During the pandemic, livestream concerts and events served as a way for bands and performing artists to reach fans and replicate their touring life as best as they could. Sometimes they’d include a “merch table” aspect, so to speak, where people who tuned into the performance could buy exclusive merchandise just like they would at a concert.
Now that in-person shows are returning, there’s the question over whether livestreams will continue. Like remote working, a lot of people realized that they kind of like the livestream option. Who doesn’t want to watch their favorite bands from the comfort of home, especially if going to concerts involves driving to a different city?
So, content platforms like LiveXLive are starting to pop up, capitalizing on the existing demand for livestream. LiveXLive is including the merchandise option, partnering with Merchbar.
You might recognize Merchbar as the company that partnered with Spotify and YouTube as they implement e-commerce platforms within their sites or apps.
According to Music Business Worldwide, LiveXLive’s partnership with Merchbar will include items like apparel, vinyl records, posters, accessories and more for artists on the platform.
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“With live music coming back strong and streaming continuing to be a part of festivals/concerts and events, our new partnership with MerchBar expands LiveXLive’s offering as a one-stop platform to buy merchandise and further support our artists,” Robert Ellin from LiveXLive told Music Business Worldwide. “Our overall flywheel experience—listen, watch, attend, engage and transact—provides subscribers and free users an even more in-depth real and shopping experience through Merchbar.”
Apparel providers turned to e-commerce when performing artists had to cancel their tours, as they had to find ways to raise money that they’d ordinarily make through live shows. Moves like this show that e-commerce is still viable within the performing arts vertical in addition to the traditional in-person sale option.
It also implies that preferences toward live events have shifted enough that virtual or hybrid platforms are still in demand. Even once the majority of events are in person and attendees start feeling fully comfortable traveling, it will no longer be out of the ordinary for events to have some sort of virtual option for people to view from home.
