Fireplay CEO, Nick Whitehouse and VYE CEO, Maggie Seidel-Laws took to the stage at Nashville’s Summer NAMM to discuss “The Future of Livestreaming” during a panel hosted by Epic Proportions Tour CEO, Peter Sotos.
The discussion entered around how creative innovation and new advancements in livestreaming technology are set to revolutionise the live event experience for years to come.
“Coming out of the pandemic, we’re learning that artists can now connect with their audience outside of the standard ‘fan purchase ticket and go to local venue,’” Seidel-Laws said, on the topic of bringing an act to the live audience in 2021 and beyond. “There are now so many platforms for artists to choose from – including VYE – that make it easy to connect with fans around the world, virtually. Because of this, there’s an incredible amount of upside for artists.”
Whitehouse evaluated how live events creatives can leverage these new technologies for touring and promotion purposes. “Just as people have accepted and become accustomed to video calls and meetings over the last year, musicians have developed a massively elevated artist-to-fan and fan-to-artist relationship through rapid development of new tech. It’s these new technologies that will allow us to build on that totally virtual relationship and integrate them into live and hybrid shows in very exciting ways.”
Seidel-Laws discussed how she capture the feel of a live show in the virtual space. “Nothing will take the place of a live show; however, in the virtual space, I feel it’s important to actually stream live. Pre-recording sometimes takes the element of a live concert away and many tend to look and feel like music videos instead of a concert. The actual directing of livestreams also plays a big part, as does interactivity with the audience.”
Assessing the new creative avenues for creating an engaging livestream, Whitehouse was quick to point out: “What would normally take 10 years of technological development was crammed into one year. We’re getting to integrate ideas we would have only dreamed of a few years ago. Advancements in XR, AR, VR, gamification, and the meta verse allows for us implement incredible creative ideas far beyond the bounds of the traditional venue. Ultimately, if an artist can dream it, we can create it –– mixing physical, virtual, and interactive all into a live experience.”
