Rick Farman

Co-Founder, Superfly, A Range Company

Co-founder of Superfly, the live-events company behind Bonnaroo and Outside Lands, now operating within Range Sports following its January 2026 acquisition.

Last updated 2026-09-16

In short

Rick Farman is Co-Founder at Superfly, A Range Company. Co-created two of the United States' most established music festivals and continues to lead festival and experiential business development after Superfly's acquisition. Rick Farman co-founded Superfly in 1996 and remains its co-founder in an active business-development capacity, according to his own LinkedIn profile.

Quick facts

Current role: Co-Founder
Organisation: Superfly, A Range Company
Primary category: Festivals
Known for: Co-founding Superfly; Co-creating Bonnaroo; Co-creating Outside Lands

Executive summary

Rick Farman co-founded Superfly in 1996 and remains its co-founder in an active business-development capacity, according to his own LinkedIn profile. Superfly went on to co-create the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival (later selling its stake to Live Nation) and Outside Lands, which it continues to produce in San Francisco alongside Another Planet Entertainment.

In January 2026, Range Sports acquired Superfly, bringing Farman and co-founders Rich Goodstone and Kerry Black, along with the company's leadership team and staff, into Range's operation as 'Superfly, A Range Company,' according to simultaneous reporting by Pollstar, Deadline and Sports Business Journal. The deal explicitly excluded Superfly's ownership interest in Outside Lands, which continues under its existing operating and creative structure.

Following the acquisition, Farman and his co-founders lead a new owned-and-operated experiential intellectual-property creation practice across Range's broader sports, entertainment and music businesses, a scope Live Index records as current and distinct from his earlier, pre-acquisition role running Superfly as an independent company.

Why Rick Farman matters in live music

Bonnaroo and Outside Lands were among the first major post-Woodstock American destination festivals built by independent promoters rather than legacy concert companies, and Farman's role in creating both places him among the founding figures of the modern US festival circuit.

The 2026 sale of Superfly to Range Sports is also a case study in how founder-led festival and experiential companies continue to be absorbed into larger consolidated groups, extending a pattern seen earlier with Bonnaroo's own sale to Live Nation.

Career record

1996Co-founded Superfly in New Orleans.
2002Co-created the first Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival.
2008Co-created Outside Lands in San Francisco.
2020Co-founded Flymachine, a separate live-streaming venture, alongside his continued role at Superfly.
January 2026Superfly was acquired by Range Sports; Farman and his co-founders joined Range to lead a new experiential IP practice.

Sphere of influence

Levels are categorical — Core, Major, Significant, Limited — and each is stated with the evidence it rests on. No numeric score is published, because none would be defensible.

US festival co-founding: He co-created Bonnaroo and Outside Lands, two of the longest-running major US destination festivals.
Experiential marketing and IP development: He now leads Superfly's and Range's experiential brand-building work for corporate clients including Microsoft, Netflix, Nike and Uber, per Sports Business Journal's reporting on the acquisition.
Festival ownership: Superfly's ownership interest in Outside Lands was excluded from the Range Sports acquisition, meaning Farman's direct equity role there was unaffected.

Entity relationships

Current

Rick Farman co-founded Superfly, A Range Company.
Rick Farman co-created and continues to produce Outside Lands.

Historical

Rick Farman co-created Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival.
Superfly's ownership stake in Bonnaroo was sold to Live Nation; Farman is no longer an owner of the festival.

Timeline

1996Co-founded Superfly.
2002Co-created Bonnaroo.
2008Co-created Outside Lands.
2026Superfly acquired by Range Sports; Farman continued in a business-development and IP-creation role.

The Biggest Concert Promoters in America: A 2026 Ownership and Market Map

References and sources

Range Sports Acquires Superfly — Pollstar. Trade press. Retrieved 2026-09-16.Cited for: Confirms the January 2026 acquisition and Farman's continuing role leading business development and IP creation.
Range Sports acquiring Superfly — Sports Business Journal. Trade press. Retrieved 2026-09-16.Cited for: Details the acquisition structure, Superfly's origin and its festival and brand-client history.
Rick Farman - Co-Founder at Superfly (a Range Company) — LinkedIn. Verified profile. Retrieved 2026-09-16.Cited for: States his current co-founder title and description of his post-acquisition business-development role.