Farewell, sanitary measures restricting access to stages and concert halls. Gone are the gauges limiting the number of eligible spectators, and with them the episode of virtual concerts having kept the middle of the musical spectacle under artificial respirator. A year after the return of theaters to maximum capacity, what remains of the virtual of our stage performances? From the experience acquired by music professionals, a few upcoming projects, and the realization that the rules the industry has adopted do not (yet) favor the establishment of a viable virtual concert model.
Two years ago, the hall L’ANTI, in Quebec, was one of the first to react to the health crisis by playing its all-out on the recording and live broadcasting of musical concerts. More than 200 virtual concerts have been organized in the small hall in the Saint-Roch district, until the public can finally return to meet the artists, in crowded halls.
“I miss these virtual concerts, acknowledges today Karl-Emmanuel Picard, founder of District 7 Production and co-owner of L’ANTI bar et spectacles. It marked me a lot, as well as my team. What I liked was the closeness we had with the artists: when we did concerts like that, they arrived early in the day, we spent the day together preparing for the concert, we took the time to get to know each other and discuss. The return of the public to the theater was a good thing, but I lost that contact. »
The demand from producers and artists for the organization of virtual or hybrid concerts at L’ANTI has dropped drastically since last spring, recognizes Picard, who, in the midst of the virtual adventure, imagined that the business model could survive the pandemic. “I think it can last, but with the show which has resumed at full speed, I no longer have time to think about setting up virtual concerts”, except that of the punk-hardcore group from Quebec MUTE last month. Broadcast on the Web for the benefit of fans outside the country, it generated sales of 250 virtual tickets: “I read the comments from fans around the world, who applauded the quality, sound and visual, of the broadcast, notes Picard. Makes me think it’s worth doing it again. »
Back to normal
In Montreal, the Le Ministère hall was also one of the first to take advantage of its audiovisual capture and broadcasting equipment, which it acquired when it opened in 2017. On January 18, it will present, in a hybrid format (in webcast and live), the album launch concert Echoes of a distant life. Flight. 1 and vol. 2by Luis Clavis.
After having been extensively solicited, in particular by ADISQ, during the pandemic, the technical team of the Ministry has only made about twenty recordings since last October. “I envisage the recording activity of the next few months as I envisaged it before the pandemic, says with lucidity Louis-Armand Bombardier, president of the cultural development box L-Abe and owner of the Ministry. Our goal in opening this room was also to make it a working tool to get our artists in concert, to see what works best in their performances, while acquiring equipment allowing us to capture shows. »
With financial assistance from the Société de développement des entreprises culturelle (SODEC) granted during the pandemic, the Department’s team was able to improve its facilities, train its teams to capture and broadcast shows and develop expertise as producer of quality audiovisual content, all points to be entered in the column of achievements. During the two pandemic years (2020-2021, 2021-2022), SODEC granted nearly $9.2 million in financial assistance to various venues and broadcasting companies for the realization of recording projects and virtual concerts in under the Assistance Program for Innovative Initiatives – Cultural Recovery, a temporary component that expired on March 31.
Opportunities
Music publisher Guillaume Lombard, founder of Ad Litteram and, since March 2020, owner of record label ATMA Classique, had created the Livetoune webcasting platform in 2012. During the pandemic, the platform grew in popularity, achieving more of 300 recordings.
“We multiplied our turnover by four – that’s a lot, but it’s sure that today we’re back to normal,” says Lombard. On the other hand, during the pandemic, we became known by producers who did not work with us before, “like La Tribu, who approached Livetoune for the broadcast of the concert. Cohabit the earthpresented in a hybrid formula last December, on the sidelines of the United Nations Conference on Biodiversity (COP15).
All the stakeholders contacted agree that the episode of virtual concerts has achieved its primary goal: to give work to the live performance sector when the halls were closed, to ensure that artists keep in touch with their audiences while drawing also income. As a bonus, the expertise acquired during the pandemic has enabled the community to produce superior quality recordings and recordings. “All that’s lacking now is the enthusiasm of spectators for this kind of production,” says Louis-Armand Bombardier. Are virtual concerts interesting for the public? »
It depends on the type of audience targeted, believes Xavier Auclair, director general of programming and development of the Ministry, who recognizes the existence of an interesting vein in the capture of album launches and performances intended for professionals of the music industry (turners, broadcasters, label and festival directors) internationally. “But is this a niche that would allow the industry to derive significant revenue? I do not think so. »
I miss these virtual concerts. […] What I liked was the closeness we had with the artists: when we did concerts like that, they arrived early in the day, we spent the day together.
L-Abe and Livetoune are still working on their platforms streaming to make the most of all these musical performances recorded since the start of the pandemic and, above all, to make this formidable accumulated loot of musical concerts accessible to the general public. L-Abe will inaugurate in March The cultural box, which will offer according to the model “ pay per view » individual shows at a low price. Livetoune has its Le concert bleu platform, already operational, enriched with a catalog that will appeal to lovers of classical music, but its inauguration will have to wait a while longer.
“I have learned from the experience of virtual concerts that the legislation in Canada poses a problem of exploitation, particularly in classical music, because of the collective agreements entered into with the Union des artistes and the Guild of musicians”, which do not take not take into account the financial context specific to concert recordings offered à la carte on the Web, regrets Guillaume Lombard, who is continuing discussions with the two associations to arrive at a solution.
” [Entre-temps,] we have very beautiful images, but they are stored in hard disks. It’s a shame, because it doesn’t prevent the Mezzo TVs of this world from continuing to offer content from international artists, since they own the international rights. [Pendant la pandémie]we have created a need among people who consume classical music, especially among the public in the regions, who do not have access to these concerts, and we are not here to serve it, ”laments Mr. Lombard.