CES 2012 recently wrapped up, and we are once again presented with some of the most innovative and new technologies to be coming our way.  The 21st century just seems to be trucking along and with the technological changes we are seeing in our day-to-day lives, we are also seeing some dramatic changes in the way live music and concerts are being presented to the audience.  Live music will continue to hold its roots but the next step in the evolution of concerts is here, so lets take a look at some new technologies and engagement ideas that might just change your perception of concerts forever.

Holographic Performances

No live performers on stage, just a hologram and endless room for imagination.  As crazy as this may seem its already caught on in Japan and we’re starting to see it pop up more and more around the globe.  Japanese audiences have been helping to create and shape their fantasy star, Hatsune Miku, for several years now.  Audiences help write songs, pick outfits, and generally control the flow of the show.  While I don’t know if American audiences are ready for an animated or ‘imitation’ musician, we are seeing though many big name stars and company’s embrace it as a major marketing tool, examples being;  Celine Dion (duet w. Elvis), Deutsce Telekom and T-Mobile teaming with Mariah Carey, and the Black Eyed Peas…for some more good examples see Musion’s portfolio.  One day when we all have a holodeck in our home (StarTrek geek coming out), the in home live streamed holographic concert could be next.  The possibilities here are endless and this I see as truly being futuristic and the beginning of something I feel we will be exposed to in many faucets of our lives in the years ahead.

Live Stream

This isn’t necessarily new but it is taking on quick as many bands and festivals are utilizing the web to bring live concerts to your living room.  The Rolling Stones were one of the early adopters of the technology and started streaming live content to their fans back in 1994.  The growth is due in large to the bandwidth and CPU processing speeds able to handle this, and again as technologies advance, so will live streaming.  There are many benefits to live streaming and it turns out to be a good thing for all parties involved.  Bands find a new outlet for revenue in light of record sale declines…and fans now can watch a concert of their favorite band live, half a world away, in the comfort of their own homes.  It may not be the same experience but it does give you the opportunity to see a show you otherwise couldn’t be at, and thats pretty awesome!

 Downloadable Concert Recordings

Audience recordings of concerts have been around for quite some time, especially noteworthy are the pioneering ‘Deadheads’ who recorded and documented (and continue to do so) each Grateful Dead concert.  Many bands are now offering soundboard downloads for sale, or for free ,as soon as the show is over.  As someone who forgets concerts frequently (usually due to a beer too many), this has been a blessing to help remember and experience the show for years to come.  Look for this to become more and more popular especially with bands that perform unique live shows.  There are plenty of sites out there and many bands have their own sites now, but a couple good sources that I like are Wolfgang’s Vault, Nugs.net, and Archive.org’s Live Music Archive.

Audience Involvement and Misc. Advancements

The days of simply attending a concert and watching someone entertain you might be a thing of the past.  Audience involvement in concerts will continue to shape itself to make it a more interactive experience instead of a one-way street. Areas where this is being developed is in audience controlled lighting, such as being done by Weiv.  By taking Wii remotes and putting them in the hands of fans, Wiev is letting the audience control the shows lighting and feel more involved in the experience.

A creative use of audience interaction is with DJ and producer Ritchie Hawtin, aka Plastikman, who has been using the iTunes app ‘SYNK’ that allows the audience via their iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad to see interactive cameras on stage, live data on percussion patterns, as well as they can control lighting, visuals, and even loop feedback.

Audience picked set-lists are gaining some ground as well as many artists want to deliver the content their fans want.  We’re seeing a wide range of artists use this but two notable ones that have seen good success are Roadrunner Record’s Motley Crue and Avenged Sevenfold.

One top example of fan engagement is “The Rapture”, their tiered marketing campaign let fans pick set-lists, perform on stage, design branded merchandise, and even get a chance to hang with the band…great way to build fan loyalty and a good subscriber database!!!

The ‘concert movie’ is gaining more and more ground and yet again provides additional revenue for the bands and additional opportunities for the fan to become involved in the experience.  One upcoming release I’m looking forward to is The Chemical Brothers movie based off their last tour “Don’t Think”, which has been touted as a visual masterpiece.

SMS, Twitter feeds, and other forms of social media are being utilized to give the audience a direct voice in the concert, good example here with Katy Perry.

QR Codes, proximity locations, and other forms of live capture are taking on as it gives the band the opportunity to build their subscriber database while providing a fun form of interaction with their fans.

Along with the evolution of the concert itself, the venues are also seeing some new light.  Improved lighting, sound, and seating are just the beginning.  Many venues now offer premium dining options, other forms of entertainment, vip and box seating, environmental improvements, and the list just goes on.  AEG’s Staples Center and Orlando’s Amway Center are two prime examples.

Conclusion:

So as you can see the concert is taking new form, for better or worse.  Areas of advancement will continue to be seen as time goes on and hopefully the concert experience will continue to improve with such advancements.  We’ve touched on some big changes here but it’s really just the beginning and I’m excited to see where all of this heads!  And I know there are plenty of things I didn’t touch on here, so we’d love to hear from you on what you think the next big thing is, your experiences with new technologies and forms of interaction at concerts, if you think these are good changes or not, or just what your opinions are.  Leave us a comment here or find us on Facebook or Twitter @fancentric.

In the world of music, there is probably never a more engaging experience than the live show.  It’s time to fully leverage the deep connection that exists during a live event.

With FanMail’s Live Capture Program, you can collect email addresses for your subscriber list via SMS/text message.  And it’s easy.  You choose a keyword that will activate the message.  It could be a band, label or event name, like Lollapalooza.  There’s a quick setup process that FanMail will assist with.  Then BAM!  Get the word out and start collecting emails.

Live Capture can be a great alternative, or a great compliment, to a smartphone app, when thinking in terms of a mobile strategy.  It’s also a convenient way to collect emails without the standard clipboard and paper.  We can even set the program up in conjunction with FanMail’s Sound Cloud Integration to deliver media as incentive for fans to sign up.

Check out this video to see how it works!

Try it yourself: Text Fanmail to 88769.  If you are looking for help with establishing an effective mobile marketing strategy, including Live Capture, drop us a line.

The challenge for many direct music marketers is figuring out how to own the relationship. (ie having permission to contact a fan directly in the future).

To that end, we are happy to introduce “LIVE CAPTURE” which uses sms protocols to collect an email address and trigger the associated responses and confirmation messaging.

Wanna try it out? On your cell phone text “stubbs” to 88769 to see the whole process at work.

Notice that the goal here isn’t to grow a mobile fan base or collect a cell phone number to blast messages. That is so 2006 and has kind of lost the shiny “second coming of Christ” luster that it once had. (after all a mobile fan base is kind of limited and many folks see mobile marketing as highly intrusive).

The goal here is to collect an email permission in a live environment or as a means to maximize print advertising. This takes a direct live experience and translates it into a direct online experience which has real lifetime value and depth and color.

Goodbye ye ‘ol beat up clipboard that the merch table. Goodbye endless hours of having interns transcribe email addresses by hand. Hello instant gratification!

The best part is that early indications are showing that LIVE CAPTURE can be one of the fastest email list growth mechanisms out there. Of course it has be done right. It has to be promoted with savvy, in the right places, with the right incentive like an unreleased MP3 or live show. After all, if people don’t know or don’t care then they won’t sign up.

Expensive? NOPE. There aren’t any upfront costs. We set it up and customize everything to your needs and only charge based on the number of subscribers you actually collect.

Oh interactive marketing bliss!