While some peer institutions have had more success inviting major artists to campus each year, each university's ability to bring in performers varies based on venue options, location, budget and reputation.
Members of Programming Board have decided not to host a winter concert because of the difficulties involved in securing an indoor venue with enough space for the entire student body, director Alex Martin '13 said.
"Leverone is used year-round by various sports groups and as far as we've been told, it is hard to convince these teams to let us borrow the field for the two plus days it takes to get concerts of this scale set up," he said. "This is especially true in the winter when many teams are in Leverone."
During the Avicii concert, which was hosted in the Class of 1953 Commons, many students were not able to get tickets because of capacity limits.
"I don't want us to do another winter concert and have that situation happen again," Lghzaoui said.
Programming Board initially planned on hosting electronic music artist Major Lazer this fall, but he faulted on a signed contract because of scheduling conflicts, according to Martin.
Programming Board plans to spend over $20,000 to bring a popular artist in the Spring, Lghzaoui said.
They will select the artist partially based on a survey of students' favorite genres or artists, which indicated that they preferred hip-hop, electronic dance music and pop.
"We have not finalized [the concert,] but it's going to be big, and it's going to be an epic adventure because we are pulling out all the stops," she said.
Peer institutions have had varied success in bringing major artists to their campuses. Brown University, which has hosted Snoop Dog, MGMT, Naz, Diddy, Childish Gambino, the Glitch Mob and TV on the Radio, is limited in their ability to host big name artists is because of cost, according to booking chair Emma Ramadan.
"We get a lot of flack for not being able to get more famous people but it really is limited by funds," she said. "People will suggest things like David Guetta and have no idea that it will cost $300,000, and Lil Wayne, who will cost half a million," she said.
Brown's Concert Agency has also had difficulties finding a suitable indoor venue in the past. If inclement weather forces a concert indoors during Brown's annual spring weekend, it is relocated to the gym, which has "atrocious" sound quality and limited capacity, she said.
Cornell University hosts four to six big concerts each year, according Student Activities Office assistant dean of students Joe Scaffido. Recent artists have included the the Cataracs, Avicii, Passion Pit, White Panda, BOB, Motion City Soundtrack, Phoenix and Kid Cudi, he said.
"When we send out offers, we make sure that we include some of the past shows that we have had so people understand that this isn't just a group of students who want to put on a concert," he said. "This is an experienced group who has put on some great concerts."
Cornell typically hosts concerts in its field house, Barton Hall, which can accommodate 5,000, or on an outdoor slope with a capacity upwards of 20,000 people, he said.
While Cornell's rural location may deter some artists, the University increases its payment offers to encourage artists to come, according to Scaffido.
"Sometimes we find ourselves paying more than a school in Boston or Philadelphia or New York City may be paying," he said.
Yardfest, Harvard University's annual spring concert, has featured artists including The Cataracs, Das Racist, Sam Adams and Far East Movement, College Events Board co-chair Loren Oh said.
Harvard's Boston location attracts artists that go on tour nearby, but the University competes with other Boston colleges to draw artists. Attracting famous artists is also largely limited by budget, according to Oh.
"Money is the determining factor for where we draw the line for how big of an artist we can draw," she said.
Although Middlebury College is limited by its smaller budget, students have generally been satisfied with frequent concerts by smaller name artists, such as Miniature Tigers, Guster and Walle, according to Middlebury Activities Board concert committee co-chair Molly Spreague. Middlebury will host the indie rock band Fun. in a concert this Thursday, she said.
"People realize our limitations and are very happy with what we have done so far," she said.
Students interviewed said that they wished the College would bring bigger name artists to perform on campus.
Holly Foster '14 said that she would be interested in attending concerts featuring country musicians or Top 40 artists.
"I would love for them to have more big concerts," she said. "My concern would be who the artist would be and how that would affect the turnout."
Mohandass Kalaichelvan '15 said that he has low expectations for the quality of performers that come to the College because of its rural location.
"Hanover makes it pretty hard for an artist to come unless they are on route to somewhere else," he said.
