Audio Collaborative 2018: Live Sound, Pro Audio, Artists, and the Audio Industry

For the fifth consecutive year, market research firm Futuresource Consulting promoted its Audio Collaborative conference, a highly successful event dedicated to the latest audio trends. This year, Audio Collaborative 2018 was an all-day event, held in London, UK, on November 8, 2018. In this article I look at another two of the sessions, the panels discussing live and touring trends, and how the pro audio industry can leverage opportunities in the consumer space; and try to summarize some key content, and maybe add some context and perspective.

The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) published its annual Year-End Sales & Shipments report for 2015 and the results show that digital music subscription services reached new all-time highs, generating more than $1 billion in revenues for the first time, and averaging nearly 11 million paid subscriptions for the year. Revenues from vinyl albums also increased and represented a record $416 million.

The Berklee Institute for Creative Entrepreneurship issued a report on fairness and transparency in the music industry, highlighting the evolution of music in the digital age. The study explores the underlying challenges within the current compensation structure while proposing solutions to improve licensing, revenue transparency and cash flow for musicians.