lively111
Lively’s app.

Whether it’s a rock concert or Broadway show, a majority of smartphone owners are using their devices before, during and after live events.

A new study from the Interactive Advertising Bureau found that 89 percent of those attending live entertainment events have, in some way or form, used a smartphone to complete tasks like purchasing tickets or simply finding more information about a show.

“Clearly, the mobile experience at live performances has gone well beyond waving around a mobile screen with the image of a fired up lighter,” Joe Laszlo, IAB Senior Director, Mobile Marketing Center of Excellence, said in a statement. “With live entertainment seekers leveraging mobile throughout all the phases of going to a show, marketers should pay keen attention to the insights offered in this research. Investing in mobile could be the difference between a full house and a flop.”

Of course, some may argue that smartphones have affected the live performance experience negatively, with many focusing on capturing photos or videos rather than the show itself. Here’s a shot from Macklemore’s private concert at CES back in January:

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One Seattle startup actually has a service that makes audio and video content available to music fans shortly after concerts conclude so they don’t have to capture the media themselves. Lively, which just raised $2 million, has bands install its Lively Audio Manager — utilizing an iPad to plug into the venue’s sound board — and then allows musicians to make those audio recordings available to fans shortly after the show. The shows then resell for $4.99 to $11.99, creating a new revenue stream for artists and providing a lasting high-quality memory for music fans.

There are other Seattle companies utilizing smartphones for live events, too. Brown Paper Tickets, for example, recently debuted a way for people to share their mobile tickets via SMS. This trend is also applicable to sporting events — the Seattle Mariners, like other MLB teams, have an app that allows people to upgrade your seat 30 minutes before first pitch, see social media content, concourse maps, game videos and information on each player’s walk-up music.

Here are some other findings from the IAB study:

  • Mobile rivals TV as the preferred media channel for getting information on live performances (60% mobile vs. 53% TV)
  • 41% purchase concert and show tickets directly through mobile devices
  • Over three quarters (78%) use mobile to help plan trips to shows
  • 22% “check in” at a live performance via social apps
  • Nearly a third (31%) use mobile to make plans for before or after a show
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