Dave Kusek states in his new book, The Future of Music, that since live performances and t-shirts cannot be digitized at least at the moment, the experience of being at a live event is going to have to get more appealing for bands to survive in the coming years.

This is likley true, although I think the concept of live shows being digitized is very close to being a reality, and that the immediate future may be about live shows being transmitted to people’s living rooms. To take advantage of this, bands will need to start investing in quality digital cameras, and perhaps plan to have these feeds go live directly to their website. One other easier option is to not have them live but to have them available for viewing just after the show.

Having a streaming show may not replicate the indescribable feeling of everyone experiencing the music simultaneously and in person, but there is value in this nevertheless. With large HD TVs now ubiquitous, quality surround sounds systems inexpensive, and download speeds getting faster by the day, the ability to transmit live shows with an “almost” live feel is just about here for any band, large or small. I see no reason why a show at a back woods bar couldn’t be seen by some yuppie and his friends in his San Francisco downtown loft at the same time it is being played in the back woods bar.

This could allow musicians to get more revenue (or exposure) out of their live shows.