✖ Live music is all you need, right? A hybrid tale
And: NFT update; Universal Creative Income; The Green Rider; Discord stays independent; No British festival summer after all?; Ad revenues for livestreaming
Changes that had been simmering in the live music industry for years accelerated during the pandemic:
Everyone knows what livestreaming is nowadays and that, done well and done authentically, it’s a really cool experience for both artists and fans
This has also paved the way for those artists to talk more directly to their fans and think about a variety of fan monetization strategies
The intersection between gaming and music has become more defined and music stands firmly within the metaverse, both directly and indirectly.
And then there’s the first signs that in-person live events are coming back with various levels of testing and restrictions.
It’s time to take stock and see how we will experience live music heading into the near future. Join me for a hybrid tale.
TECH
😶🌫️ Little update on NFTs:
Sales of music NFTs tops $70 million [paywall]
Viberate and Umek offer another spin on the NFT potential including an exclusive livestream and a real-life live performance.
Beatport is going to accept Bitcoin as a valid payment option and will launch a series of NFTs.
📺 There are more SVOD [subscription video-on-demand] susbcribers than there are people in the US. While it’s normal for people to stack Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, etc. it’s very hard to imagine a similar stacking in music since every service has basically the same content…
🖊️ Li Jin and Lila Shroff make the case for a Universal Creative Income. They ask you to imagine a world where platforms offer a basic income to creators to help empower more diverse creators; encourage experimentation; improve wellness; and more. There’s also downsides, but their argument is strong.
🙅 Discord spoke to Microsoft about an acquisition but has apparently said ‘no, we will stay independent,’ and now looks to file for an IPO.
🪧 There’s a real opportunity to shift advertising revenues over to livestreaming events. Brands want authenticity and livestreams only work when they are authentic. Moreover, they give a great example of the kind of close-up intimacy that brands will pay to be a part of.
X
🏕️ CORONA: Remember not so long ago everyone got excited about a great summer of British festivals? Now, more and more are cancelling for a lack of insurance indemnity schemes. There’s already a renewed call to install such a scheme asap that includes the BPI, AIF, and LIVE as backers.
💃🏿 SOCIAL: Missy Elliot was just way ahead of her time and this is a great testimony to the power of her weird fantasy worlds and how that helped provide a sense of identity to many.
🕳️ SOCIAL: There’s a powerful and well-researched article over on Metalblast on how Iced Earth singer Jon Shaffer went down the rabbit hole and ended up getting arrested at the Captitol attack on 6 January. A must-read if you want to understand how someone can radicalize.
📗 GREEN: Touring isn’t good for the world. With post-pandemic touring on the horizon we see initiatives to take this on both big and small. Live Nation is looking to make an impact via its Green Nation Touring Program. More interestingly, the United Independent Music Agencies (UIMA) have released a Green Rider which will allow reductions of CO2-emissions of 80% per travelled kilometer.
💨 CORONA: The pandemic was an accelerant but not an enabler of the current livestreaming boom. Moment House CEO Arjun Mehta talked to Variety about how it’s all about ‘premium digital experiences’.
MUSIC
I love Mike Patton. I love it when he goes all experimental with John Zorn on projects like Moonchild. But I also love it when he sings and I can understand his words. The latest Tomahawk record falls in the latter category and it’s great. Heavy music with twist of crazy Patton driven by preposterous drums of John Stanier.