Live Concerts: Coming Soon To A Screen In Your Home?

I’m not sure what sparked me to start thinking about this idea today, but here it goes.  Will there come a point in time where people won’t go to concerts anymore but will be able to stay home and watch them streamed on their TV?  I think so.  YouTube has become extremely popular, to the point where it is being used as it’s own verb now (like Google.)  Let’s not forget other streaming sites like Hulu too.  At the same time, certain technologies are becoming more and more affordable.  These include HD cameras, HD TV’s, projectors, projection screens, and home theater systems.  I have a friend who’s family just installed a home theater system in their basement: 100 inch screen, 7.1 HD sound, HD projector and 6 theater seats.  On that system they are able to stream YouTube videos and HD movies via Netflix with the click of a button.  While Netflix movies aren’t live shows, I think we are definitely headed that way.  Would you rather go to a live show and be crammed in with a bunch of people or kick back at home with your high definition set and comfy seats?  I’m sure different people would have different answers.

When I say live shows, I don’t mean a few songs on some award show that we already see.  I mean full-length couple hour long concerts.  Only a handful of people have tried this and it was very successful.  One of those artists was U2.  They teamed up with YouTube and streamed one of their shows live, with an estimated 10 million people composing the online audience.  While this definitely is not feasible for anybody that doesn’t have a ton of money right now, I really do think that this will change in time.  Type in your favorite artist on YouTube and I’m sure you will find a ton of amateur videos that have been uploaded from their live shows.

So would streaming your concert online deter people from spending the extra time and money to come to your concert?  Probably.  But at the same time, you are opening your audience up to an unlimited number of people instead of the venue capacity.  The possibilities are endless.  Like I said, this is not something that is going to happen in the very near future.  However, as the price of technology comes down, connections get faster and people become lazier,  it is more than possible to see something like this happen.  I’d love to hear your thoughts and ideas on this.  Maybe I’m just crazy?

U2 Live on YouTube

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Do you love FREE music?

I know I do.  Sam Vicari wants to share his musical creations with YOU.  For a limited time, his debut album Keep Careful will be offered in a digital version free of charge on Bandcamp.  Click here to go there.  Feel free to listen to and download any of the tracks you please.  And don’t forget to share the news with your friends and return to my blog and tell me what you thought about it!

How does everyone feel about giving away your music for free?  As an unknown artist, who is going to buy your album for 10 or so dollars when there are so many other things that their money would probably be better spent on in their eyes?  While you won’t make any money right away, a fan base will start building and will set up some revenue for you in the future at live shows and for future releases.  What are your thoughts?

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Your Friends Like It – YOU SHOULD TOO!

Right?  The Nielsen Company just released a report on this topic titled Advertising Effectiveness: Understanding the Value of a Social Media Impression.

Mostly everybody has a Facebook these days.  And those of you that do, I’m sure you’ve noticed how much the “like” button is excessively used by everyone.  Even this week, they changed the “Become a Fan” option to a “Like” button.  This study examines the use of ads on Facebook and how effective they are.  Additionally, it examines the use of advertising through your Facebook friends.  There are 3 different ad types that are discussed.

1. Engagement Ad

2. Ad with Social Context

3. Organic Ad Impression

Below is a screenshot of the 3 different types.

(Source: http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/social-ads.png)

Have you seen these ads?  Of course you have.  It’s the new trend.  Advertisers figured out that you trust your friends and peers when making purchase decisions.  By throwing names of your Facebook friends who like their product in the ad, it doesn’t become just another ad anymore.  Now you have a reason to click on it because your friend’s name is there and you trust them.  How many of you have clicked on these ads to check the product out because your friends name was underneath it?

Can you imagine something like this for music?  I don’t think there is anything out there that does this on a big level, but somebody tell me otherwise if there is please.  It would be so epic if something like this could be designed for music.  I know that Amazon does “recommendations,” but those are based on only your purchase habits.  If you were browsing a music website and one of your friend’s names popped up “liking” an album, I feel that you would be much more inclined to check it out and maybe purchase it.  What do you all think?  Does this type of marketing have a lot of potential for music?

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Don’t want to be an American idiot!

I don’t remember where I was the other day, but I heard somebody talking about a new musical on Broadway.  Usually I wouldn’t pay much attention because although I do enjoy musicals, I rarely ever go to them.  However, it was two words that caught my attention and immediately pulled me in: “Green Day.”  Yes, that’s right folks.  The well-known band Green Day sparked a Broadway musical based off their hit album “American Idiot.”  I was so amazed by the fact that a band (especially a band like Green Day) could pull this off that I immediately searched for more information.  My search led me to this post on Billboard.

While as awesome as I think this whole thing is, this article makes a few key points that are directly related to marketing:

1. Things rarely turn out the way you think they will.

In this article they mention how Green Day has matured from a three-chord punk band to this rock musical on Broadway, and how nobody ever expected to see that happen.  It is important to do research and be aware that the world is changing everyday.  You can’t stick with one set way and be successful.  Things are constantly changing.  You need to always be on the lookout for new and creative opportunities to market your music.  In Green Day’s case, they are doing something that has only been attempted once before.

2. Kids are more comfortable with musicals these days.

Broadway is no doubt geared towards an older audience.  However, that may be changing.  This article points out the numerous musical shows geared towards kids that are now part of their pop culture, including “Glee” and “High School Musical.”  Broadway hasn’t made much of an effort to appeal to younger people but that may need to change in my opinion.  Green Day’s “American Idiot” show is helping that shortcoming.

3. Always be aware of your target market and adjust it if need be.

While a little unrelated to the “American Idiot” show, this point still has to do with rock musicals.  During the “Rock of Ages” show on Broadway, they did some audience research and found out that almost half of their crowd had never been to a Broadway show.  Luckily, they realized this and understood that the traditional marketing techniques would not be sufficient for this show.  It would have been bad if they didn’t realize this and continued to rely on their “standard” marketing.  This raises some questions.  What motivated the audience to come to that show?  How did they find out about it?  These are all questions that need to be examined and thought about a lot for every plan you put together.  In the case of the “Rock of Ages” show, they realized that women were the primary ticket buyers.  To take advantage of this, they used the power of the Internet and worked with mom blogs to get the word out.

What does everyone think of this whole notion of a rock musical based off a single album?  Do you think it will be successful?  Who else besides loyal fans of the band might you market this to?  As you ponder those questions, I will leave you with the lyrics of the hit from the album “American Idiot.”

Don’t want to be an American idiot.
Don’t want a nation under the new media
And can you hear the sound of hysteria?
The subliminal mind fuck America.

Welcome to a new kind of tension.
All across the alien nation.
Where everything isn’t meant to be okay.
Television dreams of tomorrow.
We’re not the ones who’re meant to follow.
For that’s enough to argue.

Well maybe I’m the faggot America.
I’m not a part of a redneck agenda.
Now everybody do the propaganda.
And sing along to the age of paranoia.

Welcome to a new kind of tension.
All across the alien nation.
Where everything isn’t meant to be okay.
Television dreams of tomorrow.
We’re not the ones who’re meant to follow.
For that’s enough to argue.

Don’t want to be an American idiot.
One nation controlled by the media.
Information age of hysteria.
It’s calling out to idiot America.

Welcome to a new kind of tension.
All across the alien nation.
Where everything isn’t meant to be okay.
Television dreams of tomorrow.
We’re not the ones who’re meant to follow.
For that’s enough to argue.

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