How Have Live Music Events Repsonded to a Post-Pandemic Environment - Academic Work

Live music events have historically been very economically healthy, with some of the highest grossing tours occurring in 2018 and 2019. However, in 2020, the pandemic and resulting lockdown strongly affected the music industry, especially within the sector of live music, with events cancelled globally, and a resulting 78% decrease in live music grosses across the world. The music industry had to find ways to adapt to this global change, and this meant that the concept of virtual concerts became necessary in order for the live music sector to survive. That being said, post-pandemic saw an increase in live music demand, that allowed the live music industry to surpass its economic success pre-pandemic. Therefore, with new methods of delivering live performances to audiences, combined with the increased demand for live music, it is important to analyse the response to a post-pandemic environment, and what the future of the live music industry will look like with these things in mind.

How live music events responded to Covid

With studies finding a increase in social media activity during the Covid lockdowns, it seems obvious that the live music industry, alongside other cultural industries, should resort to social media and streaming platforms such as Twitch, Tiktok, and Instagram to livestream concerts in response to venue closures. Some venues initially took matters into their own hands and attempted to deliver their own streaming services, however fans and artists seemed to gravitate more towards social media. The Weeknd successfully exemplified the benefits of using social media, with a TikTok live concert. The concert used digital art instead of a physical appearance from The Weeknd, and managed to reach two million viewers, showing the power of livestreaming to social media for the live music industry at this time. Although the use of streaming is effective, it does leave artists and labels reliant on third-party platforms.

Alongside the use of social media and streaming platforms, some artists, such as Ariana Grande and Travis Scott held virtual concerts through gaming platforms instead, again using digitally created versions of themselves to perform. Ariana Grande’s event involved mini-games which increased the level with which audiences could immerse themselves into the event, which is important to consider for the future of the music industry, with immersion being a key part of creative experiences.

What happened after Covid?

It seems that after the audience engagement with online concerts during the pandemic, the live music industry has spotted a new way to engage audiences globally and break through the barriers of space. The music industry has recognised the additional profit potential of digital live music events for musicians, and it seems like digital concerts will not be going away any time soon. Some artists have taken to producing concert films, with the most notable ones being Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour film and Beyonce’s Renaissance tour film. The increase of concert films and digital live music events have the additional benefit of convenience, as they allow audiences to access these live events without having to physically be there in person, and additionally act as extra profits for the artists.

Alongside the benefits of continuing to create digital live music events, life post-pandemic has seen an increased demand for in-person live shows. This has led to a massive rise in the cost of concert tickets, however, this rise is alongside an inflation of general costs, with the United States hitting a 40-year-high at the start of 2022, which means whilst large venues and musicians are thriving in the post-pandemic environment, smaller venues and musicians are struggling due to audiences’ prioritising well-known artists and more immersive performances. This can be seen in the price of Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour tickets holding a face value of as low as £172, but with resale prices being upwards of £310, with some even going as high as £466. This is a huge leap in sales compared with her pre-pandemic tour, Reputation, which ranged from £62 at the cheapest to £585 for VIP packages.

The Future of Live Music Events

With the live music industry preparing for digitalisation anyways, alongside the additional profit that can be created from digital live music, it seems that digital content will continue to play a large part in the live music sector. Whilst they are now able to perform in person, artists are still finding ways to allow audiences to experience their live music through digital platforms, such as concert films, and livestreaming – with an example being of this being Live Nation who allow audiences to pay a subscription fee to watch livestreamed concerts, and KISS livestreaming the final concert of their 2023 Farewell tour.

Overall, it is clear that both digital and in-person live concerts will continue in tandem and the big names within the live music industry will continue to see growth, whilst smaller names will struggle to cope with the increased costs of live performances alongside the prioritising of bigger names by audiences. That being said, digital concerts allow for a easier access for audiences, and thus will be used by small and big musicians alike in order to reach a global audience. Overall showing that the pandemic has pushed innovation within the live music sector, and the industry’s response has increased profit potential.