southwest in Austin can join the conversation and hear more about the latest trends in live music webcasts by attending a YouTube hosted panel on “How YouTube Festival Webcasts Changed the World” on March 16 at 3:30pm CDT at the Austin Convention Center.

“Enhancing the music experience for customers is what the collaboration with YouTube is all about,” says Michael Tatelman, vice president, Dell North America Consumer. “Dell has a long-standing tradition of supporting music lovers, and all of these festivals have their own cool, unique vibe framed by the music culture of each city. Now with Dell technology, we are able to share that special vibe with millions of music lovers around the world via concert live streams,” Tatelman said.

Producing live streams and video content for music festivals requires a high-end, accelerated workflow that enables near real-time video production. To meet this demand, many festivals are turning to powerful Dell Precision workstations, which are designed to run professional video applications. For example, ACL and Lollapalooza's video production team used Dell Precision workstations at the 2011 festivals to produce video extras to support and surround the live broadcasts. Cameras positioned throughout the festivals capture performances, crowd shots, interviews and other content which was edited on the workstations and then uploaded to multiple simultaneous channels on YouTube.

According to Daniel Gibbs, video director for C3 Presents, the event production company for ACL and Lollapalooza, said of 2011 campaigns, “Timing is everything when you're providing online, HD video and audio content during large festivals. Thanks to Dell Precision workstations and Adobe Premiere Pro software, we were able to cut production time in half, bringing more live music, backstage action, audience interaction and festival footage online than ever before.”

Fara Howard, executive director, North America consumer marketing at Dell, added, “There is nothing like seeing your favorite artist live. This partnership enables music fans to not only connect with their favorite artists, but also discover new rising stars in the process. A win-win situation for everyone.”

About Dell

Dell Inc. (NASDAQ: DELL) listens to customers and delivers innovative technology and services that give them the power to do more. For more information, visit www.dell.com.

About YouTube

YouTube is the world's most popular online video community allowing millions of people to discover, watch and share originally created videos. YouTube provides a forum for people to connect, inform and inspire others across the globe and acts as a distribution platform for original content creators and advertisers large and small. YouTube, LLC is based in San Bruno, Calif., and is a subsidiary of Google Inc.