Setting the Stage

As a budding musician, I have always wondered how previously unheard artists are able to create a following and eventually become a widely known name.  In this digital age, more tools and resources are becoming available for musicians to promote their art to an audience.  Marketing in the music industry is about making connections and interacting with your audience.

            Many fans of music artists jump at the opportunity to see their favorite bands live when they come into town.  For major acts, fans can be expected to pay up to hundreds of dollars just to be able to be in the same building.  They sometimes travel great distances to see their favorite musicians in person and perform their craft live.   Much how digital technology has helped evolve many other things, concert viewing has changed.

            The ability to stream live concerts has become a trend among large music festivals and major artists.  Those that are not able to physically attend the concert can still experience the event through a live broadcast over the Internet.  For many artists, this is great publicity and can help their audiences grow immensely.  This can also be used as a great tool for travelling acts to use.  By measuring the amount of people within particular areas that are watching the streamed event, bands can now find places with a strong following to travel to on their next tour.

            There are a few sites that have adopted this trend and allow people all over the world to experience concerts from the comfort of their own home.  The Berliner Philharmoniker’s Digital Concert Hall continually broadcast their performances in high definition and provides archived footage from previous performances.  They also include interviews and other information with their broadcasts.  Concert Window gives people a chance to “watch concerts from [their] couch”.  While the artists featured on the site do not seem to be well known, it still provides easy access to a plethora of outside music for those wanting to explore other genres.