Bandsintown launch livestream concert subscription service
Bandsintown have launched a new livestream concert subscription service, Bandsintown PLUS.
The new series will allow subscribers to view over 25 live shows a month and boasts a star-studded line-up for its first month in action.
For $9.99 (£7.32) a month, music fans can get access to livestream shows from a range of artists, from emerging talent like Claud and Omar Apollo, to established acts like Waxahatchee and Rodrigo y Gabriela.
Booked to appear on the platform in its first month are artists including Phoebe Bridgers, Soccer Mommy, Big Thief’s Adrienne Lenker, Fleet Foxes’ Robin Pecknold, Little Dragon, Empress Of, Chromeo and more.
In a press release, Bandsintown said the new subscription service “democratises and revolutionises the live music experience, directly supporting artists in the process”.
Fans can get a free seven-day trial to the service now, or can enter Bandinstown’s competition to win a one-year subscription worth $99 (£73).
Late last year, artists and managers protested a proposed tariff on livestreams in the UK. The Music Managers Forum (MMF) and Featured Artists Coalition (FAC) wrote to PRS for Music, calling the plans to introduce a tariff to virtual concerts “unworkable” and punitive to artists.
It was proposed that a fee of up to 17 percent of gross ticket sales would be levied on livestreamed gigs, as well as being applied retrospectively to events that have already happened.
“The larger, most-successful events involve significant production costs, and have provided a lifeline to crew and other industry workers,” MMF’s Annabella Coldrick and FAC’s David Martin wrote.
“At the other end of the scale, livestreaming has been increasingly important for emerging artists and those operating in niche genres. For the sake of all artists, songwriters and the wider industry, it is crucial that this new format is allowed to grow and thrive.”
