It’s interesting to pause and reflect on how much the live entertainment industry has evolved over the past half-century.
From the trailblazers who originally developed modern concert touring to the folks who are actively pushing the limits of what is possible today, we live in a time of rapid technological advancement.
It can often feel overwhelming trying to keep up with everything and figure out which direction things are going to head.
Below, we take a look at some emergent technologies and how we envision them impacting the future of touring.
- Artificial Intelligence
- Augmented Reality
- Autonomous Vehicles
- Biometrics
- Digital Twins
- Smart Glasses, Contacts, Wearables
- Staying Connected
Artificial Intelligence
2023 has very much been the year of artificial intelligence hitting the mainstream.
Spoiler alert: Artificial intelligence won’t replace a good tour manager any time soon.
However, there is a strong case to be made for learning about AI tools and adding them to a tour manager’s workflow.
From reducing time spent on redundant tasks, dynamically updating changes in scheduling, assisting the touring team with organization, and helping to reclaim a tour manager’s most precious resource of all – time.
Imagine if using AI could help to give back even just one hour of a day while on a tour.
That’s time that could be spent on something else – working out, calling a loved one, or even just catching up on sleep.
We are big proponents of exploring and creating systems that can help tour managers experience a better work-life balance.
Artificial Intelligence and Tour Advancing
Advancing a show or tour as we currently understand it will soon become a thing of the past.
Just as tour managers no longer advance shows via payphone or lug around binders full of printed MapQuest directions, the days of sending out advancing template emails and forms are numbered.
Soon, tour managers and venue production managers will employ autonomous agents to assist with the time-consuming and detail-oriented task of advancing.
What is an Autonomous Agent?
Autonomous agents are powerful AI assistants.
When given an objective, agents are able to create tasks for themselves, complete tasks, and create new tasks.
They can then reprioritize their task list, complete the new top task, and loop until their objective is reached.
Oftentimes, tour managers and venue production managers have limited bandwidth simply because they have too much on their plate.
They are drowning in advances and items needing attention.
More and more tasks keep piling on, so they can’t catch up.
This delays the timely delivery of information, causing headaches across the organization where there shouldn’t be any.
Using an autonomous agent could help to alleviate this pain point by parsing data out of venue tech packs, applying it to tour advancing templates, and optimizing data delivery.
What once took weeks could potentially be completed in a few minutes.
Venues could train autonomous agents on their venue tech packs and create chatbots to help answer common questions that are asked by every tour coming through town.
Imagine sending out an advancing template and having the majority of common advancing questions instantly answered.
This is very much within the realm of possibility.
Other Use Cases of Artificial Intelligence in Tour Management
Contrary to the myth of road life being a glamorous affair, more often than not, a tour manager is up to their neck in multiple forms of paperwork at any given time.
We already mentioned tour advancing, but AI can help in many other ways.
As the size of your touring organization grows, so does the amount of time it takes to efficiently process documents due to the amount of data entry.
Imagine being able to instantly and accurately apply data from a touring personnel file to any number of touring forms.
Or imagine when there is a piece of timing information that changes, and it impacts multiple departments.
What if you could simply approve the timing change, schedules dynamically update themselves, and any messages that need to be sent due to the change are automatically generated for your approval to be sent out.
Think of using AI as a supplemental tool rather than a replacement for existing systems.
From making data entry more efficient, helping to generate hospitality riders, and building transportation manifests, we are only at the beginning of what is possible with the future of touring.
Creating a Hospitality Rider with AI
Creating a hospitality rider with artificial intelligence is something that you can do right now.
One idea is to take a disorganized shop list and reorder it so that it is shoppable by the different grocery store departments.
This can help to streamline the amount of time it takes a production runner to complete a shop.
You can also use it to create a sample catering menu based on everyone’s dietary restrictions.
Here is a sample prompt you can customize and use to help create a catering menu.
“Create a catering menu for a touring party of 15 people, including 5 vegetarians, 2 vegans, and 1 person with a gluten allergy. Ensure the rider includes breakfast, lunch, dinner, and after-show meals, accommodating all dietary restrictions and providing a variety of nutritious options.”
This can offer a great starting point and shine a light on ideas you hadn’t thought of for touring hospitality previously.
It’s also a great way to add variety to a catering menu that can start to feel stale after touring on them for an extended period of time.
Don’t worry; veggie trays and hummus aren’t going anywhere anytime soon.
AI Routing Analysis
AI can assist in helping to analyze routing and quickly put together a fuel estimate for the number of vehicles you are considering bringing out on a tour.
It can flag overdrives, ensure the tour is staying within legal driving limits, and quickly give rough cost estimates for scenarios that might require a double driver.
