Google’s Area 120, Pollstar Launch Demand, a Live-Music Insight Tool

Variety Staff
·3 min read

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A team from Area 120, Google’s workshop for experimental projects, today announced the launch of DEMAND for the live music industry during the annual Pollstar Live conference. Developed by tech industry veteran Parag Vaish and rock drummer turned entrepreneur Nick Turner, DEMAND unveils detailed data, enabling the live music industry to better identify key markets, optimal pricing and purchase intent.

According to the announcement, the insights included in DEMAND’s platform culls publicly available data from Google Trends and YouTube as well as proprietary data from third-parties such as Pollstar, which is owned by Oak View Group. This data provides actionable, real-time analytics that enhance the planning, pricing, marketing and sponsorship of live events.

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“Google cares deeply about the artist community and wants to introduce a product that helps them better understand their fans through the use of data,” said Parag Vaish, co-founder of DEMAND. “By using DEMAND, artists can now make informed decisions, backed by timely market data, to reach the most passionate fans.”

Within DEMAND, Google Trends data provides a specific glimpse into what a fan is searching for. Integrating YouTube data offers a barometer for sustained interest in an artist over time. Coupled with third-party data sources that provide historical and current pricing, all with geographic specificity, DEMAND provides a new view into the live-music market.

For example, when evaluating the tour schedule for a Top 40 artist, DEMAND’s data revealed that the artist was pricing their tickets off the market rate. In another case, DEMAND analytics identified that an artist was choosing tour stops that didn’t reflect consumer interest. In both examples, artists could have made more informed decisions with DEMAND’s data.

“DEMAND will serve as the ‘great equalizer’ for the live music industry,” said Nick Turner, co-founder. “While the biggest managers, promoters and agents will have access to the analytics, so too will the rising artist and smaller venue owner. Our hope is that access to this data will nurture the rise of new artists and new opportunities across the live music spectrum.”

DEMAND has also been working with Full Stop Management on tour announcement analyses that have included Harry Styles, Maroon 5 and Bon Jovi. Additionally, DEMAND’s team worked closely with Nederlander Concerts to gain insights into the processes around artist bookings and event marketing.

“The launch of DEMAND gives industry insiders greater insight into how an artist is positioned in the marketplace, provides new advertising and sponsorship data, and is a predictor of the success or failure of a tour,” said Oak View Group CEO Tim Leiweke.

“With their access to Google, YouTube and other music industry data, the DEMAND team are on the cusp of providing valuable insights to the live events industry,” said Marc Geiger, Head of Music, WME.

DEMAND is currently available at no cost. Live music professionals can visit https://demand.area120.com to access the publicly available and proprietary analytics.

 

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