THE
Daily
MISSISSIPPIAN
Thursday, January 30, 2025
theDMonline.com
Behind the scenes of Oxford’s biggest party: Double Decker
Volume 113, No. 16
Steve Holland stars in Jesus Was a Democrat
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NATE DONOHUE A&C Staff Writer
The Center for the Study of Southern Culture’s SouthTalks series will screen “Jesus Was a Democrat” at 4 p.m. today in the Barnard Observatory. The documentary follows Steve Holland, a former member of the Mississippi House of Representatives from Plantersville, as he moves out of his office in the State Capitol at the end of his political career. Center for the Study of Southern Culture Director and McMullan Professor of Southern Studies and English
Trombone Shorty performs at Double Decker in April 2022.
HALLIE DAVIS A&C Staff Writer
T
he 28th annual Double Decker Arts Festival, scheduled for Friday, April 25 and Saturday, April 26, announced the 2025 musical artist lineup on Tuesday, Jan. 21. Lee Ann Stubbs, who has been the Double Decker Arts Festival Coordinator and special events coordinator for the past 10 years, explained the process for choosing performers.
Double Decker plans to continue its tradition of hosting a country-focused lineup for Friday night, with four bands performing including headliner Charley Crockett. Saturday has a diverse lineup that aims to appeal to a wide range of musical tastes, ending with headliner Grace Potter. “Given our finite budget, we focus on finding artists who can deliver a fantastic performance while staying within those financial constraints,” Stubbs said. “What many peo-
ASHLYNN PAYNE / THE DAILY MISSISSIPPIAN
Maggie Rogers performs at Double Decker in April 2022.
ASHLYNN PAYNE / THE DAILY MISSISSIPPIAN
ple don’t realize is that booking fees for musicians vary depending on the type of event.” Stubbs explained that Double Decker’s free admission policy limits the amount of funds artists can receive. “For ticketed events, the booking fee is often lower because artists can also earn a share of ticket sales. However, for free festivals like Double Decker, those fees are significantly higher since there’s no additional revenue from ticket sales to supplement the artist’s income,” Stubbs said. “This dynamic plays a big role in shaping the lineup each year.” As a result, the festival’s funding relies heavily on sponsorships, which comprises 60% of the total budget. Stubbs recognized the loyalty of Double Decker’s sponsors. “Double Decker offers sponsors greater exposure compared to smaller events, making it an excellent opportunity for local businesses to engage with the community,” Stubbs said. “Over the years, the festival’s budget has naturally grown due to rising costs, which is reflective of the increasing expenses in
SEE DOUBLE DECKER PAGE 3
AGRICULTURE
BASKETBALL
Rising land prices, urbanization threaten the future of farming
Ole Miss men’s and women’s basketball enter this weekend with ranked opponents on their slate.
SEE PAGE 2
SEE PAGE 6
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Kathryn McKee offered a brief summary of the documentary. “(‘Jesus Was a Democrat’) is about the unusual combination of two careers — state legislator and funeral home director — and the unexpected confluences between them,” McKee said. “The film’s subject, former Mississippi State Representative Steve Holland, will also be known to viewers as a central figure in the recently released Netflix documentary ‘The Kings of Tupelo’ and as the man who suggested, long before President Trump, that
SEE JESUS PAGE 4
SeatStock provides student ticket transfer service
PHOTO COURTESY: BRADY STEIN
SeatStock CFO Adam Hasen, Chair and Professor of Management Richard Gentry and SeatStock co-founder Josh Cohen
RUSS EDDINS
Assistant Sports Editor
When college students decide not to go to sporting events, many try to sell their tickets on platforms such as Snapchat, GroupMe or Facebook. SeatStock, an up-and-coming ticket site for college students, is seeking to make the process of student section ticket resales safer for buyers and sellers. SeatStock founders Brady Stein and Josh Cohen came up with the idea for the website in their freshman year of college at the University of Iowa. Now in their junior year, the two have found significant success at their own college as well as Ole Miss and 56 other colleges throughout the country. “(Ole Miss and the University of Iowa) are our biggest two markets so far. But other than that, the universities have all said they don’t mind us doing this unless they don’t allow secondary resale,” Stein said. “Ole Miss is one of our favorite spots.”
Stein and Cohen’s motivation for starting the company came when they were scammed trying to sell tickets. In Stein’s freshman year, he sold his Iowa vs Iowa State ticket valued at $150 on Facebook; however, he never received a Venmo payment for his ticket. “A lot of kids either don’t know where to sell (tickets) or just don’t trust where they sell,” Stein said. “If you were to sell them on the Snapchat story or someone outside your network, outside of your fraternity or one of your friends, you’re dealing with people who might not Venmo or Zelle you on the other side.” UM Vice Chancellor for Intercollegiate Athletics Keith Carter is happy with the additional layer of security SeatStock provides. “As we’ve gone into the digital world of ticketing, there are a lot more ways for nefarious things to happen in the
SEE TICKETS PAGE 6