Musicians Are In My Living Room: The Future of Live Music

By Henna J. Shah

Picture this: It’s a Friday night. You had a long and stressful day at work. Your phone keeps buzzing because you were put into a group message for a happy hour / pregame before spending yet another night out in a bar or club with your friends to de-stress from a long work week.

Sounds delightful, doesn’t it?

Well, what if I told you that hundreds of people around the world opted to spend their Friday and Saturday nights last week at home with their favorite musicians in their living room? Do the names Dazzle Camouflage, Ashe, Suki Waterhouse, Khalid, Halsey, Paul Russell, Nessa Barrett, Chelsea Cutler, Jeremy Zucker, AJR, and Benson Boone sound familiar?

Image Credit: Henna J. Shah

Benson Boone at the 2025 Sips & Sounds Music Festival in Austin, Texas

From March 7-8, 2025, the Sips & Sounds Music Festival was held in Austin, Texas. The Sips & Sounds Music Festival is a two-day music festival hosted by Coca-Cola that features today’s hottest artists. This year, the festival consisted of seventeen epic performances across two stages. And, unlike years past, the festival had an online livestream option for people who could not come to Austin, Texas in-person to enjoy the performances for FREE.

That’s right. You could attend the Sips & Sounds Music Festival this year for free from your own living room.

You might be thinking, “surely, there is a catch.” I, too, had the same thought. But the only “admission cost” was that you subscribe to the Sips and Sounds YouTube page to view the livestream.

It really was that easy. I logged into my YouTube account, which is free; clicked the “subscribe” button on the Sips and Sounds page; and moments later, I had an up-close concert viewing experience of some of my favorite artists. The whole process was seamless and easy to do, and the biggest benefit was that I was able to see live music performances without ever leaving my living room or paying a cent.

This begs the question: Are virtual concerts the future of live music?

The Sips & Sounds Music Festival is not the first music festival to livestream performances. Other music festivals such as Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival, Glastonbury Festival, Lollapalooza, the Governor’s Ball Music Festival, Austin City Limits, iHeartCountry Festival, and iHeartRadio Festival have been livestreamed in the past either for free or for a fee, depending on the host platform. Likewise, some artists have also opted to hold live virtual concerts. For example, AJR has put on several virtual concerts—three during the COVID-19 pandemic and one this past year—to connect with fans around the world. In their live virtual concerts, fans were able to communicate with each other and the band through a chat function, livestream the concert, and enjoy the show from the comfort of their home. As well, some artists have chosen to film their concert and show it in a movie format. The earliest known concert film, called “Concert Magic,” featured violinist, Yehudi Menuhin, at Charlie Chaplain Studios in 1947.  More recently, Taylor Swift and Beyoncé released concert films that showcased The Eras Tour and the Renaissance Tour, respectively.

 Image Credit: Henna J. Shah

AJR at the 2025 Sips & Sounds Music Festival in Austin, Texas

Although you do not get the experience of standing in a crowd shouting the lyrics to your favorite song, partaking in music festival or concert food, dressing up, or dancing with other fans, virtual music festivals and concerts have increasingly become part of the future of live music.

There are benefits and challenges that come with virtual live performances. For the audience, virtual live performances provide increased accessibility, immersive experiences, and personalized and interactive opportunities. Virtual concerts can be accessed from anywhere in the world, which makes live music experiences accessible to a global audience. As well, virtual reality and augmented reality can be employed to create realistic and immersive music experiences, allowing the audience to feel as if they are part of the live event. Additionally, virtual concerts often provide a more personal and interactive experience than traditional live events. Many artists host live Question & Answer sessions, take song requests, and share sneak peeks of upcoming projects.

For the artist, virtual concerts provide a wider reach, new monetization opportunities, and reduced costs. Specifically, virtual performances allow artists to connect with a larger audience than traditional venues can accommodate; offer new ways for artists to monetize their performances, like through ticket sales, merchandise, and virtual interactions; and are overall more cost-effective than traditional touring as the need for travel and venue costs are eliminated.

There are also challenges that come with virtual concerts and performances. For example, virtual concerts can be subject to technical issues, such as lag, connectivity problems, and visual glitches. As well, there is a lack of human interaction in virtual concerts and performances. Some people may find virtual concerts to be less engaging than traditional live events due to the lack of physical interaction and social atmosphere. Furthermore, digital fatigue may result from attending a virtual concert of performance. Overexposure to digital experiences can lead to digital fatigue, which, in turn, could negatively impact the appeal of virtual concerts.

Are virtual concerts the future of live music?

Maybe. As technology continues to advance, virtual concerts are likely to become more important and common in the music industry. But, one thing is for sure, spending the night with a few of your favorite artists in your living room provides for a unique and fun experience different from your usual Friday happy hour plans.

Henna J. Shah is the founder of Delightfully Chaotic and is an avid concert goer, musician, and a concert photographer. Outside of the music world, she is a practicing attorney whose legal practice and scholarship focus on public international law, specifically international human rights law, international criminal law, international humanitarian law, and international transportation law.