Bringing Live Concert DVDs Online - Ministry & Business Marketing & Media Blog

Earlier this month I trekked to Pagosa Springs, Colorado for our annual "man trip" featuring paintball, Texas Hold 'Em and plenty of Wii. Concert DVDs by Matchbox 20, Eric Clapton and Rush provided the soundtrack for our extravaganza.

If you're a music lover or just a big fan of a special group of bands, you've no doubt plunked down $35 or more for these concert DVDs, which according to our trip DJ--whom himself is a killer percussionist--is the next best thing to being at the show. This from a guy who's seen literally hundreds of concerts including U2, Elton John, Tim McGraw, Rush, Billy Joel and many more.

Frankly, it amazes me that such a solid musician and huge audiophile would want to see his favorite bands on the small screen. But my friend's love for concert DVDs got the gerbel in my head back on its wheel...

Why don't bands sell online season passes to all of their shows? Unless fans are utter Dead Heads, Parrot Heads and/or perpetually unemployed, they won't be able to make it to every show. But with the advent of synching your computer with your TV, killer home audio and unbelievably fast broadband access, any true fan should be able to see every show.

Imagine a concert DVD that features every tour stop! How much would you spend on that? $49.95? $99.95? More?

And what about music festivals? Imagine Alive Fest, Lilith Fair and the thousands of other music fests--either with several stops or one multi-day show--offering live online concert packages! Add to that user-gen contests leading up to the show and fan video uploads after the show(s) and you've got a recipe for huge fan response and big revenue? Did I mention online title, video and banner sponsorships by existing sponsors?!?

The concert DVD was just the beginning. Now it's time for bands, promoters and fans to bring the show online.