Free Concert On Us

22 Comments

by Erick Schonfeld on January 7, 2008

Okay, it is only an online concert. But the first 200 TechCrunch readers to send an email to techcrunch at deeprockdrive dot com will get admission to one of two live concerts to be Webcast tomorrow night from Las Vegas. That is online admission, which normally costs $6.99. These concerts will be for the public launch of DeepRockDrive, a live music site which I wrote about earlier. The bands playing will be The Maine, which I understand will be the MySpace band of the week next week, and Big B, a self-described white-trash singer who could use the money raised by these sorts of concerts to buy a shirt (see pic at link).

Comments

man - January 7th, 2008 at 4:27 pm PST

I dont see in any way shape or form who would PAY to watch concerts. Theres youtube for gods sake. Google videos too. And the concerts would probably end up on youtube anyways.

This is like adult cams.. but without the nudity. Im sorry, but i really dont think this is going to work. Am I the only one here that would never pay for a concert online? Just being real.

Ryan Merket - January 7th, 2008 at 4:29 pm PST

I would, but it depends on the band, video quality and location. Think of your favorite artist, DivX, and playing in a super sweet venue.

But for Maine and White trash dude… eh.. I’ll take my free TechCrunch ticket and if I get bored tomorrow I MIGHT check it out for one song.

alfonso - January 7th, 2008 at 4:31 pm PST

it depends. it’s all about the presentation. if it shows up on youtube it’ll be from a handy which won’t be fun to watch. i signed up for the freebee, then i’ll decide.

What's Hot Today.com - January 7th, 2008 at 4:37 pm PST

I agree, you have You Tube, Daily Motion and a host of other sites.

http://www.whatshottoday.com

User447 - January 7th, 2008 at 4:40 pm PST

“I dont see in any way shape or form who would PAY to watch concerts”

I agree with “man” and #4.

hmm - January 7th, 2008 at 4:59 pm PST

Ok, lets debate the reasons someone may be willing to pay for this type of thing (and other monetization strategies).

There are certain things DRD seems to be providing. First, it’s live and that holds value especially if it’s a band you really like and/or if your friends are there (SMS your buddy at the show to do a stage-dive). Second, Youtube quality isn’t very good. If DRD is providing quality that is noticeably better, it could be compelling.

Then there are the monetization strategies, and I would say DRD is using the most unimaginative of those that are possible. For example
-they could provide the ability to make requests for a fee. Another eJust like other bands
-they could merchandise with tshirts and CDs, and couple that with SMS voting. Some participants could receive free stuff if they are the 10th, 50th, 100th, etc. SMS sent
- you could request a band to wish your friend or girlfriend a happy birthday (or whatever message) for a fee

Partnerships with companies like AmieSt. also seem obvious (I’m sure imeem, last.fm, pandora, etc. could also be potential partners). Partnerships with labels so that bands that get a set number of viewers for a duration get a record contract.

Partnerships with venues in various cities across the country to pipe in the show in high quality for the enjoyment of those at their bar (e.g. the band is from Ithaca NY, but are at DRD in ‘vegas, but most of their friends are at some bar in Ithaca).

Serious BD needs to be done to get this idea to fruition.

best of luck to DRD

chrisw - January 7th, 2008 at 5:25 pm PST

Thanks for the opportunity of a free show – I got my ticket I think I’ll give BigB a miss though – he looks a bit scary to me.

Awesome - January 7th, 2008 at 5:25 pm PST

Another service to keep us on our computers longer! Hell why go out, we can watch the concert online, and pay for it! Brilliant.

So now we don’t even have to see our friends, because we “see them” on social networks.

Don’t have to support our bands by buying tickets we get to “see them” on video sites instead!! Awesome.

iTV net did this circa 1997 – Davie Bowie, The Cult, The works.. It failed then and will fail now.

StephenR - January 7th, 2008 at 5:36 pm PST

Wow, that Big B guy look likes a loser.

chrisw - January 7th, 2008 at 5:40 pm PST

@Awesome – in 1997 there were far less people online than there are today and many (’most’) of them were on less than broadband speeds.

I think there is a business here – but they just need to get the revenue model right. Charging for concert tickets might not be the way to do it, but that doesn’t mean there is no way to make money from this idea. I would think that TV-like advertising that is shown at the beginning of the show and perhaps at intervals between, say every third song, might be a better model.

Personally, I am more interested in seeing how the multi-camera switching thing works and how well the video streams plus what the quality is like.

chrisw - January 7th, 2008 at 5:40 pm PST

Also – trash the LIVE aspect and go for streamed, pre-recorded shows. This would attract a larger audience in the long run – but I am sure these guys have already thought of that!

