Live shows are officially cancelled until (end of) summer in various countries. For the live music industry, this is a big hit that keeps going on. A few solutions have been worked out, including of course livestream. So, other than distance respectful concerts in Stockholm, what are the options for alternatives to live music as we know it?
Music actors (artists, labels, producers, promoters…) have to rethink models to connect artists to their communities and monetize performances. This is why I wanted to take the time to go over some of the impacts the live industry has taken, what initiatives can be underlined and what outcomes we could see emerge.
#1. Live events are being cancelled
Difficult to miss this week, the predictions of concerts, festivals and other events only coming back in 2021. The only solution being a vaccine to keep everyone safe, this could effectively take a long time. The study conducted by MRC Data and Nielsen shows a public opinion willing to go back to live shows once the vaccine would be available. So for now, livestreams are the best option.
#2. Live cancellations: the responses
IMPALA started a long study of all initiatives taken for artists all over Europe. You can see the mapping resulting from their effort here. If you’re interested in finding more informations about the initiatives taken for companies, you can go to our article!
#3. Livestream: community and rights
Some artists have been livestreaming for a while now. You’ve heard a few stories about building communities, being consistent, just as a gaming professional on Twitch. These techniques have been practiced by musicians too.
But more than behavior online, the question that makes every label, publisher, producer, promoter shake with stress is rights. Yes, how do licensing agreements, sync rights and others work at crossroads between recorded music and live shows? Well, thank Cherie Hu for diving deep in the topic: get details on legal requirements on livestream.
#4. How to recover from the crisis and free livestream for artists
After all, we should discuss how we’ll come back from the full lockdown we’ve been in. If the entertainment industry is one of the most impacted by the current crisis, professionals need to think of strategies to work their way back on top.
A few directions have been presented on a recovery plan from NUE Agency and CAD Management: putting more efforts on monetization through ads, increased support from the private sector and using tech to connect artists with communities virtually.
#5. The after lockdown livestream
MusicAlly noticed an intervention by Scott Cohen (Innovation at Warner Music Group) describing the current crisis as a “Napster moment” for the live industry. In a sense, deeply rethinking the ways we connect artists and their community online is going in the same direction.
Now, the question is to find the right actors to think of the new, innovative solution in the interest of the music business and artists.
