The Future of Concert Technology: 20 Tastemakers’ Predictions

Technology is changing the live music industry. Those who stay ahead of the curve have a huge opportunity to impress fans, simplify their work, and increase profit. So, how can you get smarter about using concert technology to produce and promote live shows?

Find out in this new report, with predictions from 20 music and technology leaders. You’ll hear from the experts at Facebook Events, Spotify, Paradigm Talent Agency, National Sawdust, Mohawk, PopGun Presents, Superfly, Webster Hall, and many more. You’ll also discover how nearly 50 surveyed music venues are using technology to solve their top challenges.

Download the free report to learn how concert technology will change the business — and which tech is worth your investment now. Get their top predictions, including how:

• Hyper-targeted ads, drone selfies, and phone-free zones at concerts will transform marketing strategies
• Festival tech like RFID and beacons will move to the club space
• Wearable technology, VR and AR will add entirely new dimensions to the fan experience
• Emerging technology will help venues save time while better engaging fans, sponsors, and artists

PREVIEW

Promoters and venues are struggling to make a profit on each show thanks to high artist fees and small marketing budgets. And while the technology may exist to help with these challenges, deciding which tech is worth your time and money is a challenge all its own.

Despite these uncertainties, one fact remains certain: those who stay ahead of the curve have a huge opportunity to impress fans, simplify their work, and increase profit. So, how can you get smarter about how you use technology to produce and promote live shows?

To find out, we interviewed 20 music and technology leaders who are on the cutting edge of concert technology. We also surveyed nearly 50 live music venues about their top challenges, and how they’re using technology to solve them.

Prediction #1: Fans will do the heavy lifting for marketing shows with new visual technology

Live music promoters are already active across social networks — 95% of venues surveyed use Facebook, 87% use Instagram, 85% use Twitter, and 20% use Snapchat. But the next big thing won’t be how you use a social website to communicate with fans — it will be how fans use it to share their own stories. With technology like drones, Facebook Live, and RFID, those stories will become richer than ever before.

Prediction #2: RFID technology will move to the club space

RFID (radio frequency identification) technology has already taken over music festivals, and venues are next. 80% of the venues we spoke to believed capturing more data about fans with RFID would be impactful in coming years.

Prediction #3: Fans will be able to purchase tickets on their favorite sites

Streaming and social media platforms have become the go-to destinations to discover concerts. In fact, partner venues ranked Facebook ads as the most effective marketing channel to drive ticket sales in our survey. So what if fans could buy tickets the moment they discover the show — through the platform they’re on in that instant?

If your first reaction is to imagine a spike in ticket sales, you’re not alone. 98% of surveyed venues said enabling ticket sales on other platforms will drive growth in coming years, with nearly three out of four calling it extremely impactful.