Social Media Listening & Analysis: The Online Conversation About Virtual Concerts
Will virtual concerts replace the live experience? No. But, will they change the industry forever? Yes. This is the future, and it is happening now.
Project Type: Undergraduate Project for Social Media Analytics Class.
Timeline: April-May, 2020.
Role: Researcher, Data Analyst, Designer.
Project Description: Through this project I set out to understand and analyze the social media conversation around virtual concerts in order to make an informed prediction about the future of the live music industry in a post-pandemic world. The data suggests that virtual concerts will not replace live music, but they will remain popular as an add-on to the live experience.
Challenge: This consumer-centered analysis is geared towards music industry professionals who seek to understand how fans experience and feel about virtual concerts in order to make informed business decisions during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. It was conducted using Crimson Hexagon, Google Trends, and Instagram. Due to the timely nature of the project, Crimson Hexagon did not have any Instagram data, so that portion of the analysis was completed manually.
Solution: The analysis provides a detailed description and contextualization of the social media conversation around virtual concerts from January 2019 through May 2020 both in English and Spanish. This provides industry professionals with an overview of how the conversation and overall interest in virtual experiences has changed as a result of the pandemic.
Results: The uncertain future of the live music industry was a popular topic well before COVID changed the way we experience social events. Although virtual concerts are still very new to fans, the data suggests that virtual concerts will not replace live music, but they will remain popular as an add-on to the live experience because they are excited by the up-and-coming format’s endless opportunities for exploration and creativity.