16 Sep Streaming has not killed concerts – on the contrary
18 months without concerts. 18 months during which we had to accept that a streamed set on YouTube is no substitute. Now the stages are back-and the first lesson of the 2021 season is as simple as it is staggering: we missed live music far more than we realised.
Key Takeaways
- Live Nation reports record ticket demand for summer 2021 in the US and UK
- Average ticket prices have risen 14% since 2019-yet fans are still paying
- Streaming has accelerated discovery of new artists, but cannot replace the live experience
- Festivals such as Glastonbury and Lollapalooza return in 2022 with sold-out editions
What the hiatus really revealed
Streaming was the stopgap. Travis Scott inside the Fortnite universe was impressive-as a tech demo. As a concert experience, it was the equivalent of a photo of a steak to a starving person. The body’s response is entirely absent: no sub-bass thump resonating in the gut, no body heat from the person beside you, no collective surge of energy. Researchers at the University of Westminster, publishing in 2021, examined what live music triggers neurologically that streaming cannot replicate. Their finding: the synchronisation of heart rhythms among the audience-“cardiovascular entrainment”-is a real phenomenon. When ten thousand people pulse as one to the same beat, the body’s biochemistry literally changes.
Streaming as an amplifier, not a rival
The fear that streaming would cannibalise ticket sales proved unfounded. The opposite occurred: Spotify and its peers have exponentially increased the rate at which new artists are discovered. A teenager in Munich can now, in two clicks, land on an indie band from Auckland, loop their tracks, and buy a ticket for their first European tour. Billie Eilish is the textbook example. Rising from bedroom-pop producer to Glastonbury headliner in four years would have been impossible without algorithmic playlist placement. Streaming has democratised reach for emerging artists and thereby diversified the concert market.
The return and what it signifies
The concerts of summer 2021-where they took place-carried a quality hard to put into words. Reports from early UK festivals speak of an almost sacred sense of community. People wept at songs they once would have danced through. The silence between tracks felt different. For the industry, the message is clear: demand for live music has not declined. It has been pent up. And it is now being released.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why can’t streaming replace live concerts?
Live concerts produce neurological and physiological responses streaming cannot replicate: the synchronisation of heart rhythms among the audience (cardiovascular entrainment), the physical pressure of sub-bass frequencies, and the shared experience of a collective moment.
Did the pandemic permanently damage the live-music business?
No-in fact, it did the opposite. Live Nation reported record demand for 2021 and 2022. The enforced break sharpened appreciation for live music’s value. Ticket prices rose, and fans paid without hesitation.
How has Spotify changed the concert market?
Spotify has dramatically increased the discovery rate of new artists. Today’s listeners can, via algorithmic playlists, stumble across international acts and then purchase tickets for shows that would never have toured Europe without that streaming reach.
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Source for header image: Pexels / Harrison Haines