Adelaide entrepreneur launches virtual gig platform, will pay independent artists 500x more than Spotify

Adelaide radio entrepreneur Joe Mac will launch his new virtual gig steaming platform this Friday, intending to shake up how people interact with live music and generate a new revenue stream for independent musicians.

Netgigs is a platform which enables artists to sell virtual gig tickets from $10 – $20, which will allow fans who cannot physically attend gigs to stream live video footage.

The platform works on a pay-per-view basis and all gigs are streamed via the Netgigs website. Each show has a 3-4 minute trailer, and there are two options for viewing: renting the show for 48 hours will allows unlimited views, or purchase the show for a slightly higher fee.

The first show will be streamed this Friday during a six-hour showcase of local musicians at Fowler’s Live, with performances from South Australian artists Imogen Brave, Audio Reign, Jack Buchanan, Paula Standing, Damon Sparkes and Nuseum.

According to Mac, 90% of revenue generated from virtual ticket sales will go directly to artists and music licensing fees. He said that the platform will benefit independent and lesser-known musicians, paying artists on average 500x more than Spotify.

“Because of Spotify, recorded music is now not a revenue earner because Spotify pays an average of 0.006 cents per play, which is pretty dire,” Mac told INDaily.

“Given there’s no way to make money from recorded music and given that touring is so expensive, this is where the Netgigs concept came from, in giving musicians another revenue stream from a single live performance reaching an unlimited number of paying people around the world.”

Netgigs already has an international partner in a major live music venue in Dublin, and has also set up companies in the US and Ireland.

They’re in the process of launching a Hong Kong-based arm and negotiating a partnership with a Korean production company which will enable them to comply with varying international streaming regulations.

It is run by a team of five part-time employees and is financed through self-funding and investment from family and friends.

“If we can launch Netgigs internationally on three continents with a team of five people working over a couple of months working out of hours, imagine what we could do working full-time on this,” he enthused.

Mac, an IT professional, built the website himself in order to enable live streaming without reducing video quality.

“There is nobody in the world – not just in Australia but around the world – doing this properly because the only footage of live concerts that we see is really somebody holding up a dodgy iPhone and it’s shaky and going live to Facebook, which is terrible quality,” Mac said.

“This will drastically change how people experience the atmosphere and sound of live music from home.”

The platform will enable punters from overseas and interstate to access shows they’re unable to physically attend. The platform will also benefit those living with disabilities that prevent them from attending live gigs, and those who missed out on tickets to sold-out shows.

“Obviously it’s not the full experience of actually attending the live show, but we watched these shows on a large screen TV with the volume turned up and it is a fantastic experience, it’s nearly as good as being there,” said Mac.

“This is just the beginning for what will definitely be a global player in the music industry.”