今年3月初,丹麥政府為貫徹封城政策宣布禁止舉行音樂會(huì),這讓身為音樂家和音樂會(huì)主辦者的馬克·開姆尼茨顯得有些不知所措。于是他便與友人集思廣益,想出了一個(gè)新的,但其實(shí)早已風(fēng)行多年的主意。
“我們只能另尋出路?!?開姆尼茨說,“未來五、六個(gè)月,甚至更長(zhǎng)時(shí)間,我們都不能出去演出。我們對(duì)彼此說,我們左右不了疫情,但總不能因?yàn)橛行鹿谝咔椋妥屛幕霭?。除了?duì)演出形式進(jìn)行創(chuàng)新,我們別無他法?!?/font>
在對(duì)已有百年歷史的“汽車影院”概念進(jìn)行重新包裝后,他們打造出了現(xiàn)代化、連續(xù)舉辦的“P scenen”文化節(jié)。
在奧胡斯市議會(huì)的協(xié)助下,他們獲準(zhǔn)在Tangkrogen公園內(nèi)搭建大型舞臺(tái)。放在過去,如此規(guī)模的舞臺(tái)前會(huì)擠滿上萬名觀眾。而在疫情期間,觀眾則只能坐在數(shù)百輛整齊停放的汽車中,透過擋風(fēng)玻璃和車載FM廣播欣賞藝術(shù)家的現(xiàn)場(chǎng)表演。
當(dāng)然,沒車也沒有關(guān)系,梅賽德斯與汽車租賃巨頭Europcar提供了嶄新的汽車供觀眾使用,對(duì)于同樣身處困境的汽車行業(yè)而言,這種活動(dòng)無疑是極佳的營(yíng)銷機(jī)會(huì)。
首場(chǎng)音樂會(huì)于4月24日舉行,丹麥著名歌手、詞作者麥茲·蘭格通過Zoom視頻會(huì)議接受了觀眾的演出邀請(qǐng)并在此次音樂會(huì)中登臺(tái)獻(xiàn)藝。此后,幾乎每天都會(huì)有音樂會(huì)、獨(dú)角喜劇、戲劇演出、電影放映和教堂禮拜在內(nèi)的各種活動(dòng)。
現(xiàn)在不只是丹麥,德國(guó)也有多家活動(dòng)承辦公司開始舉辦車上狂歡晚會(huì)。而這一切的實(shí)現(xiàn)則離不開商業(yè)模式理念的巨大轉(zhuǎn)變。但還是要再說一次,現(xiàn)場(chǎng)音樂行業(yè)現(xiàn)在看起來并沒有太多選擇余地。
“營(yíng)收下跌之快令人眼暈”
根據(jù)歐洲現(xiàn)場(chǎng)音樂協(xié)會(huì)提供的數(shù)據(jù),該行業(yè)去年在歐洲全境的總收入超過了84億美元。而現(xiàn)在,協(xié)會(huì)的主席文森佐·斯佩拉稱,這一數(shù)字很可能會(huì)出現(xiàn)約80%的下滑。
他說:“受新冠疫情影響,2月以來,歐洲已有多家音樂公司的營(yíng)業(yè)額出現(xiàn)大幅下滑,速度之快令人眼暈。由于這些公司仍然需要向供應(yīng)商、雇員、稅務(wù)機(jī)關(guān)和銀行支付必要款項(xiàng),這種局面正在耗盡他們手中的流動(dòng)性?!?/font>
斯佩拉還表示,封城期間,現(xiàn)場(chǎng)娛樂行業(yè)損失慘重,因?yàn)槊總€(gè)人都被告知現(xiàn)在不要進(jìn)行社交,而 “社交”恰恰是該行業(yè)存在的基礎(chǔ)。由于現(xiàn)場(chǎng)音樂行業(yè)的復(fù)雜性“常常不為人知”,他呼吁歐洲各國(guó)政府對(duì)現(xiàn)場(chǎng)音樂行業(yè)的需求給予更多關(guān)注。
當(dāng)被問及對(duì)車上音樂會(huì)這種活動(dòng)有什么看法時(shí),斯佩拉說:“這種活動(dòng)作為權(quán)宜之計(jì)當(dāng)然是可行的,但還是取代不了傳統(tǒng)音樂會(huì)的位置?!彼€表示,突然走紅的“線上音樂會(huì)”也是個(gè)辦法,但同樣解決不了根本問題。”
“我們看到世界各地的藝術(shù)家嘗試了許多非常棒的方法,但現(xiàn)場(chǎng)活動(dòng)的震撼之處以及所創(chuàng)造身心體驗(yàn)是這些舉措所無法達(dá)到的。”斯佩拉說,“有些舉措還存在經(jīng)濟(jì)和可持續(xù)性方面的復(fù)雜問題?!?/font>
但現(xiàn)場(chǎng)音樂的創(chuàng)新者們并非不清楚這些問題的存在。
新的模式
開姆尼茨的Front of House公司和P scenen 的其他組織者(視聽公司Steady和Nordic Rentals)顯然需要重新思考現(xiàn)場(chǎng)音樂會(huì)的經(jīng)濟(jì)性。
