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Watch U2 Rose Bowl concert via free live stream on YouTube

Oct 26, 2009 08:56

At 8.30pm PT (11.30am today in the Philippines and Singapore), join thousands of fans around the world who will watch U2's Rose Bowl concert for free via the live video stream on YouTube.

This isn't the first time YouTube is live streaming an event, but with the expected success of a concert of this magnitude by a band of U2's stature, I'm hoping YouTube will leverage on its dominance of the online video space to make live Webcasts a permanent fixture on the site.


Here's the teaser video of the live global Webcast.

My friend Don Heraña and I were talking yesterday about this U2 live global Webcast as we mused about how much technology has changed how we work and play--and how such innovation demands creative business models. We were both tech journalists for years before we joined the corporate world (he's with Motorola, while I'm with online gaming company Level Up!), and have seen technology and the Internet evolve from a playground of geeks to an indispensable part of pop culture and the everyday lives of people.

He was very enthusiastic about this concert and expressed the hope that live streaming would become a standard platform for U2 and other musical artists. In other words, just as concert tours are a standard means for musicians to reach out to their fans and generate revenue, so, too, would we one day take live streaming for granted when it comes to musical performances.

Of course, not every band is as big as U2, and not every concert is as huge as this one (96,000 fans will be attending the actual concert). But the Internet has proven to be a great leveler. Think of how many new musicians you've discovered, thanks to online distribution--whether legal or not. Going online has allowed indie artists to be discovered and to make their music available by giving them a less expensive alternative to traditional recording companies. Certainly, it's much easier for bands to create an online presence and promote themselves via the social media than to immediately land a recording contract.

I'm stressing, however, that while I have no doubt that live streaming will be a success in terms of viewership, artists and tech enablers such as YouTube will have to find successful business models. Thousands of people will be watching this live Webcast because it's free, but you can't really expect everyone to pay if in the future you decide to charge for the stream. The fact is people have gotten used to getting content for free on the Internet, so chances are they'll just look for a free alternative--even if it's illegal.

I'm leaning toward live streams generating revenue through sponsorships and showing the content for free instead of charging consumers. In other words, the free TV model. But, here, you can give people the option to donate (say, via PayPal) to show their appreciation for the artists. Call me an optimist, but I do believe that those who can are willing to donate, if given a convenient means to do so, will do so even more than if they're forced to pay for online content. Plus, as the official U2 YouTube channel shows you, you can have links allowing people to buy your album, or donate to causes. Once you get thousands of people to visit your site and stay there, you have opportunities to offer other products and services.

How about you, what are your thoughts on live Webcasts as a viable platform for musical artists? Would you be willing to pay for live-streamed events?

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