Is the Internet the Future for Concerts?

While surfing Twitter the other day, I saw Jon B had posted about an intimate concert he was putting on next week. However, what stood out about the concert was that it wasn't at any particular venue, but instead, was being hosted online on a site called Stageit. For 5 dollars (or "50 notes"), you would get to watch Jon B put on a 30 minute set in studio.

Could this be the future of the concert going experience? I mean, lets face it, concerts have gotten a bit out of control. For many artists, tickets are in the 80 to 100 dollar price range. Even the cheaper concerts tend to have prices around 40-50 dollars. While these aren't bad on their face, they often come with 10-15 dollars of extra charges in fees thanks to services like Ticketmaster. You then go to the concert and hope for the best, but if you didn't splurge for the best seats you might not even get that great a view of the performer. It ultimately becomes a listening party that cost a pretty penny.

This new world of stageit throws all of that out the window. We suddenly have a YouTube concert experience, where you enjoy the show from the comfort of your home. It definitely loses some of the experience of seeing the artists in real life, but it makes up for it in a number of ways. First, it's a lot cheaper. Five dollars for a thirty minute set is much more tolerable than a 50 dollar ticket. Second, everyone has the best seats in the house. You're all viewing the same angles, and if Jon B or any other artist sets up a nice venue with a couple different angles, you might even have all of the best seats in the house.

What's really cool about these types of performances, is that they open up the concert going experience to people around the world. I always get frustrated when artists aren't coming to my area on tour, and for international fans, this experience is probably even more common. Now, everyone can get to enjoy the concert experience. No matter where the artists take their tour, all of their fans will at least have the opportunity to enjoy the mini-performance online.

Will this type of performance take off? That's totally up to the fans. Do you think an intimate online experience is worth five dollars? Is it a proper substitute for a concert, or is it an entirely new medium of entertainment? Jon B's the pioneer in this regard, so if you're a fan, hopefully you'll check out the performance. Let us know in the forums what you think of the possibility!