相對(duì)于可以容納成千上萬名觀眾的傳統(tǒng)音樂節(jié),他們?cè)?Tangkrogen 的場(chǎng)地僅能停放五、六百輛汽車。然而,活動(dòng)主辦方?jīng)]有為了彌補(bǔ)門票收入而提升票價(jià)。他們按車而不是按人收費(fèi),還會(huì)建議觀眾僅攜自己社交圈之內(nèi)的親朋好友一同觀看,票價(jià)高低則取決于藝術(shù)家的知名度。如此一來,門票價(jià)格按人計(jì)算后通常比以前還便宜。
這種情況的出現(xiàn)很大程度上是音樂節(jié)連續(xù)舉辦的結(jié)果。開姆尼茨在很多年前就有了這種想法,只不過這次是迫于無奈才實(shí)施這一方案。這種做法有效降低了音樂節(jié)的制作成本。
“這種經(jīng)濟(jì)模式適合于那種持續(xù)舉行的活動(dòng),而非一次性活動(dòng)。”開姆尼茨說, “挺有意思的,等疫情結(jié)束之后我們打算把這種模式應(yīng)用到其他活動(dòng)中去。效果真的不錯(cuò)。”
此外,這種音樂節(jié)還構(gòu)建了一種各方合作的架構(gòu),讓藝術(shù)家、活動(dòng)主辦方和承辦方都能參與其中。開姆尼茨認(rèn)為,這種架構(gòu)可以確保各方在工作中投入更多努力。他表示,如果藝術(shù)家能設(shè)法賣掉自己音樂會(huì)的門票,那么他們的收入將與疫情前相當(dāng)。
德國(guó)電子舞曲巨頭BigCityBeats的首席執(zhí)行官伯恩德·布萊特對(duì)于通過車上音樂會(huì)賺錢持有不同看法。
BigCityBeats主辦的World Club Dome音樂節(jié)原計(jì)劃于今年6月在在法蘭克福舉行,但因新冠疫情而被迫取消,按照德國(guó)政府的規(guī)定,8月前不得舉行任何大型音樂會(huì)。該音樂節(jié)原本可以在三天的時(shí)間里吸引到約18萬名觀眾到場(chǎng)。
首屆World Club Dome車上狂歡晚會(huì)于5月1日在杜塞爾多夫舉行,雖然現(xiàn)場(chǎng)僅停入500輛汽車,每輛車上最多兩人,但活動(dòng)主辦方在制作上依然是全情投入,將其打造成了一場(chǎng)融合煙火、激光表演的盛大演出。
布萊特表示:“這種音樂會(huì)最多只能容納1000名觀眾,而粉絲又不可能愿意花200到400歐元(相當(dāng)于217到434美元)來買一張票,所以就更難操作了。最后我們決定將每張票的票價(jià)定為40歐元,同時(shí)引入一些贊助商來幫我們分擔(dān)額外成本,從而降低總支出。如果舉辦方式得宜,這種活動(dòng)就能在帶給粉絲巨大樂趣的同時(shí)提升知名度,還可以在這個(gè)特殊時(shí)期為民眾創(chuàng)造一種非常棒的體驗(yàn)……我們沒打算賺錢,也沒想過要?jiǎng)?chuàng)造一種新的商業(yè)模式?!?/font>
Breiter hopes clubbers will repay the favor by coming to BigCityBeats' more traditional festivals from next January. 布萊特希望觀眾明年能來BigCityBeats更為傳統(tǒng)的現(xiàn)場(chǎng)音樂節(jié)捧場(chǎng),通過親臨現(xiàn)場(chǎng)來回饋公司今年奉上的精彩演出。
全新體驗(yàn)
顯然,對(duì)觀眾而言,車上音樂會(huì)不是他們習(xí)以為常的事物,但也確實(shí)為創(chuàng)新提供了新的途徑。
以World Club Dome車上狂歡晚會(huì)為例,DJ便在表演中添加了汽車?guó)Q笛和車燈閃爍的元素。坐在車中的現(xiàn)場(chǎng)觀眾可以通過與表演者同步操作來獲得互動(dòng)體驗(yàn)。
"Judging by the WorldClubbers' reactions, they absolutely loved it," says Breiter. “從到場(chǎng)觀眾的反應(yīng)來看,他們顯然很喜歡這種感覺。”布萊特說。
在奧胡斯舉辦的P scenen音樂節(jié)的體驗(yàn)雖然與之頗為不同,但同樣讓人拍手叫絕。因?yàn)檠莩雎曇粜盘?hào)直接通過老式無線電傳輸?shù)浆F(xiàn)場(chǎng)觀眾的汽車之中,所以演出現(xiàn)場(chǎng)顯得非常安靜。
