This is a great article I found that I feel that any live music concert goer will love and understand.

It attempts to explain the significance of a live performance and of the live music experience from a personal perspective.

Jacobsen (2007) states:

“I have been a massive fan of the live experience since my first concert. It was in 1985 and it was Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. The atmosphere and energy were incredible. He gave the audience hit after hit for three hours and of course the E Street Band as a live unit were without peer, and when he pulled someone from the audience onto the stage the crowd went wild. It was a complete adenaline hit. Concerts still provide that unbeatable energy and vibe for me and many others.”

Jacobsen (2007) talks of the internet as the reason behind the increasing lack of musical talent and musical creativity, which I do not believe is one hundred percent accurate. He states: “we are going through a revolution that has not just changed the rule book. In some instances it has torn the rule book up and thrown it out the window. This revolution is the internet.”

I do not believe that the internet has had a detrimental effect on the promotion of music but rather on record companies and the sale and distribution of music.

Jacobsen (2007) however maintains that the live experience will remain popular as more booking agents are taking their acts to younger fan bases, ” in schools, regional areas, youth events and at Scout Jamborees [personally I've never heard of these before but..] which draw between 12 and 15,000 twelve to sixteen year olds.  Again, this is the first time many kids experience a live band – and because of that, they remain loyal to the experience and the band.”

Jacobsen (2007) also presents another theory that, “people in their 20’s are staying at home longer and buying their first house later in life. As a result they are not tied down by a mortgage and have more money to spend. They focus on getting exciting life experiences and going to concerts is one of these experiences.”

In summary Jacobsen suggests for the future:

As far as the internet issue goes, we should embrace it. Yes, there’ll be a time when concerts will be streamed on the ‘Net. Some promoters believe it will kill their market. Others, like me, believe it will only expand the market. Sure, it’d be good to see David Bowie play a show in Paris in the comfort of your home.

But as I said, you cannot download the live music experience – you can bet that thousands of the people who see that webcast, will then want to see Bowie live.

Australian promoters also need to lobby the government harder to give the live entertainment industry the tax incentives that the film industry has, and which have helped it thrive.

And finally, we need to stand together and demand that ticket scalpers and E-bay ticket traders be dealt with by law. Queensland plans to increase fines, but the rest of the country is dragging its feet. It’s an important issue because these scalpers are nothing more than parasites on our customers, whose greatest thrill is the live entertainment experience.

In summary, there are always obstacles and challenges like the internet. The only reason we might NOT be able to get past an obstacle or challenge, is if we continue to work with the same rules and business models.

So, as this industry goes through generational changes and the first breed of Australian promoters retire, I encourage all of us, armed with new ideas, to be the new blood.

 

Article can be found at: http://www.business.uts.edu.au/acem/pdfs/Jacobsenspeech.pdf