Voting & Performance Slots

Last Updated: February 7, 2026

1. Fan Voting Eligibility and Method

Fan voting shall be conducted exclusively through online purchases of tickets and/or individual sponsorship packages for Metal Massacre XV: The Ides of Massacre.

Voting shall occur only at the time of checkout and shall not be available through any other means.

Each qualifying purchase entitles the purchaser to allocate a total of six (6) voting points among their top three (3) preferred bands as follows:

First choice band: three (3) points
Second choice band: two (2) points
Third choice band: one (1) point

Each ticket or individual sponsorship purchase constitutes a single voting instance totaling six (6) points.

2. Voting Period

Fan voting shall be open during the following period:

April 1, 2026 through July 18, 2026

2.1 Early Voting

Purchasers of individual sponsorship packages shall be granted early voting access beginning April 1, 2026.

2.2 Presale Voting

Presale tickets shall become available for purchase on May 1, 2026.

Presale ticket purchasers shall be eligible to vote at checkout beginning on that date.

Voting shall remain open through the presale period and shall close at 11:59 PM on July 18, 2026.

3. Determination of Performance Slot Selection Order

Upon the conclusion of the voting period, all participating bands shall be ranked in descending order based on their total accumulated voting points.

Performance slot selection shall proceed in order from the band with the highest total point value to the band with the lowest total point value.

4. Performance Slot Availability

A total of thirty (30) performance slots are scheduled for Metal Massacre XV. Of these, twenty-six (26) slots shall be made available for selection by bands participating in fan voting.

4.1 Reserved Performance Slots

The following four (4) performance slots are reserved and shall not be eligible for selection through the fan voting process:

Friday – Main Stage – 11:00 PM - Reserved for headlining bands
Saturday – Main Stage – 11:00 PM - Reserved for headlining bands
Friday – Main Stage – 7:00 PM - Reserved for networking bands
Saturday – Main Stage – 4:00 PM - Reserved for networking bands

Definitions:

Headlining bands are bands selected by event organizers that are not local to the Erie County, Pennsylvania area, are established in their home regions, and may bring a fan base that would otherwise not attend Metal Massacre.

Networking bands are bands that have never played at Metal Massacre before, preferably bands that have never performed in the Erie County, Pennsylvania area. These bands may be from outside the area but may not have a large following, either because they are new or are primarily known locally. Networking bands are seeking to gain exposure and break into the Erie County, Pennsylvania market.

All remaining performance slots shall be eligible for selection in accordance with Section 3.

5. Line-Up Party and Performance Slot Selection Procedure

Performance slots shall be selected in person at the official Line-Up Party. The date and time of the Line-Up Party shall be communicated to participating bands in advance by event organizers.

A band representative is required to attend the Line-Up Party on behalf of each participating band. The band representative shall be authorized to select a performance slot for their band.

Performance slot selection shall occur in accordance with the final voting rankings established under Section 3. When it is a band’s turn to select, the band representative shall choose one (1) available performance slot from the remaining eligible slots.

Failure of a band to have a representative present at the Line-Up Party may result in the forfeiture of the band’s ability to select a preferred performance slot. In such cases, Metal Massacre organizers reserve the right to assign a performance slot at their discretion.

6. Final Authority

Metal Massacre organizers reserve the right to interpret, administer, and enforce these rules, including the resolution of any disputes related to voting, scoring, donations, or performance slot selection.

All decisions made by event organizers shall be final.