The pandemic has had an immense impact on all ‘live’ events pretty much across the entire world. Some venues have of course changed their operating model somewhat (Wigmore Hall in London is a very good example). However, it does seem that many are awaiting a ‘return to normal’ – rather than re-imagining what ‘live’ could look like. So what is the future of live classical music?
Economic reality
It has to be remembered that any live event needs to generate enough cash to cover an awful lot of things. We have the artists, venues and people directly employed on the night itself. In addition there is also the army of people working in the background before the event to make it happen. This gives a not insubstantial cost base.
All this needs to be funded by the income. Traditionally, income will mostly come from:
- Ticket sales
- Merchandise
- Food and beverage
Ticket prices, even for packed out venues, can be relatively expensive. However, if we are needing to move to a much smaller audience size, how to we reconcile this loss of income against a cost base that is unlikely to change that much. Is it necessary to increase ticket prices commensurately? Do we pay artists less? Should venues dramatically reduce rentals? Can we trim down front of house staff? These are all thorny questions.
An event during the pandemic
I recently attended a Comedy Evening at a local convention centre. This is the first live event I have attended since we were initially locked down in March. I have been to these before and they previously took place in a traditional theatre type environment. This time, however, it took an interesting, and I think, promising, alternative format.
Venue
First let’s think about the venue itself. As a Convention Centre, it featured massive, open plan rooms. There was no pre-installed seating as you have in a theatre (which of course wouldn’t be ‘socially distanced’). The room itself at its base has no pre-built stage. However, in many ways this was a great advantage. Free standing chairs can be arranged in any format desired. Equally, creating a stage, luckily, isn’t beyond the whit of man.
As you can see, rather than simply chairs, it was 100% table seating. All tables were numbered. This was actually a very pleasant idea. Rather than having to keep peering around the ‘head’ that is inevitably in front of you in most venues, the view of the (temporary) stage was fairly unobstructed.
Bar
There was a simple, basically stocked bar available within the event room. Given the table seating, this was a workable addition. The limited selection of course means things move much faster. There are no complex orders (have you noticed how long you can queue in Starbucks whilst people try to decide what they want to drink?).
Aesthetics
The aesthetics I have to say left a little to be desired. This, I believe, is because service providers are super keen to demonstrate that they are COVID safe. Big crosses to show where spaces need to be left and the like are everywhere. Not the most visually pleasing.
This had me thinking about the future of live classical music
Whist waiting for the event to get going, I was musing on what this could mean for live classical classical music concerts.
Different types of venues
I think one of the first things that could be tapped into are the type of ‘open plan’ venues available. For example, may hotels have one or more large ballrooms. They will also frequently already have tables and chairs available. Sure, we have the challenge of getting a quality piano there, however, this is unlikely to be insurmountable.
There are equally ‘open air’ venues which could be a great option in certain parts of the world. With a little thought, it would be relatively simple to ‘socially distance’ such a place. I did see a video of such a concert I think in Germany where the outdoor audience was picnicking before the show!
Clearly, such places can never compete with the amazing acoustics of a proper concert hall. However, for as long as these halls remain empty, that acoustic is helping nobody.
Spend per person
Fundamentally, I think it is necessary to maximise the spend per person. The smaller the audience, the more we need each audience member to spend.
My experience at the Comedy Evening above was that we happily spent a sizeable amount of money (by comparison with the original ticket price) and didn’t flinch once. In fact, it all added to a very enjoyable night. So how might this apply to the future of live music?
Pre-concert events
Why not provide opportunities to local musicians or music students to perform before the main event? Pretty much every mainstream concert has the ‘warm up act’. Half the time, people don’t pay particular attention – they are there for the main event. Yet many will arrive early enough to enjoy this. After all, if we’re going out for the evening, then surely we want our ‘money’s worth’.
The longer you have someone in your venue, the more opportunity you have to encourage them to spend money!
Double down on Food and Beverage
Many concert venues in ‘normal times’ have a bar. However, in my experience, it is under-staffed and almost an ‘after thought’.
