How Periscope Will Revolutionize the Music Industry

Everyone is buzzing about Periscope, the new live-streaming app for Twitter.

As with any new platform, the start is a little bit bumpy. People are live-streaming themselves walking through the mall and eating their lunch. People want to try it out, but they really don’t have anything that interesting to share.

But musicians do…and so do the people who travel with them.

In my former life, I worked in the music industry and travelled regularly with bands. I got to experience things that, although normal for me, were not typical experiences for most people.

Things like watching Michelle Branch perform in the lobby of a St. Louis hotel because the people who worked there didn’t believe me when I told them that she was going to be famous one day.

Or being backstage at a KISS show and discovering a paper cup filled with “blood” that was used during the show.

Private performances and radio stations or acoustic shows held outside of a record store in downtown Chicago. Playing video games on the bus or a break at a truck stop. This is great stuff for fans to see.

When I would do marketing for an artist, the best prize that you could ever give away was something that couldn’t be bought. Backstage passes, an appearance on a movie set or meeting a celebrity. Experiences are the best prizes.

Twitter has provided a way for fans to potentially communicate with celebrities they love. Getting a reply on twitter from a celebrity can make someone’s day (or year…or life). Now, fans can watch a live stream of their favorite celebrities doing everyday things…in real time…and they can comment and potentially have the celebrity respond back.

AMAZING!

Personal connections can make or break any brand, but in a time when we like to kick the famous when they’re down, developing those strong connections can mean the difference between attacking a celebrity and defending them.

I’m not part of the music industry world anymore, but I hope (and believe) that there will be innovators like Lady GaGa who will rapidly blur the lines between celebrity and fan.

Photo by Manuel Sardo on Unsplash