開姆尼茨表示,通過采用這種方式,他們得以在不影響周邊居民的情況下舉辦大型演出。新的模式也帶來了全新的聲音效果。由于無需擔(dān)心環(huán)境噪聲或相位效應(yīng)的影響,所以無論觀眾坐在哪里,都不會(huì)出現(xiàn)聲音質(zhì)量下降的問題。而且由于沒有巨型音響系統(tǒng),不會(huì)產(chǎn)生話筒回音問題,所以可以使用更靈敏的高級(jí)電容式麥克風(fēng)。
“我們可以將其布置得跟工作室一樣……所有的聲音都會(huì)非常清晰?!遍_姆尼茨說。
當(dāng)然,需要保持社交疏離的不僅是觀眾,在舞臺(tái)上表演的演職人員也是如此。而規(guī)模較大的樂團(tuán)要想做到這一點(diǎn)也得有點(diǎn)創(chuàng)意才行。
“我們?cè)谥苋张e辦了一場(chǎng)有合唱團(tuán)參加的福音教堂禮拜活動(dòng)。” 開姆尼茨說,“因?yàn)榕_(tái)上只允許站10個(gè)人,所以我們就把合唱團(tuán)安排在了舞臺(tái)前的車上。我們安排攝像師繞著汽車拍攝,然后再把視頻畫面投放到屏幕上。為了方便牧師、合唱團(tuán)與民眾互動(dòng),我們還用上了Zoom。”
開姆尼茨還提到,有個(gè)12歲的小朋友因?yàn)樵诩冶锞昧耍霈F(xiàn)了非常嚴(yán)重的焦慮癥狀,而兒童音樂會(huì)是他在封城之后首次能在一個(gè)安全的環(huán)境中加入狂歡人群,當(dāng)時(shí)他貼著父親汽車的擋風(fēng)玻璃流出了開心的淚水。
他說:“這種活動(dòng)為全新人群帶來了全新的體驗(yàn)。”(財(cái)富中文網(wǎng))
譯者:Feb
今年3月初,丹麥政府為貫徹封城政策宣布禁止舉行音樂會(huì),這讓身為音樂家和音樂會(huì)主辦者的馬克·開姆尼茨顯得有些不知所措。于是他便與友人集思廣益,想出了一個(gè)新的,但其實(shí)早已風(fēng)行多年的主意。
“我們只能另尋出路?!?開姆尼茨說,“未來五、六個(gè)月,甚至更長(zhǎng)時(shí)間,我們都不能出去演出。我們對(duì)彼此說,我們左右不了疫情,但總不能因?yàn)橛行鹿谝咔?,就讓文化消亡吧。除了?duì)演出形式進(jìn)行創(chuàng)新,我們別無他法?!?/font>
在對(duì)已有百年歷史的“汽車影院”概念進(jìn)行重新包裝后,他們打造出了現(xiàn)代化、連續(xù)舉辦的“P scenen”文化節(jié)。
在奧胡斯市議會(huì)的協(xié)助下,他們獲準(zhǔn)在Tangkrogen公園內(nèi)搭建大型舞臺(tái)。放在過去,如此規(guī)模的舞臺(tái)前會(huì)擠滿上萬名觀眾。而在疫情期間,觀眾則只能坐在數(shù)百輛整齊停放的汽車中,透過擋風(fēng)玻璃和車載FM廣播欣賞藝術(shù)家的現(xiàn)場(chǎng)表演。
當(dāng)然,沒車也沒有關(guān)系,梅賽德斯與汽車租賃巨頭Europcar提供了嶄新的汽車供觀眾使用,對(duì)于同樣身處困境的汽車行業(yè)而言,這種活動(dòng)無疑是極佳的營(yíng)銷機(jī)會(huì)。
首場(chǎng)音樂會(huì)于4月24日舉行,丹麥著名歌手、詞作者麥茲·蘭格通過Zoom視頻會(huì)議接受了觀眾的演出邀請(qǐng)并在此次音樂會(huì)中登臺(tái)獻(xiàn)藝。此后,幾乎每天都會(huì)有音樂會(huì)、獨(dú)角喜劇、戲劇演出、電影放映和教堂禮拜在內(nèi)的各種活動(dòng)。
現(xiàn)在不只是丹麥,德國(guó)也有多家活動(dòng)承辦公司開始舉辦車上狂歡晚會(huì)。而這一切的實(shí)現(xiàn)則離不開商業(yè)模式理念的巨大轉(zhuǎn)變。但還是要再說一次,現(xiàn)場(chǎng)音樂行業(yè)現(xiàn)在看起來并沒有太多選擇余地。
“營(yíng)收下跌之快令人眼暈”
根據(jù)歐洲現(xiàn)場(chǎng)音樂協(xié)會(huì)提供的數(shù)據(jù),該行業(yè)去年在歐洲全境的總收入超過了84億美元。而現(xiàn)在,協(xié)會(huì)的主席文森佐·斯佩拉稱,這一數(shù)字很可能會(huì)出現(xiàn)約80%的下滑。
