Here are two things that you may want to consider when planning out your life as an artist that earns a living by staging performances (live and not).
The Inconvenient Talk
First, (for distant consideration) one of the most interesting articles I have read about energy supplies (hydrocarbon based fuels for heating and transportation) was not necessarily about when we will run out of it, the article titled “An Inconvenient Talk” was more about (for me) when the price of fuel will begin to wildly spike up and out of reach for the average concertgoer. I have read a fair amount about the demise of the energy supply, but this article by Chris Turner was the best article on the subject I have read to date. Using easy to understand and engaging language, Turner’s article describes complex and exhausting research that’s been vetted and curated by Dave Hughes, a Canadian “hydrocarbon geologist”.
“Here’s the upshot: if you plan to drive a car or heat a house or light a room in 2030, The Talk (the Inconvenient Talk) is telling you your options will be limited, to say the least. Even if you’re convinced climate change is UN-sponsored hysteria or every last puff of greenhouse gas will soon be buried forever a mile underground or ducks look their best choking on tar sands tailings, Dave Hughes is saying your way of life is over. Not because of the clouds of smoke, you understand, but because we’re running out of what makes them.”
If you are already forty years old, this issue may not be on your income earning radar (perhaps you can sing about it), but if you are twenty, you may want to consider the following section as your next best option for staging performances in the not-so-distant future.
Christie Microtiles
The second thing I want to point out is the launch last month of Christie’s (1,000 employees, two Academy awards, and a leading supplier of advanced projection technologies) Microtiles. Billed as “The New Digital Canvas”, Microtiles are portable, extremely high-resolution, stackable projection boxes (my term) that enable users to rapidly deploy stunning walls of rich content. This technology is not only disruptive to other display technologies that are already in the marketplace, the Microtiles solution demonstrates how easily that it will be to 1) create stunning stage displays, and 2) install full-sized active content walls anywhere. Watch the video! As prices for technology like this drop, and as broadband speeds increase, the ability to multicast in full-sized, high def will be available to artists everywhere. The architectural possibilities are limitless. Don’t drive to the concert; build a wall in your backyard; invite your neighbors; sell the beer; and charge admission.