App Idea / Public Thought Experiment

I would love to have the app, but I want to be able to control all channels.  I went to the Trans Siberian Orchestra show for their opening in Council Bluffs, and was also disappointed in the mix.  Don't get me wrong, I love a loud screaming rock and roll guitar, but I also want to hear the bass line and the violins and the cello and the keyboard.  It was not a "muddy" mix, just way too much guitar and not enough of the entire group.

I would expect that this is already being worked on.  I quit reading the Front Of House (FOH) trade magazine, but I am sure what you saw is something I read about over a year ago.  It may not have been FOH that I read it in though. 

What I hear and listen for is different than many other people that go to concerts hear.  I listen for the good mix, as I have been playing music for a long time.  Each mix engineer is different in what they hear and what they like to hear.  As an example the sound of a kick drum is something that I listen to and different members of our rock band had different ideas.  It may also depend upon the band and what they want to hear.

Great idea!!!!

If WiFi server lag would be the major issue.  Trying to sync with the live performance would be a nightmare.

If radio, most smartphones don't have a FM receiver.

/DebbieDowner

Good idea, but the execution would make it a non-starter IMO.

I am a music snob as well. Grew up playing music, been in many live bands and I like a certain mix like you. However, I don't go to concerts. I have found the sound to suck at most concerts and I am the guy standing there with his hands in his pockets just listening. I can do that at home with my awesome stereo, I don't get into the "being there" aspect.

I would guess that a lot of music snobs are like me, not huge concert goers. 

You would have to take an iPod/pad/tablet to the concert with you which might not be a challenge. But the main problem in my eyes is the headphones issue. How many people have high end top notch headphones? I have two very nice sound systems in my house but the best headphones I have are Bose in-ear headphones. Work well but they definitely don't drown out all of the background noise, and the sound is good but not amazing. 

Essentially I am not going to pay $60-100 to get into a concert so I can listen to it with my in-ear headphones. I can do that at home for free.

I seriously doubt that many die-hard concert goers have high end noise cancelling headphones. 

I have been to DMB at the gorge but the best concert I ever went to was a Cake concert with less than 1,000 people at it. I was with friends and we had a great time hanging out on the grass, singing along, etc. Wouldn't have had as much fun standing there with an iPad and headphones. Doubt that many concert goers are going to be interested in being in their own zone. 

So I think your audience is less than 5% of concert goers at best, not enough to get bands to go along with it and not enough to make any money at it IMO. 

I did a project a long time ago for a company that wanted to stream live DJ'd shows end-to-end, preserving everything that was mixed.  As the DJ worked the show, he could add the track names to the stream.  And the second part of it was they were also recording / encoding mp3s and the individual songs were made available to download on-the-fly.

I could see something similar working well for concerts.  Maybe not the wi-fi part but consider basically making the entire show available on a web service as it happens.  Then there could be an app to grab it.  Listen to your favorites on the drive home.  Think of it as an instant, high quality bootleg.  At the right price point, people would pay just because it's easier than the alternatives.

Possibly, yes.

Yes!

Wifi lag problem is potentially solved.

Radio: the livesportsradio platform could be viable, although it probably wouldn't allow for custom mixes etc.  It could be branded to artists or even venues though. 

Outside listeners: I don't believe it's lost revenue to the artist.  People go to concerts for the visual as much as the audible experience. What sale is being prevented by those not in attendance being able to hear the performance? No one pays for bootlegs. If a show is sold out, it gives fans who aren't able to attend or who can't afford a $100 ticket a chance to be a part of it. AND there's the revenue stream from the app/radio hardware/whatever. Traditional revenue streams in the music industry are already interrupted. Anything that enhances the fan experience is an opportunity to create new revenue streams as well as create new fans who can access the already existing revenue streams.

No idea at this point. That would be determined by the hardware platform: radio vs. wifi.

The lag problem solution is a long way down the road...

As for livesportsradio (or I heart radio etc..) solution it still has lag.

When listening and attending a live concert ANY lag (even fractions of a second) are going to be noticeable.  Just like when the audio unsyncs from the video on a satellite channel.  It may only be fractions of a second off but it's noticeable.