The Webcast Arrives
10.30.10 - (Dave Lavery)
Almost two years since their fan base called for simulcasts of their Hampton reunion shows — some of the toughest tickets in history — Phish has finally answered them, offering live pay-per-view webcasts of their upcoming, sold-out shows at Madison Square Garden. Easing the pain for thousands of fans around the world who can’t make it to the Big Apple, everyone will be able to listen and watch the climactic New Year’s celebration as it unfolds over three nights.
Without packaging downloads with the webcasts, Phish is creating a completely separate revenue stream selling online access to their shows with little extra effort from their crew. In a win-win situation for all, people will surely gather for listening parties and the price of $15.99 per show ($19.99 for NYE) will dissolve into nothing once a few friends come over to share in the groove. Much like “No Spoilers” listening parties popped up around the nation for Hampton’s comeback, now real-time, New Year’s parties are sure to materialize — with soundboard feeds, nonetheless! Upping the ante for all fans with other plans this holiday season, I wonder how many people have now canceled their New Year’s Eve plans to virtually rage it with Phish?
NYE 1998 - MSG
Revolutionizing “couch tour” for these MSG shows, the question that now begs to be answered is — “Will webcasts be the norm moving forward?” Is this the future of Phish tour? Several community members have already offered free and illegal live streams of every Phish show this year, though the quality of these feeds have, allegedly, varied from unwatchable to fairly perfect. Might this move be the band’s response to their fan base’s successful pirating efforts? If continued on conventional tours, people would be more apt to order shows individually, at home, potentially increasing total sales. This next step would seem logical. With all shows already videotaped for the archives, this service can’t add much additional cost to the organization whether webcast receives fixed or multi-camera shots. Regardless of what type of video is offered, Phish just made a huge step forward in allowing their entire community to share in the holiday season. For the first time in history, major shows will accessible — live — by anyone, anywhere in the world. An unquestionably epic move.
10.20.10 (M. Stein)
But with this move, many questions follow. Is this service just being offered for the New Year’s extravaganza? Will Phish webcast every show from now on? Will they only webcast sold-out shows in the future like the NFL? Could this really be the “couch tour” of the future? Though they are certainly not a substitute for the live experience, would webcasts actually deter some people from making insane trips to see Phish — something that has always been part and parcel of the addiction? While webcasts would, inevitably, involve more people in any given show, would they somehow devalue the experience? Would college students and beyond choose bong hits and surround sound over paying for, and trekking to, shows? If this is even a possibility, what is the implication of having access to something sacred from the couch? Is some of the mystique stripped away if fans anywhere can flip on the Phish show for a small fee, just as they flip on any pay-per-view movie or boxing fight? The questions go on and on…What do you think?
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Jam of the Day:
Another moment of MSG New Year’s Eve history.
[audio:http://phishthoughts.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/ph1998-12-31d1t05.mp3,http://phishthoughts.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/ph1998-12-31d1t06.mp3]=====
DOWNLOAD OF THE DAY:
5.2.1994 Five Points Music Hall. Birmingham, Alabama
Mp3 Torrent, Megaupload < Links
Here’s a random stocking stuffer for your collection, straight from the deep south in 1994. Phish concluded this show with “Mike’s Song” featuring two guest bass players — Oteil Burbridge and Stacy Starkweather. Enjoy!
I: The Great Gig in the Sky > Split Open and Melt, Bouncing Around the Room, Down with Disease, It’s Ice, Glide, The Divided Sky, Suzy Greenberg, Foam, Sample in a Jar
II: Runaway Jim, Mound, Reba, Golgi Apparatus, The Lizards, Julius, Lawn Boy, Mike’s Song* > Jam**
E: Cavern
*Oteil Burbridge on bass.
**Oteil Burbridge on bass and Stacy Starkweather on stand-up bass. Band members switched instruments.
Source: AKG 460
It’s all what you like i guess.
