Bandsintown Announces New Concert Livestream Subscription Service, Bandsintown PLUS

2020 was a brutal year for lovers of live music, and though 2021 brings high hopes in the form of the initial distribution of various COVID-19 vaccines, conventional concerts are still too dangerous to make any sense at this point. Enter concert recommendation platform Bandsintown, who are launching Bandsintown PLUS, a new livestreaming subscription service that offers “an ‘All Access Pass’ to more than 25 exclusive live shows every month.”

In January and February, that includes performances by Phoebe Bridgers, Jeff Tweedy of Wilco (who’ll deliver both a full-band performance and a fan Q&A), Flying Lotus, Fleet Foxes, Big Thief’s Adrianne Lenker (making her solo livestream debut), Chromeo, Soccer Mommy, Toro y Moi, Waxahatchee, Rodrigo y Gabriela and more. Subscribers fork over $9.99 per month for a figurative front-row seat to those shows, plus “intimate chats with artists and access to sought-after concerts on other platforms,” with the option to test the service out first on a seven-day free trial basis.

“For the past year, we’ve been hungry for live shows and for a chance to support the artists we love. Bandsintown PLUS is an opportunity to break the barriers of cost and location that have historically hindered live music experiences. Now, with Bandsintown PLUS, live music can be more affordable, more accessible and more approachable,” says Fabrice Sergent, Managing Partner of Bandsintown, in a statement. “Touring artists have been economically ravaged by Covid-19’s restrictions. Bandsintown PLUS is a chance to help innovate the industry, creating new sources of revenue for artists, while deepening connections with their fans.”

It’s unclear how exactly artists are compensated through the service, though the announcement claims that Bandsintown PLUS “democratizes and revolutionizes the live music experience, directly supporting artists in the process.” It’s difficult to see how $10 per month—divided between more than two dozen artists, and minus whatever cut the platform itself is presumably taking—adds up to much support. It would appear this arrangement is better than nothing for artists stymied by the pandemic, but not by a whole lot. [Paste has reached out to Bandsintown for more information and will update this post with any we receive.]

Check out the service’s initial slate of performers below (“with more to be announced”), plus Bridgers’ 2017 Paste Studio session further down. You can find out more about Bandsintown PLUS here.