The Effects of Technology on Music Festivals

Advancements in technology tend to produce numerous positive and negative outcomes.

Generally, we are first exposed to the benefits of technology and come to discover the negative

consequences later on. For example, the development of the internet granted us access to

unlimited information with the only limitation being our imagination. Later, studies done by

researchers like Sheppard and Wolffsohn (2018) revealed that around half of all users suffer

from some form of eye strain that is a result of overexposure to computer screens. In the unique

case of music festivals, the opposite was true as the industry was initially negatively impacted by

the invention of peer-to-peer streaming but now stands to gain from advancements in virtual

reality. An article written by Kopf, D. (2019) explains that the 20th century music industry relied

heavily on selling physical recordings of music. At its peak in 1999, album sales accounted for

$19 out of the $21 billion in revenue of the music industry. All that changed with the

introduction of Napster, a peer-to-peer file sharing service that allowed users to download copies

of songs from other users for free. Although Napster’s reign was short lived, the damage had

been done. Music was now considered a public good and the way was paved for other similar

services like Spotify to emerge. As a result, the music industry had to look to live performances

as their main source of income. Unfortunately, depending on the venue, live shows have natural

barriers that limit the number of attendees. However, the recent development of virtual reality

has the potential to allow a limitless number of fans access to live shows. Artists and major

record labels have already caught on and are poised to capitalize on this development which will

allow fans access to live shows, wherever they may be, through apps like MelodyVR.

After reading this I was left wondering how vital it is for fans to physically be at

concerts? According to Kempton, B. (2014), one of the main reasons that people attend concerts
is because they enjoy being a part of a community with similar interests. Since a communal

feeling is central to the concert experience, VR will need to strive to recreate this sense of

environment for fans who will be consciously aware that they are not physically present at the

event. In addition, attendees love to talk about and critique concerts that they attend which they

will not be able to do with the VR apps. In the extremely unlikely situation that the VR

experience becomes more sought after than attending a live concert, the other basic functional

areas of the Recreation, Event, and Tourism (RET) Industry Model that rely on live concerts to

attract tourists will be negatively impacted. Entire communities that are built on supporting live

concerts by providing facilities and services to concertgoers will be starved of income as outside

economic dollars that they rely on so heavily will cease to enter their local economy. To give you

an idea of the potential damage, America has the largest tourism industry in the world thanks in

part to over 800 music festivals across the country (“The Rising Trends of Music Festivals in the

U.S.”, 2018). Thankfully, while the avenue for fans to access concerts virtually is being

developed, an issue arises with the cost that fans may have to shoulder in order to purchase the

necessary equipment that will allow them to fully experience a virtual concert. Given that few

people likely possess the required equipment as of now, fans will likely still flock to attend live

events for the next few years. Meaning that at least for now, the income brought into the country

by concertgoers is not immediately threatened by the advancements in VR.

Ultimately, while RET facilitators will likely eventually suffer from a drop in live concert

attendance, in all likelihood live venues will consistently attract close to a full attendance due to

the live concert environment being such an important factor for fans. As for the music industry,

by being provided access to a previously untapped market of international fans who until now
 lacked the opportunity to attend live events, the future is looking very bright. As long as those

fans can access the required equipment for an affordable price.

Article Website: https://www.forbes.com/sites/simonchandler/2019/10/04/why-the-music-industry-is-

banking-on-the-growth-of-vr-concerts/#41bbc35b2ead

Works Cited

Kempton, B. (November 17, 2014). Why do people attend live concerts? Retrieved on November 18,

2019, from https://schubert.org/blog/2014/11/17/why-do-people-attend-live-concerts/

Kopf, D. (October 22, 2019). Napster paved the way for our streaming-reliant music industry. Retrieved

November 18, 2019, from https://qz.com/1683609/how-the-music-industry- shifted-from-

napster-to-spotify/

Sheppard, A. L., & Wolffsohn, J. S. (2018). Digital eye strain: prevalence, measurement and

amelioration. BMJ open ophthalmology, 3(1), e000146.

The Rising Trends of Music Festivals in the U.S. (June 13, 2018). Retrieved November 18, 2019, from

https://deployedresources.com/blog/special-events/the-rising-trends-of-music- festivals-in-the-u-

s/