How Sound Haven’s Founder Constructed an Impartial Pageant With No Startup Funds

Launching a music festival in today’s climate typically requires deep pockets, major backing, or both. Jered Ardry, the founder of Sound Haven, had neither.

When he launched Tennessee’s independent bass festival in 2018, he did it with just a few hundred dollars, a handful of trusted relationships, and a belief that he could build something meaningful. Eight years ago, Ardry said he had “minimal to no funds, and hopes and dreams” in an exclusive EDM.com interview. But what he lacked in capital, he made up for in vision, grit, and a community ready to support him.

In Sound Haven’s first year, ticket sales covered the production costs. Awareness spread through grassroots promotion and ticket giveaways online, but Ardry said the festival’s inception relied on the strength of the relationships he built in the scene. “Since it was such a small event, we weren’t required to put many deposits down at first,” Ardry explained. “I had a really good relationship with the venue, and with some production companies through the shows that I was throwing. It was through trust in my relationships that allowed me to jump into it without needing to put deposits down.”

That trust helped get Sound Haven off the ground, but pulling it off was another story. Its inaugural year delivered highs and lows, forcing Ardry to navigate the pressures of being the festival’s go-to problem solver, operator, and crisis manager. “I played a set at the first Sound Haven, and as I’m performing, multiple people are coming up to me and telling me about issues and problems. It was extremely stressful,” Ardry reflected.

After the first year, once the grounds cleared and the adrenaline wore off, something shifted. Ardry experienced a sense of fulfillment unlike anything he’d felt before. “Seeing the feedback from everyone really made me realize, this is something I want to do forever,” he said. Ardry shared that the moment Sound Haven truly felt sustainable arrived in 2021. What began as a scrappy experiment gradually evolved into something with staying power. Despite operational turbulence, the festival was a financial success, receiving outpouring fan praise and validating both the concept and the years of reinvestment behind it.

“It made me realize that I had something that really impacted people’s lives, and ultimately achieved the goal that I had set out to do. I just wanted to continue leveling it up, evolving it, and improving it.”

Credit: Jered Ardry

As Sound Haven grows, Ardry remains focused on preserving the elements that made attendees fall in love with it in the first place. He says protecting the festival’s intimate, community-first ethos is non-negotiable, along with maintaining the “homie vibe, the atmosphere of feeling comfortable and safe, the short walks and the sound system culture.” That last pillar is one of Sound Haven’s most defining traits. Its 2026 edition will feature three unique stages, plus a slew of renegades, each powered by massive sound systems tailored to the bass-heavy experience the festival is known for.

Last year, the festival boasted “the tallest Funktion-One subwoofer stack to ever be deployed in the United States,” as seen below.

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This year, fans can experience crisp frequencies from top-tier sound systems, including Funktion-One Vero VX and a variety of custom rigs. In total, the festival typically hosts around seven extraordinary speaker arrays throughout the grounds.

Beyond the music, Ardry says Sound Haven’s biggest evolution has happened behind the scenes. The festival’s growth, he feels, is most evident in its operational maturity and professionalism. “We’ve really come a long way when it comes to being organized and producing the event in a manner that is safe and comfortable for everyone,” he explained.

Even with that progress, Ardry is quick to dispel the romanticism often attached to running a festival. What attendees experience as magic is built on an immense amount of unglamorous labor.“It has been extremely challenging to be an independent festival in this economy,” Ardry said. “Through seven years of Sound Haven, only a few have been profitable. It’s been tough to continue. However, through our partners and through Sacred Hive’s show profits, we’ve continued reinvesting in it because we believe in the vision and want to see it successful.”

For Ardry, that vision has always extended far beyond putting on a weekend of music and camping. He hopes Sound Haven ultimately becomes a place remembered not just for its sets, but for the way it impacts its community.

“I would love for Sound Haven to be something that people look back on as an experience that changed their lives, shaped their direction and made them inspired to pursue their own dreams, whether that’s DJing, live painting or performing,” Ardry said. “I’ve had so many people tell me that it changed their lives, or they met the love of their life at Sound Haven and got married. Those things make all the hard work worth it.”

While the full lineup has yet to be announced, Detox Unit, YDG, Ott., and Casey Club have already been confirmed. Sound Haven will take place July 30th-August 2nd, 2026, at Jaceland in Tracy City, Tennessee. Tickets are on sale now and can be found here.