Next Generation Concerts, More Benes for Artists & Fans

Many interesting experiments are going on in the realm of extending the live concert experience to forge a stronger bond between artists and fans, and of course to reap incremental revenues for artists who can now monetize their content in more ways -- capitalizing on the excitement and momentum that exists before, during, and right after the concert itself. And as well, artists, promoters, venue owners, and sponsors all stand to capture the all-important e-mail address of the consumer to extend the relationship even further. As usual, technology is at the heart of these new business models.

A couple of years ago, Clear Channel launched a program called Instant Live (which now resides with Live Nation after the spin-out from Clear Channel). This program allows the fan to get a DVD of the concert right after the show. The key is to capitalize on the afterglow of the live experience.

Prince dabbled with this on his tour in 2005 when he gave subscribers to his online fan club early access to tickets & preferred seating, and then gave away a copy of his new CD to anyone who purchased a ticket to the concert.

More recently, 7 Digital has paired with Live Here Now to deliver a collection of physical and digital releases for the upcoming Depeche Mode tour. Live Here Now will focus on the recording of the gigs, and each performance recording will be delivered as a two-disc package or download. The download comes with a printable cover & interactive booklet. 7 Digital, a London-based digital music store backend provider, will offer a unique voucher system to concert attendees. Once purchased, the voucher can be redeemed on the band's site for a physical or digital version of the event.

Network Live is a dynamic new company to watch in this space; it launched on the heels of Live 8 last Summer (led by founder & CEO Kevin Wall, the Executive Producer of both Live 8 & Live Aid). Network Live focuses on delivering a multi-platform distribution opportunity behind each live concert -- including broadband, TV, DVD, mobile, and satellite radio, among others.

PassAlong Networks has launched "Concert of the Future" which will also focus on multi-platform distribution -- pulling together relationships and technologies which will allow for capturing the fan & the bond with the artist (along with otherwise lost revenues) before, during & after the show. Dave Jaworski, PassAlong's CEO, has written about their recent launch with Brad Paisley and the MTS Center in Winnipeg, Canada in his blog .

To round this all out, in the analog world you can still buy concert DVDs; as it happens, live music concert DVDs are among the top sellers for all DVDs -- it's a category that is strong and growing. Turns out it's also one of the hottest categories in the emerging video-on-demand space as well.

Bottom line: the concert experience will never be the same -- and that's a good thing. As always, I welcome your thoughts and feedback on this topic!