The ability to get back to normal in consuming live entertainment is unlikely at the moment. But when we do start to return to some sense of normality, the backdrop and ways in which audiences expect to consume content will be quite different. Audiences have always been segmented into age groups and tastes. But this will move more into those who are motivated to attend live events and those who want to guarantee having a premium experience.

Live music will always be the world’s biggest passion point. It transcends other sectors, including sport, and whatever happens across the coming months, people’s passion will remain. The challenge we now face as a sector is what can be provided by brands, artists, platforms and event companies that is both safe and has that ‘wow’ factor.

In the first few weeks of lockdown, we saw a lot of low-production content, with brands and artists reacting to a specific set of needs. We’ve seen a lot of companies working hard to find ways to reinvent and innovate at this time, whether that is drive-in cinema, socially distanced gigs, etc. This was great to see but was only going to be relevant in the short term. When the experience being delivered is still below the experience level people are used to, that proposition isn’t going to be relevant in the long term.

Instead, we now need to look at what else can be done, delivering a premium experience as opposed to just delivering an experience.

So, with production values now being prioritised again, driven by brands and rights holders, and artists wanting the best representation of their material again, how can the industry achieve this when times are still so uncertain?

Understand what brands actually want

Firstly, we need to ask an important question: what do brands want? Well we know they are re-examining partnerships in terms of investment levels and return on that investment. This really points to a desire for security, investments that bring in return despite setbacks associated with COVID-19. Lessons have certainly been learnt and brands now know they want and need something different to keep them safe, different rights, different contractual stipulations and real value.

Content is also going to be even more important than before and, in theory, should be much easier to maintain as it can be made in a much safer manner than live events and production. Brands will be looking at ways to do this that are relevant to them. When the crisis emerged, brands all over the world were on the back foot. But now that we are becoming accustomed to new ways of working, there is no excuse to not be prepared in the event of a second wave.

Brands should be experienced, not consumed

Brands also need to think far more deeply about engagement and the opportunities to tie wider objectives together. Put simply, it’s no longer about the biggest reach or most impressive celebrity endorsement: it’s about what they are doing that can be seen as beneficial and the deep resonance this can have for consumers. That’s why we are having really interesting conversations with brands that can provide content that can be experienced rather than simply consumed, at a time where people are craving something more satisfying than ever. Perhaps here is an opportunity for VR to finally find a home, delivering a cost-effective but compelling enough experience for people to jump into a new world with no restrictions, safety concerns and pure immersive entertainment.

Be open to innovative conversations about brand activations

In some ways, it’s actually quite an interesting time. In the past decade, live music has not seen huge innovation. Brand partnerships haven’t changed much, and events often look and feel similar irrespective of genre or location. There is now a bigger challenge for brands to be creative and find different ways to engage. Instead of a traditional asset base with partnership opportunities to pick from based on rate cards, we’ve found they are open to having much more meaningful conversations around sponsorship.

We are asking brands ‘what are your objectives? What are you trying to achieve?’ And we can then come up with something that helps meet that rather than simply enabling them to occupy a category partnership at a specific event. We can work with brands to provide much more meaning, delivering music and entertainment content that is relevant for many types of audiences and woven into a brand story. It has enabled us to have different conversations with a whole host of companies that don’t usually work within the live entertainment space.

Build-in purpose and know what’s important to consumers

We can also help them react to the new levels of expectation that consumers are placing on them. Consumers expect brands to have a bigger purpose, to be engaged in the individual needs of consumers and understand what is important to them on a social basis. Brands must be clear on this message and find ways to communicate and amplify it. If they are not able to do this, they will continue to struggle in what could be turbulent months ahead. If they look to engage in new ways of connecting with audiences then it could be the start of something quite exciting.