With any type of pre-concert event, there is a great opportunity for pre-concert drinks and nibbles. This could be a significant revenue stream. When I lived in France, it was fairly common to to have a ‘cocktail’ (as the French call it) – simple champagne and canapés. It could perhaps permit venues to substantially discount rental prices. Alternatively, perhaps artists could receive a percentage of such takings.
With table seating, there is nothing stopping people enjoying a drink during a concert. I read once a remark (I think on Twitter) saying that ‘if people can’t spend a couple of hours without a drink then they have a problem’. However, I think this is a short-sighted attitude. Margins on Food and Beverage are always healthy and I believe the majority of people are more than happy to spend additional money in this context.
Naturally, great thought would need to be given to ensure that there are no ‘clinking’ glasses distracting either the artist or other audience members. However, I think classical concert goers are a respectful bunch who could be trusted to enjoy a glass of wine without causing a riot!
Tap into merchandise
Popular music artists are legendary for their merchandise. Some figures I saw quoted by the BBC put the value of Merchandise globally at USD 3.1 billion against USD 4.88 billion earned from live music (2016). I’m not suggesting that in the classical realm we start having ‘Lang Lang’ t-shirts (although a bit of market research might prove that to be a good idea). Nonetheless, there must be plenty of scope. What about sales of recordings of the concert itself (digital delivery on the spot)? What about detailed performer’s notes and about the repertoire played with quality photographs of the performer. I’d certainly be happy enough to invest in a ‘quality’ program. I once paid a small fortune for one at a George Michael concert. I’m sure there would be other types of merchandise which appeal to the average Classical concert goer. Any suggestions?
Merchandise also wouldn’t need to be limited to the main artist. Any pre-concert performer could be given the opportunity to sell merchandise (even if this was something as simple as CDs).
Simultaneous Re-broadcast
Given the challenges of having large gatherings in the same enclosed space, what about planning to simultaneously broadcast to associated venues? These could be other rooms within the same place (think of the function rooms and restaurants in a hotel. Alternatively, outside spaces such as hotel gardens could be used. After all, with Wimbledon there is the massive TV screen on which the match is displayed so people without a ticket to get into the court are able to watch from afar.
Tickets for these could be at a reduced price and given that they don’t interrupt the performer, they could be in somewhat noisier locations.
Post-concert events
What about more ‘intimate’ post concert events – to a select number for a premium price. Meet and Greet type affairs or ‘after parties’ are one type. A close quarters question and answer session is another. For audiences, the opportunity to say ‘hello’ to someone we have admired from afar is something that money can’t buy (or perhaps it can!).
From the Artist’s viewpoint
Naturally, we need to also think from the Artist’s viewpoint. Some artists might not like the idea of a concert being ‘immortalized’ there and then by audio/video. The recording process is of course altogether something other than a live concert. That said, if times are a changing, then we should all perhaps reconsider our position.
Equally, some artists might not be too comfortable with post concert events. I can imagine some pianists who would excel at this type of thing and others who would most definitely not welcome it. Nonetheless, if there is downward pressure on performance fees due to smaller audiences, perhaps this is a way of replacing that lost revenue.
Equally, there are many things that don’t occur to the average audience member. I remember a Twitter discussion long before the pandemic where we discussed having longer intervals. Interestingly, Stephen Hough made the very valid comment that long intervals can be a killer for artists trying to keep the energy levels up in some cold, draughty green room. Not being a performer of course, this hadn’t occurred to me.
Conclusion
I don’t want to appear ‘crass’ as if it’s all about earning a dollar. Nor do I want to ‘devalue’ the classical concert experience. However, reimagining the financial model seems necessary. Smaller audiences will mean less potential to generate money to share between the different stakeholders.
Equally, even before the pandemic, the future of live classical music concerts was often hotly debated. Most agree that audience numbers are falling (so why use a large concert hall) and the average age of audiences is increasing. Therefore, being somewhat adventurous with the format might be a sensible way forward. Perhaps these pandemic restrictions might kick start some more radical thinking.
