About Viral

Welcome to the YouTube Concert! Alicia Keys and Jay-Z Perform Empire State of Mind

It’s still not a familiar feeling to watch live web streaming.  But when Jay-Z appears from the shadows of a live Alicia Keys concert millions of people went nuts in front of their computers (not yet confirmed).

Where will YouTube take us next?

Live streaming has its uses.  Catching sports games or watching Presidential speeches online could make waves but now a new force has emerged to support musicians: YouTube Concerts.

In November U2 streamed a concert out of the Rosebowl in California and had over 60 million people tuned in.  Quickly following suit Alicia Keys dressed up her YouTube channel and joined the ranks of U2 just hours ago.  Notice the live Twitter feed…nice way to start trending.

American Express tagged along with some exclusive branding so no one got a free lunch.  When Jay-Z walked on stage and the song “Empire State of Mind” began you could start to see how the pieces would fit together in future concerts.  This particular concert is part of World Aids Day so this new form of musical distribution has benevolent roots.

CD sales don’t exactly excite most musicians these days.  Record labels take most of the cut anyway.  itunes has a nice monopoly on the per song online distribution method so what’s the new hope for musicians?

Well, why just have a concert and rely solely on ticket sales and T-shirts when you can stream it live and sell advertising?  At least for now big bands can tap into a new promotion/revenue/distribution model.

Cheers!