Live Nation and Virtual Concerts
October 8, 2020 | By Alondra Lopez
2020 has taken a complete turn around giving us virtual and drive-in concerts for the remainder of the year continuing in 2021. Unexpectedly, COVID-19 has changed the lives of many, especially those who work in the music industry. Live Nation Entertainment has been deeply affected since they began their second round of furloughs throughout the United States by leaving hundreds of concert production and venue staff members jobless. With every tour,festival, and concert canceled or postponed, venue booker companies have lost a large portion of their revenue not being able to recompense their workers.
With drive-in concerts becoming the new normal, many companies want to reinstate as much income they can to fulfill what's been missed the last couple of months. Live Nation took action by creating "Live from The Drive-In" concert series while social distancing continues. Each concert has its own private individual tailgating zone where one can have a safe space to sing and dance. Instead of being charged per person, it's one ticket per vehicle.
Reggeaton and Grammy-nominated artist Bad Bunny recently held a Livestream concert on Univision's Uforia performing his latest album. Uforia’s Music Series has planned live streaming concerts scheduled once a month till the end of the year. Unexpectedly, this was no average Livestream concert; Bunny was on an exclusive subway bus designed for him to perform and drive through the Bronx and Harlem. This exclusive concert was like no other, featuring special guests such as Sech, Panama City, and J Balvin, Columbia. Bunny’s concert collected more than 10 million views, not including Uforia’s platforms. Uforia’s creative virtual strategies kept the concert engagement flowing throughout its whole show as an in-person concert.
Will platforms begin to charge for live streaming concerts, and are you willing to pay?
With the current state, entertainment companies need a plan of action to receive revenue to keep their businesses running. Many concert-goers will begin to lose interest after a certain time and eventually will stop paying if this occurs. Unless companies implement a strong game plan like Uforia’s Bad Bunny concert, this will be a great opportunity. Only time will tell.
Sources: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/bad-bunny-concert-bronx-harlem-new-york-live-flatbed-truck/https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/touring/9444809/live-nation-ticketmaster-furloughshttps://www.livenation.com/drivein/
Alondra Lopez is a Senior at California State University Northridge studying Public Relations. Her interest in the music industry is what led her to pursue her career in Public Relations. Music has helped her through tough times dealing with anxiety and depression. Alondra hopes to attend grad school next Fall in 2021 to seek her career in the music business.Her two main goals for 2021 are to improve her writing skills and earn as much experience as possible to receive a position in the industry. She is currently a GrammyU campus ambassador for the Recording Academy, planning and executing panels from music industry professionals and networking events. For fun, she attends many concerts and loves spending time with her family. Alondra hopes to work for a record label or a venue booker agency once she graduates.