他說:“受新冠疫情影響,2月以來,歐洲已有多家音樂公司的營(yíng)業(yè)額出現(xiàn)大幅下滑,速度之快令人眼暈。由于這些公司仍然需要向供應(yīng)商、雇員、稅務(wù)機(jī)關(guān)和銀行支付必要款項(xiàng),這種局面正在耗盡他們手中的流動(dòng)性?!?/font>
斯佩拉還表示,封城期間,現(xiàn)場(chǎng)娛樂行業(yè)損失慘重,因?yàn)槊總€(gè)人都被告知現(xiàn)在不要進(jìn)行社交,而 “社交”恰恰是該行業(yè)存在的基礎(chǔ)。由于現(xiàn)場(chǎng)音樂行業(yè)的復(fù)雜性“常常不為人知”,他呼吁歐洲各國(guó)政府對(duì)現(xiàn)場(chǎng)音樂行業(yè)的需求給予更多關(guān)注。
當(dāng)被問及對(duì)車上音樂會(huì)這種活動(dòng)有什么看法時(shí),斯佩拉說:“這種活動(dòng)作為權(quán)宜之計(jì)當(dāng)然是可行的,但還是取代不了傳統(tǒng)音樂會(huì)的位置?!彼€表示,突然走紅的“線上音樂會(huì)”也是個(gè)辦法,但同樣解決不了根本問題?!?/font>
“我們看到世界各地的藝術(shù)家嘗試了許多非常棒的方法,但現(xiàn)場(chǎng)活動(dòng)的震撼之處以及所創(chuàng)造身心體驗(yàn)是這些舉措所無法達(dá)到的?!彼古謇f,“有些舉措還存在經(jīng)濟(jì)和可持續(xù)性方面的復(fù)雜問題。”
但現(xiàn)場(chǎng)音樂的創(chuàng)新者們并非不清楚這些問題的存在。
新的模式
開姆尼茨的Front of House公司和P scenen 的其他組織者(視聽公司Steady和Nordic Rentals)顯然需要重新思考現(xiàn)場(chǎng)音樂會(huì)的經(jīng)濟(jì)性。
相對(duì)于可以容納成千上萬名觀眾的傳統(tǒng)音樂節(jié),他們?cè)?Tangkrogen 的場(chǎng)地僅能停放五、六百輛汽車。然而,活動(dòng)主辦方?jīng)]有為了彌補(bǔ)門票收入而提升票價(jià)。他們按車而不是按人收費(fèi),還會(huì)建議觀眾僅攜自己社交圈之內(nèi)的親朋好友一同觀看,票價(jià)高低則取決于藝術(shù)家的知名度。如此一來,門票價(jià)格按人計(jì)算后通常比以前還便宜。
這種情況的出現(xiàn)很大程度上是音樂節(jié)連續(xù)舉辦的結(jié)果。開姆尼茨在很多年前就有了這種想法,只不過這次是迫于無奈才實(shí)施這一方案。這種做法有效降低了音樂節(jié)的制作成本。
“這種經(jīng)濟(jì)模式適合于那種持續(xù)舉行的活動(dòng),而非一次性活動(dòng)。”開姆尼茨說, “挺有意思的,等疫情結(jié)束之后我們打算把這種模式應(yīng)用到其他活動(dòng)中去。效果真的不錯(cuò)。”
此外,這種音樂節(jié)還構(gòu)建了一種各方合作的架構(gòu),讓藝術(shù)家、活動(dòng)主辦方和承辦方都能參與其中。開姆尼茨認(rèn)為,這種架構(gòu)可以確保各方在工作中投入更多努力。他表示,如果藝術(shù)家能設(shè)法賣掉自己音樂會(huì)的門票,那么他們的收入將與疫情前相當(dāng)。
德國(guó)電子舞曲巨頭BigCityBeats的首席執(zhí)行官伯恩德·布萊特對(duì)于通過車上音樂會(huì)賺錢持有不同看法。
BigCityBeats主辦的World Club Dome音樂節(jié)原計(jì)劃于今年6月在在法蘭克福舉行,但因新冠疫情而被迫取消,按照德國(guó)政府的規(guī)定,8月前不得舉行任何大型音樂會(huì)。該音樂節(jié)原本可以在三天的時(shí)間里吸引到約18萬名觀眾到場(chǎng)。
首屆World Club Dome車上狂歡晚會(huì)于5月1日在杜塞爾多夫舉行,雖然現(xiàn)場(chǎng)僅停入500輛汽車,每輛車上最多兩人,但活動(dòng)主辦方在制作上依然是全情投入,將其打造成了一場(chǎng)融合煙火、激光表演的盛大演出。
布萊特表示:“這種音樂會(huì)最多只能容納1000名觀眾,而粉絲又不可能愿意花200到400歐元(相當(dāng)于217到434美元)來買一張票,所以就更難操作了。最后我們決定將每張票的票價(jià)定為40歐元,同時(shí)引入一些贊助商來幫我們分擔(dān)額外成本,從而降低總支出。如果舉辦方式得宜,這種活動(dòng)就能在帶給粉絲巨大樂趣的同時(shí)提升知名度,還可以在這個(gè)特殊時(shí)期為民眾創(chuàng)造一種非常棒的體驗(yàn)……我們沒打算賺錢,也沒想過要?jiǎng)?chuàng)造一種新的商業(yè)模式?!?/font>
