IRL to URL: Digitalization in the live music scene during and post-COVID-19 : A platform-driven study of the live music scene and its approaches

Abstract: As the strict lockdowns during the global COVID-19 pandemic made the world more digital, nearly every industry was affected. The music industry in particular had already been going through many changes, though maybe none of them as big so far—musicians were restricted from performing "in real life" and had to think out of the box. Thus, coming to life virtual concerts and festivals. The purpose of this paper is to investigate how the transition to a digital live scene has been handled in the live music industry during the pandemic, and what the experiences of Generation Z and Millennials have been with specific video streaming platforms. To find the answers to these questions, a mixed-methods approach was taken, combining semi-structured qualitative interviews and an online questionnaire. The study provides an insight into what approaches music industry professionals took in handling different aspects of the changing world of concerts, both in terms of technical aspects and in the general shift that the music community experiences. Moreover, it provides an insight into users' preferences for streaming platforms, together with their respective advantages and flaws. More generally, a deeper understanding of what people perceive as gains and losses from the digitization of live events is also provided, with a look into the potential future of concerts.