Virtual concerts, thoughts?

[Mahesh]

Virtual concerts on Zoom and other online platforms went up a considerable amount during the pandemic for obvious reasons. I did a few of those but not as much as my local counterparts chose to then. The reason I was treading lightly was because going live and performing a bunch of songs is soo simple and easy to do with your phone that you may overdo it. It reduces a sense of exclusivity if you’re always doing these things. 

 

Now that the pandemic drama is coming down, I wonder what you think of these online concerts. Would you attend one? Would you play in one? Would you charge your audiences? Would love to hear your thoughts! I’d love to have Songstuff Open Mic nights/days where I’d be able to listen to some of y’all. 

 

 

[john]

There are live stream appearances, live stream performances, and there are live stream gigs. Ok, yes, some streams are actual gigs being streamed, but I was more thinking of the approach of the artist. Some are “pick up guitar, start streaming, plays songs, stop streaming” but others there is a real performance, others still are your own seat at a venue.

 

I think they can be very useful, but just like any gig, you have to be able to perform at a level where people are happy to pay. You have to be able to leave them wanting more, being willing, hungry.

 

To charge there must be demand.

 

That means building that demand.

 

Most artists haven’t built anything and haven’t sat down to think about how. They make sweeping decisions without thinking about consequences. Most still think they play and fans just happen automatically. They then stand perplexed when fans don’t just automatically happen and do the whole thing again. And again. And again.

[VoiceEx]

  I'd would love it if Songstuff had an open mic! 👍

 

Though as far as virtual concerts go, I might be the odd one out here, but I would actually prefer to both attend and preform in a VR concert. Strange, isn't it lol. I dunno, It just seems like it would be more fun and interactive, then, lets say, imaging the audience or staring at my phone 😅 If nothing else, i'd really enjoy tinkering with all the things that could be done in a virtual environment!

 

Would I charge? Well, not necessarily, as I am not 'against' doing things just for fun. Though if it were a big production with many of expenses on my end, then yeah I might have to charge.

[Mahesh]

On 5/8/2023 at 10:53 PM, john said:

They then stand perplexed when fans don’t just automatically happen and do the whole thing again. And again. And again.

 

So very true. Because of the sheer volume of musicians and artists out there, it is foolish to think good music alone will do the job. But creating something that people can come back to over and over again, to discover something new with each year and willing to do so, that takes a lot more time and effort. Building yourself as a brand is what comes to mind. The term might feel gimmicky but all great artists have spent time on figuring out what they want to identify themselves & present themselves as. 

 

Coming back to the point of virtual concerts, yeah, I'm sure that would help a great deal. 

[Mahesh]

On 5/9/2023 at 8:03 AM, VoiceEx said:

  I'd would love it if Songstuff had an open mic! 👍

 

Though as far as virtual concerts go, I might be the odd one out here, but I would actually prefer to both attend and preform in a VR concert. Strange, isn't it lol. I dunno, It just seems like it would be more fun and interactive, then, lets say, imaging the audience or staring at my phone 😅 If nothing else, i'd really enjoy tinkering with all the things that could be done in a virtual environment!

 

Would I charge? Well, not necessarily, as I am not 'against' doing things just for fun. Though if it were a big production with many of expenses on my end, then yeah I might have to charge.

 

I'm game for it! We can maybe decide on a time, set up a zoom/meet call or something. We can go around performing a song or two based on how many people show up. I'd love to hear some of y'all live! That sounds absolutely delightful!

[john]

On 5/9/2023 at 3:33 AM, VoiceEx said:

  I'd would love it if Songstuff had an open mic! 👍

 

Though as far as virtual concerts go, I might be the odd one out here, but I would actually prefer to both attend and preform in a VR concert. Strange, isn't it lol. I dunno, It just seems like it would be more fun and interactive, then, lets say, imaging the audience or staring at my phone 😅 If nothing else, i'd really enjoy tinkering with all the things that could be done in a virtual environment!

 

Would I charge? Well, not necessarily, as I am not 'against' doing things just for fun. Though if it were a big production with many of expenses on my end, then yeah I might have to charge.

 

Another option might be to include links to artist tip jars

[VoiceEx]

5 hours ago, Mahesh said:

 

I'm game for it! We can maybe decide on a time, set up a zoom/meet call or something. We can go around performing a song or two based on how many people show up. I'd love to hear some of y'all live! That sounds absolutely delightful!

 

I'm down for it too! I think it would be a great idea 👍 And, hey, if ya'll wanna talk or something, just say the word 👍

[VoiceEx]

5 hours ago, john said:

Another option might be to include links to artist tip jars

 

Yeah that would be a great idea! Tip jars, FOMO stuff, interviews, audience requests (etc), many things could be done with an open mic (and with including more live content in general).

[Mahesh]

There were quite a few online open mics organised on Zoom and other platforms during the pandemic. I remember performing at one which was fun and interactive. It should be fun!