Breiter hopes clubbers will repay the favor by coming to BigCityBeats' more traditional festivals from next January. 布萊特希望觀眾明年能來BigCityBeats更為傳統(tǒng)的現(xiàn)場(chǎng)音樂節(jié)捧場(chǎng),通過親臨現(xiàn)場(chǎng)來回饋公司今年奉上的精彩演出。
全新體驗(yàn)
顯然,對(duì)觀眾而言,車上音樂會(huì)不是他們習(xí)以為常的事物,但也確實(shí)為創(chuàng)新提供了新的途徑。
以World Club Dome車上狂歡晚會(huì)為例,DJ便在表演中添加了汽車?guó)Q笛和車燈閃爍的元素。坐在車中的現(xiàn)場(chǎng)觀眾可以通過與表演者同步操作來獲得互動(dòng)體驗(yàn)。
"Judging by the WorldClubbers' reactions, they absolutely loved it," says Breiter. “從到場(chǎng)觀眾的反應(yīng)來看,他們顯然很喜歡這種感覺?!辈既R特說。
在奧胡斯舉辦的P scenen音樂節(jié)的體驗(yàn)雖然與之頗為不同,但同樣讓人拍手叫絕。因?yàn)檠莩雎曇粜盘?hào)直接通過老式無線電傳輸?shù)浆F(xiàn)場(chǎng)觀眾的汽車之中,所以演出現(xiàn)場(chǎng)顯得非常安靜。
開姆尼茨表示,通過采用這種方式,他們得以在不影響周邊居民的情況下舉辦大型演出。新的模式也帶來了全新的聲音效果。由于無需擔(dān)心環(huán)境噪聲或相位效應(yīng)的影響,所以無論觀眾坐在哪里,都不會(huì)出現(xiàn)聲音質(zhì)量下降的問題。而且由于沒有巨型音響系統(tǒng),不會(huì)產(chǎn)生話筒回音問題,所以可以使用更靈敏的高級(jí)電容式麥克風(fēng)。
“我們可以將其布置得跟工作室一樣……所有的聲音都會(huì)非常清晰。”開姆尼茨說。
當(dāng)然,需要保持社交疏離的不僅是觀眾,在舞臺(tái)上表演的演職人員也是如此。而規(guī)模較大的樂團(tuán)要想做到這一點(diǎn)也得有點(diǎn)創(chuàng)意才行。
“我們?cè)谥苋张e辦了一場(chǎng)有合唱團(tuán)參加的福音教堂禮拜活動(dòng)?!?開姆尼茨說,“因?yàn)榕_(tái)上只允許站10個(gè)人,所以我們就把合唱團(tuán)安排在了舞臺(tái)前的車上。我們安排攝像師繞著汽車拍攝,然后再把視頻畫面投放到屏幕上。為了方便牧師、合唱團(tuán)與民眾互動(dòng),我們還用上了Zoom?!?/font>
開姆尼茨還提到,有個(gè)12歲的小朋友因?yàn)樵诩冶锞昧?,出現(xiàn)了非常嚴(yán)重的焦慮癥狀,而兒童音樂會(huì)是他在封城之后首次能在一個(gè)安全的環(huán)境中加入狂歡人群,當(dāng)時(shí)他貼著父親汽車的擋風(fēng)玻璃流出了開心的淚水。
他說:“這種活動(dòng)為全新人群帶來了全新的體驗(yàn)?!保ㄘ?cái)富中文網(wǎng))
譯者:Feb
When Denmark's government banned concerts as a lockdown measure in early March, musician and event organizer Mark Chemnitz wasn't sure what to do. So he and his friends brainstormed and came up with a new—yet decidedly old-fashioned—idea.
"We had to rethink the whole game," Chemnitz says. "None of us could go out and play any gigs for the next five or six months, maybe longer. We said to each other, just because there's COVID-19, that doesn't mean culture is dead…You can't hold it in. We did it because we had no other choice."
