During the lockdown period in many countries and states, music venues, theatres, comedy clubs, and bars were closed, and many have not reopened. Punters have been correctly warned that packing into crowded indoor venues, often poorly ventilated and unlit, and being showered with droplets by a singer or comedian, may not be the most sensible activity in a pandemic.

However, all over the world, life without culture and entertainment is steadily becoming unbearable. What’s more, online alternatives are often cheaply produced, low quality, and unengaging. The novelty of such performances wore off in days.

That’s where OnGenre comes in. OnGenre offers a platform for artists and venues to host online livestreams of their events, complete with guidance on how to maximise the quality of the broadcast.

Since many audience members – and performers – may feel reticent to return to venues for live performances of music, comedy, and theatre for some time, high quality livestreams could constitute a viable revenue stream for artists and venues alike while the world recovers from the ongoing pandemic.

In the short term, the effect of the pandemic on the cultural sector is likely to disproportionately hurt the smallest venues and performers, who are struggling the most, while streaming events online stand to benefit anyone willing to seize the opportunities of the internet.

In the long term though, venues and performers can unshackle themselves from the artificial constraints of physical capacities and reaching a larger audience, by embracing the hybrid model.

A hybrid event is one that can be hosted physically, and simultaneously streamed via the internet to a broader audience, potentially boosting audience sizes and profits even after the venues are full once more.

For venues and artists who don’t struggle to fill a room, this will expand the reach of their events, while preserving the experience of going out to a cultural event, enjoying the company of friends, and being in the presence of their favourite performers.

Even for amateur artists though, the chance to host a paid livestream online creates the opportunity to reach a potentially limitless audience via the internet, without having to worry about minimum audience sizes, door payments, or promotion fees.

For the venues and performers who can adapt, the blow dealt to the arts by the events of this year can be made into an opportunity for growth, as the internet comes of age and into its own.

For more information about what OnGenre can do for you, go the Becoming A Broadcaster page of our website, or have a discussion with our team on how your venue can become ready for broadcasting high-quality livestreamed events.