Given how hot it is in many parts of the U.S. this week, the idea of an outdoor concert doesn’t sound very pleasant. At least now there is the option to just pretend you’re at one using YouTube.
In partnership with a few major tech players, namely AMD and Dell, YouTube is adding a few more outdoor music festivals to its list of streaming events: Lollapalooza in Chicago this Aug. 5-7 and Austin City Limits in, well, Austin, from Sept. 16-18. Both shows are produced by C3 Presents.
For YouTube, the deal represents growth toward an increasingly robust digital festival-going experience. Streaming festivals is appealing to the site because sponsors like having their names attached to the well-known events, and users typically stay longer than they might for three-minute videos. Viewing length can average nearly an hour.
“This allows us to showcase multiple artists each day, which is really exciting to users,” says Dana Vetter, YouTube’s music marketing programs manager. “And we can hope to expect longer viewing times from people who catch one set and trickle into the next one.”
AMD and Dell will be responsible for powering the live feeds, and of course, there will be some social media integration with Facebook and Twitter. (When will Google+ jump in on that action?)
YouTube will also be posting plenty of other goodies for music fans, including behind-the-scenes footage, teaser clips, video messages from the artists and new content from select bands.
YouTube has previously streamed other a few other major concerts, including Coachella in Southern California and Outside Lands in San Francisco. However, these events mark the first time a music
festival will be streamed live with the new YouTube Masthead, set to debut with Lollapalooza, which will certainly please advertisers.
Related:
I'm with you on this!