What they did was to repurpose the century-old concept of the drive-in theater as a modern-day, continuous culture festival, called P scenen.
With assistance from the council in the city of Aarhus, they gained permission to set up a large stage in the Tangkrogen public park. Once, such a stage might have had 10,000 people thronging before it. Now, in the age of the coronavirus, the audience would sit encased in hundreds of cars, spaced out in neat rows, with their occupants enjoying the live entertainment through their windscreens and tuned to their FM radios.
For those without vehicles of their own, Mercedes and rental giant Europcar provided new cars for people to sit in—a neat marketing opportunity for an industry that is itself in crisis.
The first concert took place on April 24, featuring the popular Danish singer-songwriter Mads Langer, who took audience requests through a Zoom videoconference. Since then, events have taken place most days, ranging from concerts, stand-up comedy and theater productions to film screenings and church services.
The idea isn't just confined to Denmark; in Germany, multiple club promoters have started holding drive-in raves. This all requires a big shift in thinking around business models. But, again, it's not like the live music industry has much choice right now.
"A dizzying drop"
According to the European Live Music Association, the sector drew in more than $8.4 billion across the continent last year. Now, says association president Vincenzo Spera, that figure will likely drop by around 80%.
"With the COVID-19 crisis, many music companies across Europe have been experiencing a dizzying drop in turnover since February, which is draining liquidity, against [necessary payments to] suppliers, employees, tax authorities and banks," he says.
