The Role of Virtual & Livestreaming Venues in 2021

Music Venues In The Twin Cities Turning To Virtual Spaces

By Stephanie Tapia-Ponce

Pre-covid, both myself and other music heads enjoyed the space of having live music: the loud sounds, the social aspects, and the dancing. Being in spaces where artists, DJ's and creatives can share with supporters or listeners has always been an exciting aspect of the venue world. After a year of COVID restrictions causing most venues in the US, including many in the Twin Cities, to shut down, many have been left wondering how venues are thriving and catering to their supporters. Turning to online technology has made it work. 

Aunties, a Black Women-owned venue in Minneapolis, just recently had a "Virtual Venue Launch Party" on March 27th, which included a live virtual lobby that supporters could access from their devices, and that allows them create their own custom avatar that could experience listening to live music from artists and DJ's such as DJ Keezy, Sophia Eris (owners of Aunties), DJ Advance, and Chastity Brown. The lobby also lets you order food from Soul Fu, interact with others, and order merch.

When I got a glimpse of what the Aunties Virtual Venue was, I was truly amazed. It was pretty easy to use after you created your customizable avatar as well as being able to walk around the venue whether it was accessing the stage or going upstairs to chat with others. 

Other music venues have also successfully implemented virtual and live streaming events, including First Avenue, which has some upcoming events in the months to come. For these spaces to continue to give people the option to listen to music with others, chat with others, and just interact in general in the comfort of their home to maintain safety is more than excellent. Social media outlets like Instagram have used features like “live” to have online events. 

As we continue our COVID journey, I foresee venues making virtual and live streaming events more and more accessible to people. It's crucial for the venues that we have supported from the beginning to continue making these events happen, whether in person or not. Still, we as the listeners and concert go-ers need to be able to make the views noticeable.