Live Nation Looking Into Fanless Concerts to Survive
It's no secret that live concerts could be the last thing to come back after we recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. Concert giant, Live Nation, is working on trying new ways to bring live shows back for fans.
When the pandemic started, Live Nation caught a lot of flack as shows began to cancel. It wasn't allowing ticket refunds as shows were canceling left and right. It finally put a plan in to place allowing fans to receive a refund for their ticket if the show was not being rescheduled in the following 60 days of its original date. According to an article in the Rolling Stone, Live Nation claims 90% of tickets purchased have not been returned. Those buyers are holding on to their already purchased tickets, waiting for the show to be rescheduled.
The next question is, what type of show will we be attending when it does get rescheduled? According to CEO Michael Rapino, they are looking into broadcast-style, fanless, drive-in style shows, and bringing large artists into smaller and more controllable venues. He acknowledged the fact that artists are really itching to get back out and play for their fans, and it's to the point now that they don't even care where they play or to how many people. Rapino said on an investors call they are planning on testing all of these options but have been extremely successful doing the broadcast shows so far.
Could this be the new way we watch live music for a while? Would you drive to a show in your car and stay in it the entire time just to watch your favorite artist perform? I cannot imagine what a ticket price would be for a drive-in style show, but I can guarantee I can't afford it. Although, bringing the Buddy Russ Bus to a drive-in show might make for a good time.