Spera says the sector is being particularly "penalized" during lockdown because live entertainment is inherently social—which is what we're all being told not to be. He calls for European governments to pay more attention to the live-music industry's needs, as its complexities are "often little known."
And what of ideas such as drive-in concerts? "This is mostly a working hypothesis that certainly cannot replace the typical use of concerts," says Spera, while arguing that the suddenly-popular phenomenon of livestreamed concerts is "also an option, but it cannot be the solution."
"We are seeing many important initiatives by artists from all over the world, but it is difficult to think of replacing the emotional charge and the consequent physical and emotional experience that the live event brings," says Spera. "Then there is the complex issue linked to the economic sustainability of certain proposals."
But neither of these factors is lost on live music's new innovators.
New models
Chemnitz's Front of House company and the other P scenen organizers—audiovisual firms Steady and Nordic Rentals—have certainly had to rethink the economics of live music.
Whereas a regular festival might pull in many thousands of people, they can only get 500-600 cars onto the Tangkrogen field. But the organizers are not charging more per ticket to compensate. They charge per car rather than per person—the recommendation is that people only bring the close friends or family members in their social bubble—with the price varying according to the prominence of the artist. And the result is that it generally works out cheaper for each person to attend, not more expensive.
This is largely because of the continuous nature of the festival—an idea Chemnitz says he had been toying with for years before it was forced into reality. This drives down the capital costs of the production.
"The economic model works over time, but not as a one-off," Chemnitz says. "That is very interesting, because when we get on the other side of this, we will apply this model to other festivals. It works really well."
The festival is also structured as a type of cooperative effort, where artists, organizers and promoters all have a stake. Chemnitz argues that this ensures the participants all work harder. If artists manage to sell out their concerts, he says, they earn much the same as they would have done in former times.
Bernd Breiter, the CEO of German electronic dance music giant BigCityBeats, has a different take on the issue of making money through drive-in concerts.
BigCityBeats' World Club Dome festival was due to take place in Frankfurt in June, before the coronavirus forced its cancellation—Germany's government won't allow any big concerts until August at the earliest. It would have drawn in 180,000 clubbers over three days.
The first World Club Dome Drive-In rave, which took place in Düsseldorf on May 1, could only take in 500 cars, with up to two people in each. Meanwhile, the organizers still went all-in on creating a huge show, involving fireworks and lasers.
"This makes it harder, because we're limited to 1,000 people, and we would never expect our fans to pay €200-€400 [$217-$434] a ticket," says Breiter. "So we made a decision to charge €40 per ticket, and we brought in some sponsors to help with the extra costs. This brought down the totals. However if you host an event like this correctly, you can offer fans huge amounts of fun, raise awareness and provide a great feeling during such a strange time...We weren’t looking to make money, or develop a business model."
New experiences
The drive-in concert experience is obviously not what people are used to, but it does provide new avenues for creativity.
In the case of World Club Dome Drive-In, the DJs added elements such as car horns and flashing indicators to their performances. The crowd, sitting in their cars, synced up to the performers for a communal experience.
Aarhus's P scenen festival experience is quite different, though no less remarkable. There, quietness is the order of the day, due to the use of old-school radio transmissions right into concert-goers' cars.
According to Chemnitz, this makes it possible to put on a big show without bothering residents in nearby properties too much. It also has huge implications for sound production. There's no need to worry about the acoustics of the environment or the phasing effect that can result in people hearing a washy sound, depending on where they are sitting or standing. And because there is none of the microphone feedback that would be associated with a giant sound system, it is possible to use more sensitive, high-grade condenser microphones.
"We could make it into a studio setup… Everything is crystal clear," Chemnitz says.
Of course, it's not just the audience that needs to adhere to social distancing—the same applies to the performers on the stage. For larger ensembles, that requires an extra layer of creativity.
"On Sunday we had a gospel church service with a choir," Chemnitz says. "We can only have 10 people on stage, so we put the choir in cars in front of the stage. We had the camera people going around the cars, filming them and showing them onscreen. And for the preacher and the choir to interact with people, we had the Zoom app."
Chemnitz says that, during a children's concert, one 12-year-old boy was pressed up against the windscreen of his father's car, crying happy tears—he suffered from intense anxiety and was for the first time able to be part of a festival crowd, while in a safe space.
"It's opened up the experience to a whole new segment of people," he says.