Pickathon, an indie music festival that’s scheduled to take place from August 2nd through August 4th, will be digitally accessible for those who cannot attend in person. But is paid event streaming a viable model?
Pickathon festival officials recently unveiled the All-Access Streaming Pass, which is available through the festival’s website. For a cost of $19.99 during the festival’s scheduled dates (or $29.99 after the concerts have concluded), fans will be able to watch all the artists’ performances in high definition.
These shows can be enjoyed live or replayed after the fact, and with a simple click, fans can also switch between each of Pickathon’s four stages.
Pickathon will take place in Happy Valley, Oregon, and will feature over 60 artists, including Lucius, Mountain Man, and Yob. Some music lovers who cannot take the time to experience Pickathon have voiced their support for the All-Access Streaming Pass, as have some who are attending Pickathon, simply because they know that it’ll be logistically impossible to watch all the performances.
Interestingly, Pickathon isn’t the only music festival to boast comprehensive streaming options. YouTube allows fans to watch live Coachella performances free of charge, and Lollapalooza officials recently revealed that their festival will also be live-streamed via YouTube. Coachella 2019 is in the books, having taken place in April, but Lollapalooza is going down presently, having started on August 1st and set to conclude on August 4th.
Of course, the presence of free-streaming options from two US-based festival behemoths makes Pickathon’s offer more difficult to sell. But perhaps there’s a market for paid access, especially amongst festivals that are less mainstream and more local.
Paid or free, this is becoming a growing trend.
Given that today’s technology is incredibly capable and that today’s music fans are incredibly passionate, it seems like a no-brainer to offer digital access to music festivals; it’s possible that digital access to single-artist concerts is on the way. In terms of the former, though, it’s unworkable for all interested individuals to make the time for music festivals.
Moreover, consider that certain festivals — like Pickathon and Lollapalooza — overlap. Being in two places at once is out of the question, but experiencing music festivals digitally, in high definition, is very doable.
It’ll be worth watching how streaming impacts music festivals (and single-performer concerts) moving forward.
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