R&B singer Erykah Badu is looking into the future. The veteran crooner has shared her interest and intent to move forward with pursuing paid online concerts for musicians to connect with fans.
Pay To Play
This week, Badu dished on her recent successful string of quarantine performances she put on. In addition to putting respect on her own name, Erykah Badu also acknowledged how her creation could encourage peers to come up with their own paid, online concerts.
“Here we are, proof of concept,” she said. “It can be done and it can be done by an artist, who can erase the invisible lines between myself and fans, or in this case, the user. Instead of going through streaming services, who handle the payments from customers and pay me, the artist, 30 cents or 10 cents, I could directly do business with the people I am serving. It’s a magnificent feeling. … I learned that I don’t mind taking the weight or the loss, because if it encourages other artists to use this new platform to sustain themselves and their ecostystem, then it’s worth it. My mom said, ‘If you don’t know what you’re doing, it’s because it has not been done.” (Forbes)
Badu Lives Up To The Price
In early April 2020, Badu put on a must-see performance. She recently shared a highlight clip from her “Apocalypse 2: The Experimental Room” concert.
“4/5 APOCALYPSE 2 : THE EXPERIMENTAL ROOM / window seat : Featuring Badu and her electronic band THE CANNABINOIDS (( @robfree @picnictyme @dja1 @djbigtexas ))ON HER OWN PLATFORM BADUWORLDMARKET. . . Live from BADUBOTRON From THE QUARINTINE CONCERT SERIES . YOU witnessed an interactive Livestream experience that allowed the user to choose which room / world each song was performed inside of . The three rooms the user chose between were BEDROOM , BASA NOVA , and EXPERIMENTAL.” -Erkyah Badu’s Instagram
Wait, There’s More
At the start of her online series, the asking price has increased by $1 each month. The concert launch started in March and is scheduled to continue this weekend.
Launched late last month, what makes Badu’s series unusual in a business sense is she’s essentially built her own livestream company, charging viewers a minimal $1-$3 fee, rather than using Instagram Live or YouTube or other conventional avenues. Within ten days after her tour was postponed, she’d hired a “back-end” livestream company and a paywall service; figured out how to broadcast from her home; gathered musicians, engineers and technicians, and beamed out to the world. The series began with a three-hour concert dubbed “Apocalypse One” on March 23, continued with a special show commemorating the tenth anniversary of her “New Amerykah Part II” album on April 5, and will air a third on Sunday. She charged $1 for the first, $2 for the second and will charge $3 for the third. (Variety)
Before You Go
Badu’s next concert will broadcast Sunday night. Erykah is relying on a website for people to pay and view the concert.
“APOCALYPSE 3 . This Sunday 4/19 at 6pm CST – 7pm EST – 4pm WEST COAST – 12 midnight London ONLY ON BADUWORLDMARKET.com Come FW us.” -Erykah Badu’s Instagram