Video gaga: How technology is transforming live concert bootlegging
A big turning point for me came back in 2010 when The Pixies played at The Brixton Academy in London. On my way in, I noticed a stall that offered live audio recordings of the gig for around £15 ($20). I assumed I would pay up front and receive a disc in the post a week or two later but, alas, I was wrong.
I did pay on the spot, but the CD was available within about 20 minutes of the show ending, meaning that by the time I’d suffered the painfully long queue to regain my jacket, a brand-spanking new, professionally recorded live album – including cover art – was in my hands. For someone who went to maybe 20-30 gigs a year, this was the first time I’d ever seen this, and it was a revelation. Sure, it was audio-only, but it made me realize how much better a professional recording is – it brings actual value to the experience....
There’s already the software to easily stitch together such content too. Vyclone (previous coverage) for example, lets users sync and edit multi-angle videos directly from their mobile phones. It only works with footage captured simultaneously which is perfect for gigs, and it uses the longest audio track from the available videos as the source, before normalizing the rest of the audio to create a sense of cohesion. ...
Lively Audio Manager is its artist-focused product that pretty much lets any live performer offer their fans live (audio) recordings during the gig. After Apple and Google take their 30% in-app purchase fees, any remaining profits are split between the artist and Lively, 70% and 30% respectively. The only investment a performer needs to make is in an Apogee Duet audio interface and an iPad, which integrate with Lively’s iOS app.
It really is a fantastic set-up, one that automates most of the process.
There’s a legitimate business to be had through actively seeking fans who are willing to participate in filming a gig. They commit through an online platform, registering the kind of handset they own, and what we then have is a crowdsourced, fan-filmed concert. Heck, the audience could even be paid for their efforts, depending on how many fans subsequently buy the recording. This also removes any risk from bands and promoters who are reluctant to commit resources to filming something with no guarantee of making money.
One Irish startup is already offering a similar service. Dublin-based 45sound connects fan-recorded videos with sound captured directly from the mixing desk, while throwing in some background ‘crowd’ audio to make it sound authentic. ...
See the full story, with many videos, here: http://thenextweb.com/media/2013/06/08/how-technology-is-transforming-concert-bootlegging/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+TheNextWeb+(The+Next+Web+All+Stories)&curator=MediaREDEF