Dingo - January 7th, 2008 at 5:55 pm PST

# Dingo Your comment is awaiting moderation.

January 7th, 2008 at 5:49 pm

I posted this comment during a thread on the TechCrunch’s original post about DeepRockDrive (http://www.tech...-launch-at-ces/), but it seems equally relevant to the, “Why pay?!” question. Reposting here as this is a fantastic discussion…

[…] I’m the CTO and co-founder of DeepRockDrive. I was intrigued when I read your thoughts on the viability of the idea behind DeepRockDrive, particularly about people’s reluctance to be online at a particular time [or in the case of this thread, why people would pay pay for a show online]. You’re spot-on about broadcast content not being enough of a draw to collect masses of people at a particular time! You mentioned later in your comment that you can easily get your concert fix on YouTube. That’s the case for any straight video event, where “watching” is all you do. There’s no reason to tune in at a particular time, much less PAY for the pleasure, if you can get exactly the same experience later on, at a time of your choosing, for free. There is so much recorded/broadcast content out there on the ‘net at no cost that one can passively watch for free at any time and still be relatively satisfied.

Broadcasting isn’t what DeepRockDrive is all about. Where we’re putting all of our creative energy is into creating interactive experiences. The reason to buy a ticket and to tune into a DeepRockDrive concert at a particular time is that you’ll get an experience with the artist and with the other fans that goes way beyond just watching. One of our ultimate measures of success is getting people sitting up, leaning forward, hands on the keyboard and mouse as they really interact with the artist and with the show itself. Switching camera angles in real-time, shouting out to the artists, and throwing animated applause onto bigscreens in the studio are proving incredibly popular during the shows, and since it’s all software and internet services, the sky is the limit of where we can take the interactivity.

In a previous life, I worked on Xbox Live. One doesn’t think about “watching Xbox Live” so much as they think about getting online and playing with or against friends in their favorite games. The passion around that interactivity leads people to say, “Hey, I’ll meetcha on Xbox Live at 9:00 after I finish my homework.” People schedule events, because they will have other people there with them to interact with. That’s the feeling that we want to bring to live interactive concerts at DeepRockDrive. People won’t tune in to watch; they’ll tune in to interact.

We definitely ARE working hard to make the broadcast technology the very best you’ll find on the web. For live events, I think we’re really leading in terms of quality. There are some example clips up at http://www.deep....com/highlights that you can check out (for free…anytime you feel like it . But to get a feel for DeepRockDrive’s real focus – the interactivity – there’s nothing like a live show. We’re going to be doing free live shows every Friday in order to give everyone the chance to check it out and decide for themselves if it’s worth tuning in at a specific time for.

Thanks again for the thoughts.

Jeff (http://www.deep...om/member/dingo)
CTO, DeepRockDrive

chrisw - January 7th, 2008 at 6:22 pm PST

Hi Dingo,

I wish the best of luck with this. I can’t wait to experience the live feel online. I also produce video of live music here in Australia and occasionally post them online – I produced a live show of Russell Crowe’s band a year or so ago (awful music) and I have since built a multicam recording facility in Sydney with the aim of producing music and special interest sites specifically for the web deployed with our own publishing technology – so I understand the challenges of getting something like this off the ground.

Good luck with it.

TequilaEscamilla - January 7th, 2008 at 6:22 pm PST

I like it. It’s really cool!!!! What a great opportunity for the groups. Sign me up.

Joshua Walters - January 7th, 2008 at 6:45 pm PST

I totally would, but I wouldnt watch it so…

Besides, I wouldnt be one of the first 200 anyways.

Jessica - January 7th, 2008 at 7:20 pm PST

There are still some tickets left folks

Me - January 7th, 2008 at 7:21 pm PST

The show is free anyhow, plus and I could’nt email techcrunch on the site.

Craig Klein - January 7th, 2008 at 7:25 pm PST

Marketing is about content. Nothing beats live music for content!

Wes - January 7th, 2008 at 7:47 pm PST

Depending on who is playing maybe its worthwhile, but on the whole no.

Oz - January 7th, 2008 at 8:02 pm PST

I’d still prefer to leave the house for the real experience and can’t see myself every paying any amount of money for a “live experience” on my computer. I check out FabChannel.com for high quality, free concerts.

If I can download the show after watching it and throw it on my iPod, then I might pay, but it’s still a stretch. Monetize me through advertisers please.