'Digital' gig venue goes live

By Jim Reed
Newsbeat technology reporter

A US website that lets users interact with live bands on stage is broadcasting its first proper gig on Friday.

DeepRockDrive was set up by former XBox executive producer Jeff Henshaw and music promoter Danny Socolof.

DeepRockDrive transmits real-time video over the internet from a private soundstage in Las Vegas.

Artists are surrounded by 40 big-screen monitors as they play live.

Fans can send text message "shout outs" and "digital applause" to the screens and vote on which track the band should play next.

Users can switch camera angles and play with the audio mix from their home computer.

Music industry backers

DeepRockDrive was set up last year by former XBox executive producer Jeff Henshaw and music promoter Danny Socolof.

Jeff Henshaw said: "Let's start by forgetting about webcasts and poor-quality audio and video. They're passive and boring and look awful.

"It's 2008, and it's high time that we use the Internet to really engage during concerts."

DeepRockDrive which lets fans choose camera angles

Other investors in the project include Bill Curbishley, the manager of The Who, and David Golder, the former general manager of Yahoo! Music.

First full gigs

The site has been holding test gigs since November 2007.

Its first full concert series starts May 16 with a show by country music group Lady Antebellum.

American artists Marié Digby, Matt Nathanson and Lloyd are also part of the launch line-up.

The site is promising more non-American content in the future including shows timed for an European audience.

Online concert tickets cost up to $10 (£5.10) each with the proceeds split equally between the artist and DeepRockDrive itself.

Customers can invite up to five friends as part of the deal.

Some early gigs are free thanks to a sponsorship agreement with a soft drinks manufacturer.

The year of the online gig?

The Internet has already changed the way millions of consumers access recorded music.

UK site Channelbee will offer access to gigs from bands like Black Kids

Apple's iTunes store overtook Wal-Mart earlier this year as the biggest music retailer in the United States.

But consumers have been much less keen to access, and pay for, live music online.

That attitude could be starting to change.

Influential American technology magazine Wired recently called 2008 the year of the music webcast.

As well as DeepRockDrive, new sites like Fabchannel and iClips are gaining in popularity.

Many have been linking up with social networks like MySpace and Facebook to reach fans and promote their live content.

In the UK, a new video site, Channelbee, goes live next month. It will offer free access to live and recorded gigs from artists like Black Kids, The Feeling and Kate Nash.