Almost immediately after COVID-19 shut down concert halls, performers, producers, and presenting organizations started creating digital content to keep their audiences engaged. The question now is whether the web can deliver online performances as a replacement for live events if venues remain closed. A couple of early surveys addressed the issue, providing some clarity on the efficacy of digital concerts.
The short answer: streaming, live or pre-recorded, doesn’t appear to be replacing live concerts any time soon.
Seventy-three percent of the 2,000 polled by Enigma Research agreed that “Livestreaming or virtual experiences are no substitute for live events,” and a Live Nation survey yielded a similar result: 85% were viewing livestreams as a substitute during the COVID-19 shutdown, but did not see the experience as a replacement for live music. People are going to come back to live events, even if their return will be slow and tentative.
That doesn’t mean that people don’t like digital content. It’s fine as a diversion, as long as they don’t have to pay. While 75% of people in the Enigma survey found free digital content to be very or somewhat appealing, only 7% of people found a pay-per-view option to be very appealing, while 66% found it to be unappealing.
This reluctance to pay makes a certain amount of intuitive sense. Since the early days of the shutdown, performers, entertainers, and arts organizations big and small have been providing complimentary access to a lot of premium content in the name of keeping their “families” “engaged.” But once one starts giving stuff away for free, it’s really hard to go back and ask people to pay for it. As we go forward, any scent of monetary gain may be looked at skeptically–ask John Krasinski.
To have any hope at turning digital concerts into a money maker, a well-thought-out strategy to create something that is artistically distinct is essential. For non-profits, it may mean framing the payment not as a virtual ticket but as a donation, an investment by others in your return to on-stage greatness. Creating third-party validation, through a sponsor or guest artist, may help generate interest, as would a marketing strategy that fully exploits all available digital marketing tools to attract audiences beyond your market area.
UPDATE: Just for fun, I thought I’d share the Los Angeles Master Chorale’s virtual-choir performance of Hark, I Hear the Harps Eternal, which we deployed on social media last week. It’s done exceedingly well for us, and is a rousing, uplifting two minutes. Enjoy.
Mark Likes Music 