I’m just saying… after some time has passed I’m more likely to play these other shows more so than the AC shows.
@ kaya – two easy ways to get the webcast on your HDTV bigscreen and through your stereo amp.
1) playstation 3 – the test stream worked well. Audio is 100% – the video was a bit choppy but that could be due to the memory on my PS3. Watched the test stream at my buddy’s house last night and both the audio and video were 100% – no skips or delays.
2) hook up your computer to your TV via HDMI cable.
*watched test stream through buddy’s computer…not PS3 and it worked 100% fine.
the dvd, is that alpine night one or two?
night one
@ WT
There is a faq page for the stream where it shows system minimums and recommendations FWIW
also depends on what type of computer/HDTV model you have. there is a way to connect via usb cables too.
with like half of night 2 as well
AC was missing the one solid set. It did have some of the best moments of the fall though.
I just listened to most of bridgeview earlier and that still holds up real well. What a killer show.
don’t have the playstation, and my TV is a sony trintron fat box (vs. the flatscreens of today) from the mid 90’s. i doubt it has the hdmi connec.
my, how far technology has come.
wt, have you streamed anything through your ps3 aside from Netflix? I always have that little square screen when using the internet, kinda annoying. Is there something in the settings to change that? I will probably use my laptop.
@My Local BB Techno savvy blogger
Is anyone versed on SONY DVD players with wireless connections?
I have the new SONY blue-ray player that streams Netflix and YouTube just fine. Shouldn’t there be settings, or some Web Content U.I. by where I could type in the URL for NYE Streaming?
According to my buddy the interface look exactly like his PS3.
-Aqua-
testing it again via PS3 – the video and audio are 100% fine. no skips, no buffering. 100% awesome.
bridgeville, 6.11.2010 is indeed $$$.
@LW
Didn’t Set 1 Saturday do it for ya?
Rang my bell for sure. So did Set 1 on Sunday.
P.S. How you been hangin’ since Zappa?
-Aqua-
@ kaya
unless your computer has an RCA hookup, you might just want to go the audio only route, ie: stereo mini to RCA into the Receiver
blu-ray players have web browsing capabilities now?
got it blasting so loud my neighbors are probably thinking it’s world war 3 over here. I think they upped the bitrate because the video stream is working better than it was the other day.
I want to hear miner give us some straight up predictions for MSG. Can’t take my mind off of it.
the test run is a different circumstance vs. 50,000 trying to sign on at the same time
what was weird about the AC shows is they neither had the best flow start to finish compared to say AV 1 (which I consider the best 2 set show of 3.0)
good thing was they had plenty of the best jams of fall
Jibboo, Stash, 2001, Bowie, Cities, Undermind, Wolfman’s, Sand, Carini, Ghost > Spooky, CDT > Whole Lotta Love > CDT
it was more of a jam chaser weekend with an amazing Halloween costume thrown in
I would def say though that 10.30.10 is one of my favorite shows I caught in 3.0 out of 40 something
I feel it was a strong 2 set show even with the phishiness that was the zep set
i’d hope they have that ironed out @ El dude. if not my lawyer willbe calling about my 100% refund.
i can’t imagine that the live stream will actually be live. I’m sure it will be delayed by a few minutes.
Thought it was pretty funny that Peter King referenced Spooky in one of his football columns recently. NCAA Basketball tournament projections are out already. Can’t we get into conference play before we see this shit?
@aqua
are you talking about deer creek? those were thurs/fri.
I thought night ones first set was really weak, outside of the Roaggee. Set two was the heat, that Drowned jam is one of my favorites of 3.0
Night 2 had a better first set and started out with a strong 2nd that was good but not great. The mangoes was real slop.
That said it was a great weekend.
As for me I’ve been good. Waiting on NYE. Hopefully we can hang out again since there wasn’t much time to talk. That show was awesome though. Will def. try and catch them again.
how you been?