MAY | TECH
Stream, an online showcase of some of
Manchester’s best performing talent.
The streaming platform has
welcomed musicians, chefs and much
more from across Manchester, raising
funds for struggling venues through
donations. It aims to create community
spirit at the same time as providing a
lifeline to those in the industry most
affected by enforced lockdown.
Elsewhere, streaming has been
popping up in unexpected places. The
Royal Albert Hall is one of London’s
most historic venues, dating back
to 1871. As such, it might not be the
first we think of when we talk about
technological innovation. But the team
at Royal Albert Hall has announced a
series of livestreamed shows under the
‘Royal Albert Home’ banner.
The shows, which are free but
provide the option to donate to the
venue, have welcomed artists including
Rufus Wainwright and Baxter Dury.
Lucy Noble, Artistic Director at the
Royal Albert Hall, said: “The Hall has
always been a place where people come
together at times of national crisis.
Right now that isn’t possible, but we
want to keep the venue’s spirit alive
and provide something that will cheer
you, inspire you or just distract you
during this difficult time.
“These events will reflect the
diversity of the shows that we put
on each month, allowing audiences
not just to spend an evening with a
favourite artist, but also to discover
new favourites and try something
different.”
A digital future
Because of this, the festival benefits
from a wealth of creative expertise in
making the move from the Nevada
desert to the virtual world.
Marian Goodell
Building online communities
Jason Anderson
In many places where streaming
has appeared as an alternate option
to in-person events, the focus has
been on community. In Manchester,
for example, Parklife Founder and
Nighttime Economy Adviser Sacha
Lord has been promoting United We
But do these initiatives signal a
permanent shift towards digital?
Jason Anderson, Digital Director
at Avantgarde London, thinks they
might. “There is an appetite for people
to be involved in virtual spaces, but
connecting to real people,” he says.
“Covid-19 has the potential to shift the
whole market in this direction: it might
make people more comfortable with a
purely online offering.”
While no one expects virtual gigs
will replace real ones any time soon,
the lockdown has proven that artists
are willing to adapt, and viewers are
willing to listen. Recorded music has
been transitioning towards streaming
for years, and the social experiment
we are living through shows there is at
least potential that the live sector could
move in the same direction.
Virtual folk festivals (yes, that is a
real thing) are an anomaly today, but
with the speed the world is moving,
they might not be tomorrow. As ever,
it will be the companies which are
quickest to adapt, not which have the
most money, that will reap the rewards
of a digital future.
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