When COVID-19 turned the business world upside down back in February, I wrote an article on the new business opportunities that this would present for forward-thinking companies. 

Here’s a brief excerpt from that article:

And that’s exactly what we’re seeing happen.

Last week I ‘attended’ (from the comfort of my couch) Metal Injection’s Slay at Home festival, which was streamed to YouTube over two days, and attracted over 50,000 eyeballs during the event.

Sure, I could have just searched for almost any concert from any band I could think of instead, but there is something about sharing an experience in real-time with other thousands of other human beings that is compelling, even though I can’t actually see those other human beings. 

And just this week, what was dubbed The Metal Tour of the Year, featuring heavy metal stalwarts Megadeth, alongside Lamb of God, Trivium and In Flames, announced that it too would be broadcasting a mammoth streaming event online, in place of the actual tour which has now been postponed to 2021. The event will feature exclusive performances, interviews and, true to my original sentiments, merchandise - and you guessed it - branded face-masks.

A portion of the proceeds from the merch store will go to Crew Nation, Live Nation' s fund to help support live music crews impacted by COVID-19.

This is yet another example of necessity being the mother of invention, and personally, I can’t wait to tune in and bang my head, and maybe, just maybe, form a circle pit around my coffee table. 

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UPDATE - watch the full show below.