Of course, we strongly suggest relying on the real-world expertise of a qualified transportation vendor, as AI is certainly not the end-all-be-all solution in its current form.
Be mindful that LLMs (Large Language Models) are very confident in delivering information that is often incorrect.
AI models are improving, but a fair amount of doublechecking is still required to verify that information is accurate and reliable.
AI Artists
It’s amazing how AI artists and influencers have already emerged and amassed large, dedicated fanbases.
Examples include Miquela, who debuted in 2016, and K-Pop group Eternity who debuted in 2021.
The idea of touring with an AI artist is fascinating to think about, but it also raises questions about authenticity, human connection, and the very nature of live entertainment.
It will be interesting to see how these AI projects evolve into potential touring employment opportunities.
What would it mean for job opportunities in the live events sector when artists don’t require food, accommodation, or even transportation?
Could we see entire concerts powered by holograms, augmented reality, and immersive VR experiences beyond what we’ve already seen?
AI Generated Content & Production Tools
Live productions are already making use of artificial intelligence in countless designs.
The content being produced is a far cry from the desktop music visualizers of the early 2000s.
From powerful live generative effects using the assistance of AI to compelling AI-generated video content, this is a space that is rapidly evolving.
It’s easy to imagine touring engineers making use of AI-powered audio and lighting agents to help optimize live performances.
Even the time it takes to bring a creative visual idea to life will be substantially reduced by using AI assistance.
Think of an artist being able to describe the design they want and AI iterating through possible looks and programming solutions for consideration.
Combining this with augmented reality, the possibilities feel limitless in terms of potential production design.
Augmented Reality and Tour Management
Augmented reality (AR) stands at the forefront of technologies poised to revolutionize the touring and live entertainment industry.
At its core, AR blends the digital and physical realms by overlaying computer-generated elements onto our perception of the real world.
This seamless merging of virtual and actual experiences has the power to redefine how we engage with performances and events.
There is immense potential for on-stage AR moments, as well as simply navigating day-to-day life on the road.
AR Fan Experiences
AR can offer live production visual enhancements, pop-up video style insights about the ongoing performance, create opportunities for virtual guest appearances, and allow for interactive fan features.
This technology can also open avenues for merchandising, direct links to streaming platforms, and enhanced accessibility for all attendees.
Artists can further leverage AR to offer bespoke content, tailor-made meet-and-greet sessions, exclusive backstage experiences, and interactive setlists.
What is possible in this category is only limited by an artist’s imagination and the capabilities of their team.
AR Navigation
While on tour, you are entering a new environment each and every day, making AR a prime candidate to help assist with daily navigation.
This could include helping to navigate the city you’re in, parking buses and trucks, or simply getting around the venue you’re performing in.
As smartphones transition from something we hold in our hands to heads-up displays, we can expect this technology to become more and more commonplace.
Imagine a venue being able to update its AR parking instructions and a driver being able to overlay a digital pathway to look through as they approach the bus venue.
Or maybe there is an emergency situation, and an AR pathway can become illuminated versus trying to follow posted signage.
Maybe you’re just trying to find the venue box office and could benefit from some AR-guided assistance.
AR Location Beacons
A common challenge while touring is trying to spatially orient yourself.
You might need to connect with a guest in the house to bring them backstage.
Despite your best efforts to explain where a certain section is, it remains confusing.
Even mentioning stage left or stage right is going to make things that much worse.
Wouldn’t it be much easier to turn on an AR location beacon and see exactly where the other person is?
Scaling this up to a large festival situation, this technology could be very useful.
AR Merchandise
Creating AR tools to let fans try on artist merchandise prior to purchasing is a creative way to potentially increase revenue while on the road.
Artists could even sell exclusive AR-only items that fans could wear to the show to highlight their fandom in the virtual world.
Another idea is to create an AR virtual store where fans could pre-purchase items and pick them up at the end of the show without having to stand in line.
AR Setlists
For artists and crew, AR can offer real-time setlist reminders, key changes, or even lyric prompts, subtly overlaying their field of vision.
This could be particularly useful during performances where they decide to switch things up or for artists who perform a vast array of songs and need occasional reminders.
AR Performance Venues
In 2016, the video game Pokemon Go took the world by storm.
Scenes of people chasing digital creatures through cities captured headlines around the world.
The blending of the digital and physical worlds offered by AR has massive potential beyond just gaming.
Imagine artists performing atop city landmarks, visible only through AR glasses or apps.
With the right fanbase, it’s easy to imagine fans enjoying collective AR experiences in non-traditional concert venues.
AR offers the opportunity to redefine what a stage is and where it can be located.
There is an immense amount of potential for creativity in this category.
