It took a pandemic to embrace the extraordinary power of live-streaming for artists and audiences
The year 2021 has been the year of canceled occasions. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, numerous performances, festivals, and tours have been canceled or held off. With touring being the largest income for the world’s most well-known artists, it makes good sense that fans would not be the only ones dissatisfied. Viewership and player population have increased across lots of games and streaming platforms. Kids out of school needed to find something to do in their homes. Gamblers required to find something to bank on. Gamers required that one game to play that will constantly be readily available.
Live streams and virtual events have typically been a location for artists to develop a personal, deeply connected relationship with their fans. In the Coronavirus world, they have taken on a much bigger function, and end up being a much more considerable part of the entertainment landscape.
Local Entertainment Industry
There can be little doubt that the entertainment industry has been among the hardest hit by the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic in Sri Lanka. Having never experienced a catastrophe of this scale previously, it has left many in the market have a hard time enduring. With companies collapsing and entertainers and venues being choked of income, the market remains in alarming straits. Lots of local artists have returned to depend on their secondary earnings to make ends meet.
At least one “drive-in” outdoors concert was held during the pandemic curfew in 2020, at the Colombo Airport in Ratmalana, where the viewers were asked to stay in their cars and trucks and enjoy the music. However, this will not always be possible. As we are experiencing right now there might constantly be sn new wave that would put a full stop to any type of outdoor gatherings.
Most artists depend on these so-called “musical shows” to earn a living. One of the most hit is the wedding bands, DJs, and cultural acts. With restrictions coming into big events, this income source has gone pretty much dry to the local artists. The daily wage earners and the self-employed, who are a substantial percentage of the overall working population in Sri Lanka, are presently in ‘alarming straits’ and having a hard time, to say the least.
For years, video consumption was rising – from tv to streaming apps to social media platforms. Practically 70% of the local internet consumption is video. YouTube in Sri Lanka gets around about 4.5 to 5million unique visitors daily. These numbers could be even higher on a platform such as Facebook.
World View
The economics of paid virtual events are promising, too. A streaming concert might command just a tenth of the typical ticket price for a seat in a theater- – but having access to an around the world audience can easily offset that by bringing in more than ten times the audience. Artists can also charge more for VIP access or urge appreciative fans to leave tips and donations.
All types of entertainers before the pandemic – have been able to start building followings over TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Patreon, and other platforms. And they could take advantage of this audience and grow it exponentially during the pandemic.
The pandemic has likewise driven an enormous increase in the overall audience for live content. Livestreaming trailblazer Twitch, owned by Amazon.com Inc., has seen a 300% audience development in some classifications, and the general industry had a 45% growth in hours viewed.
Coldplay’s Chris Martin was among the very first big names to begin the live stream pattern by piloting virtual concerts in 2019 citing environmental issues as the reason for not touring their new album “Everyday Life.” As soon as the Coronavirus pandemic totally beset our world and America was shut down, Coldplay ready with live streaming and aptly dubbed their series “Together at home.” Global Citizen and the World Health Organization quickly captured wind of Coldplay’s technique and proposed a main virtual concert series by the same name.
While some artists chose to reschedule performances for the future, many had to cancel programs and tours completely. With shows and celebrations being some of the last events that will be allowed once social distancing guidelines relieve, it will be a while till music fans feel comfy participating in these big events. Even as soon as large events are given the go-ahead, there are going to be competitors for a minimal number of locations. If artists want to perform for their fans whenever in the next year, they may have to suppress their expectations.
A virtual live concert isn’t a completely new idea, however, the pandemic has certainly given it a brand-new life. In April 2020, among the first huge online ‘shows’ occurred in the strangest of places: Fortnite. The popular video game featured a performance from Travis Scott on a new server created just for celebrity performances. The event was praised by critics for using its platform to create stunning visuals, and its success triggered Fortnite to invest even more into the concept of hosting musical artists. By September 2020, the game had released a performance series featuring a few of the biggest names in the industry. On Sept. 25, Fortnite even had K-pop superstars BTS premiere their new video on the platform.
Billie Eilish likewise leaned into the advantages of virtual concerts with her show back last October. Rolling Stone called the event “the rare Livestream done right,” applauding her use of extreme visuals and top-quality special effects that would be impossible for a live show. The visuals were a breath of fresh air, placing Eilish in magnificently animated worlds that matched the vibes of her unique sound. The performance showed that online shows don’t need to feel two-dimensional.
Let’s cut to the chase: none of these virtual performance experiences is anything like the real thing. While still enjoyable and interactive in such a way that’s distinct to the online experience, it’s impossible to imitate the energy of an arena filled with excitement. It’s comparable to the difference between a live concert and a concert video; the efficiency is still excellent, though you’ll always wish you existed to experience it personally. For superfans of an artist, it’s still amazing to enjoy the program live. Performances could become part of existing services, such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, HBO, etc. The tech to make efficiencies as real as life performances require severe information bandwidth and speed of transmission.
Virtual events are not disappearing as soon as in-person concerts resume – the companies benefitting from this online concert trend appear determined they survive. As mentioned earlier Fortnite has stated it wants its virtual stage to become a trip stop for the world’s most significant artists. Roblox, another online computer game, has also joined in on the bandwagon. Lil Nas X premiered his new Christmas song ‘Holiday’ on the platform to massive success.
Brand-new businesses are emerging to take advantage of the live-stream market, backed by huge names like Justin Bieber and Scooter Braun. With such heavy investment, it’s safe to state that live-streamed programs likely aren’t going anywhere quickly.
Other arts venues have transferred to streaming as well. Museums are providing virtual tours. And in New York and Los Angeles, theater groups have started showing performances of plays and musicals on niche streaming platforms like BroadwayHD and On The Boards. Comedians like Patton Oswalt and Maria Bamford are delivering their stand-up routines on Twitter and Zoom.
Final Thoughts
Believe it or not, this might become a “new normal” for artists in the show business. This is simply among the hundreds, if not thousands, of examples of how the Covid-19 pandemic has caused the technological and social change. Nowadays, the secret to survival is flexibility and adaptability. Fortunately, the good news for enthusiasts of the arts is that in due course we might be able to join any concert, Broadway show, or gallery opening we like without leaving the comfort of our own home!