It’s live, Jim, but not as we know it.
Why the comedy industry needs to seriously think about streaming
It’s been eight weeks since I did my last proper stage gig. It was a milestone night because it was my 100th show and also marked a whole year of doing comedy. The room was absolutely packed as I picked through to take to the stage at the amazing, bonkers Alternative Comedy Memorial Society on 10th March, jostling with hosts Thom Tuck and John Luke Roberts. Jokes were made that this might be the last audience we’d see for a while, but made in the same breath as how much everyone was looking forward to Fringe, as no virus could possibly derail that monolith.
We all know what happened next.
Melbourne Comedy Festival being cancelled days before it was due to kick off signalled the start of a complete collapse in live entertainment, initially because people were scared to go and eventually because they weren’t allowed. As beloved, established institutions like Angel Comedy plead for help to keep going, the big question is just how long will it take for things to get back to normal… will they ever?
To try to understand the scale of it, I commissioned a national survey of 2000 people via Censuswide last week and the findings were stark. Just 13% of people expect to be ready to go out and experience live entertainment in the next 1-2 Months, with over half (51%) thinking it will be over 5 months and a cautious 16% going as far as saying it will be a year. The will to risk it decreases exponentially with age, with over 65s the most pessimistic about when they’ll be ready to return, in contrast to the 46% of under 25s expecting to be ready in 1 - 2 months.
In terms of the environment would-be audiences would want in order to feel comfortable post covid-19, there is a lot to think about in terms of potentially adapting venues and a lot of our beloved, intimate spaces will no doubt struggle to accommodate this from a logistics and financial point of view. The data showed over a third, 34%, would like to see social distancing in venues, 16% will be staying local for the immediate future and 19% will avoid small venues altogether.
But the skirmish to create in captivity has sparked one potential positive when it comes to future-proofing the industry for a more modern audience.
It has undoubtedly pushed stage performers to look at what they can offer online, leading to a wealth of new, interesting, entertainment concepts appearing and the genesis of fully online comedy shows - from pro nights in established venues like The Stand, to open mics, with the best experiences and solutions being workshopped and identified rapidly by absolute necessity. Not only does this keep comics in touch with their established fans it also opens the door to thousands of new ones - London, typically an epicentre for everything from new talents to legends, can be accessible to a global audience, with mobility no object, via the magic of technology. And it’s not just a more diverse audience, it also opens the book on more diversity and variety on the bill, with travel not necessary. You only had to look at the tour de force of global talent at Mark Watson’s recent ‘Watsonathon’ involving over 100 acts dialling in from every corner of the world, to an audience of thousands to appreciate the potential of this in the right hands. And with more eyes, comes the opportunity for more income, providing a showcase for shows already on sale, podcasts, audiobooks and subscription only content using tools like Patreon.
19% of people say they are enjoying experiencing the extra streamed content they are getting from their favourite artists at the moment, rising to 24% of under 25s, with generations coming up much more comfortable with seeing their entertainment via a small screen, and engaging with it in a more interactive way.
That said, there is a lot of work to do in educating people on the value of the entertainment they are seeing, as 25% expect all streamed content to be free of charge. With online audiences conditioned for ‘free’ high quality content (heavily subsidised behind closed doors through affiliate deals and brand partnerships), the move to a paid model is likely to be a bumpy one. As we’ve seen in the last few weeks, some of the biggest profit making successes in streamed comedy have come from charity ventures, where viewers understand clearly why they are parting with their cash in a way you would never have to justify for a play or a concert.
One thing that was heartening to see was that the younger you are, the more prepared you are to pay for someone’s work; according to the stats, the digital native under- 35s are the most likely to be happy to stump up versus the average (20% versus 11%) although that number is still woefully low. Similarly, whilst people might still be nervous about venturing out, there is a will to support their favourite artists; whether or not they’re planning to go, 15% say they will buy tickets for their favourite performer as soon as they can to support them, rising to 22% of those under 35.
A keen 15% want to see more streamed content from their favourite artists, again higher in under 35s where it rises to 20%. Less good news, 11% say they are not interested at all as they prefer the live experience, although time will tell if this is a position that will change, with Netflix ‘completed’ and long summer evenings potentially stretching out without plans.
For those doing it well, there is a unique intimacy to the experience you won’t necessarily get at the average comedy show, and it is proving really popular with those who love the art of comedy. Always Be Comedy are amongst those offering the opportunity to be in the digital ‘front row’ and an active part of the show, or you can easily just skulk around off camera with no risk of ever being picked on - a primary reason for some avoiding stand up altogether. You can also chance an open mic without the fear of becoming a hostage to a bad night; don’t like it? Shut your laptop. Want another drink? Whack up the volume and listen while you head to the fridge.
And for anyone worrying about how their experimental content is being received, the good news is overall there is no issue on quality, just 8% think the output of entertainers in lockdown feels amateur.
There is a lot to do, and the industry we left is undoubtedly not going to be the one we’re going back to, meaning the only option is to go forward. As a marketer in my day job, the one potential thing I can see that can be taken away in what has undoubtedly been an unprecedented devastation of an industry I love, is that there is huge opportunity in online for reaching new people and finding new ways to make things work financially while we wait and hope for the live scene to rise again. There is no substitute for a live experience, but that doesn’t mean other methods can’t hold value and there is potential to open up the comedy world to those who wouldn’t normally have access it.
Survey conducted of 2000 nationally representative respondents by Censuswide 4th May - and commissioned for Vix Leyton