Autonomous Vehicles and Touring
If you’ve been to San Francisco recently, there is a good chance you’ve seen driverless vehicles slowly navigating through the city streets.
It’s a sight that’s both astonishing and uncanny. In no time at all, it will become something that is commonplace.
As driverless technology improves, it is becoming increasingly clear that autonomous transportation is not just a fanciful dream but an imminent reality.
With fleets of autonomous vehicles already deployed, it seems inevitable that the world will eventually see fleets of autonomous trucks and buses deployed on the roadways.
Initially, we might witness a hybrid approach, where vehicles blend self-driving capabilities with human oversight.
These co-pilot systems will have a human behind the wheel, ready to take control, yet relying heavily on the vehicle’s autonomous functionalities.
This will have a profound impact on how the transportation industry operates.
On the road, drivers are the unsung heroes of every concert tour.
They bear the monumental responsibility of ensuring that both the crew and their equipment arrive safely at each destination.
Their expertise, accumulated over years of experience, allows them to navigate challenges that machines are not yet equipped to handle.
From understanding the unique needs of a tour to building camaraderie with the crew, drivers play a pivotal role in the behind-the-scenes magic of live shows.
Biometrics
The use of biometrics is becoming more and more commonplace in public spaces.
Airports frequently use facial recognition software, and it was recently announced that Singapore will start to use a biometric passport with enhanced security features.
Some use cases of biometrics in a concert setting include improving access control, personalization, fraud prevention, enhanced security, payment systems, and health and safety compliance.
However, there have already been reports of this technology being used in less-than-desirable ways.
As this technology becomes more affordable and available, it is something that we are likely to see more frequently used in tandem with other security protocols.
Digital Twins and Production
Digital twins are virtual replicas of real-life objects or spaces.
Many venues have started to incorporate 3D, VR, and AR tours in their venue tech packs.
It helps to eliminate the guesswork of having to conceptualize a space versus simply getting to see it in advance.
Before even setting foot in a venue, imagine being able to walk through it virtually using virtual reality.
Tour managers and production teams can get a spatial feel for the location, identify potential challenges, and plan logistics in advance.
The availability of LIDAR technology will help to bring something that was once very niche into the mainstream.
Imagine being able to quickly pull the data of multiple venues’ LIDAR scans and design a production that is modular and scalable for the rooms you’ll be touring.
AR Stage Plots & Truck Packs
Taking the idea of a venue digital twin one step further, what if you could build a stage plot without ever having to open up a graphic design application or CAD program?
Using AR and LIDAR, you could simply scan the stage and export a stage plot based on what is actually on stage.
You could even play around with incorporating other production elements or stage designs without having to actually move everything in real life.
AR stage plots could be useful in helping to streamline festival changeovers and bills with lots of moving pieces and short windows of time to make it happen.
Imagine animating risers or staging to move exactly as needed within a space or conveying to a group of locals how the team will build the production.
AR could also be used to help design and optimize truck packs based on dimensions, weight, and load order.
Operating in a similar space, Digital Spike Mark released an app that utilizes digital spike marks on LED floors.
Smart Glasses, Contacts, and AI Wearables
The evolution of wearable smart technology will change how audiences experience live events.
It will also change how production staff operate behind the scenes.
Tour Managers could receive real-time updates about schedules, venues, or any issues right in their line of sight, ensuring they have the most up-to-date information.
These devices will enable users to access AR seamlessly without needing to hold up a device.
AI wearables could also assist in monitoring health or helping to translate languages on the fly.
Staying Connected
One of the most difficult occupational hazards of a touring lifestyle is being physically absent from the daily lives of our loved ones.
Google recently released the latest iteration of Project Starline, a technology that makes you feel like you’re actually sitting across from someone, even when you’re worlds apart.
Think of FaceTime, but with a spatial component that feels like you can actually reach out and touch the person.
Imagine, after a load out, being able to step into the back lounge and phone home via Starline Portal.
Perhaps advances in technology will help to balance some of the more difficult aspects of a career in touring.
Conclusion
As technology continues to advance, AI, AR, and other digital tools will revolutionize not just how we experience live events but also the planning, management, and execution.
The integration of cutting-edge technologies into the live entertainment sphere is inevitable as they promise enhanced experiences and possibilities.
However, while technology offers incredible tools, the human element – the connection between the artist and the audience – remains irreplaceable.
Technology is fun, but there is something alluring about keeping things simple and straightforward.
It’s an exciting time to watch the future of touring evolve before our eyes.
Twenty years from now, people will look at photos of concerts from the 2020s with both confusion and amusement.
What are those tiny black mirrors that everyone is pointing at the stage?