(We originally posted this in 2020. You can read more of our original ideas in our archive. You can order a business plan of this idea here.)
Problem: Listening to the radio at times can be very boring: it’s not visual.
Solution: A radio station similar to Tiny Desk which connects new and young artists to live-audiences to listen on the “radio” — but in a more visual way. It would be designed to create a brand of intimacy similar to that of Sofar Sounds (which originally offered “secret concerts” and has since then pivoted to live streaming concerts). What I find so fascinating about Sofar’s listening room is that it connects people to music globally: just last week they hosted concerts with Bonga Kwana (South Africa), Duratierra (Buenos Aires), and Ryan Peete (NYC). Moreover, the business would be designed to get the same level of prominent singers and artists as NPRs Tiny Desk Concert or The COLORS Show.
Of course, the business model is not that innovative (putting artists in a room on the internet has be done). What would be exclusive and special about these sorts of performances would be the way in which this business would connect artists to new listeners by connecting with them at work. One example of this I witnessed during Hispanic Heritage Month at Microsoft. HOLA (the Hispanic & Latinx at Microsoft group) hosted a live concert with Hispanic/Latinx music and artists. It was a phenomenal model for what live concert radio at work could look like. Below is an image from the concert:
Similarly, during the summer time BAM (Blacks at Microsoft) hosted a concert with a live DJ for all Microsoft employees: the event was a hit and reached the 500-member capacity within 5 minutes.
There is an appetite for corporate employees to have unique experiences, especially now during quarantine. Since there are no longer opportunities for corporations to differentiate based on ping-pong tables or free lunch, perhaps concert radio could be an answer. The business would be the third-party “API” that any company could plug into their system at an hourly rate to hire musical guests for their events and live-streamed digital concerts.
Monetization: Percentage of fees.
Contributed by: Michael Bervell (Billion Dollar Startup Ideas)