Question of Scale?

[skyline]

 Is anyone else wondering about the level of media coverage around the resumption of large scale professional sports as opposed to music concerts or theatre?

Is the arena experience more important than the club experience?

[Queequeg]

Is anyone else wondering about the level of media coverage around the resumption of large scale professional sports as opposed to music concerts or theatre?

Is the arena experience more important than the club experience?

Unquestionably, from a monetary/revenue standpoint, arenas are more financially important, but I quit going to those shows decades ago.
The small club is a far better concert experience for me, and fortunately (for me) the artists I enjoy most don't play arenas.
As far as media coverage, well, I'm less interested in that aspect of it, but I suppose once again they're responding to the economics of the Big Events, which certainly bring a lot of money into a city especially when you add in the parking lot attendants and hotdog vendors, hotels, et al.

[B0WIE]

I don't think live music is at anywhere near the level of popularity of sports so I don't see why it should get the same coverage.
It's a mistake to think the mainstream media cares about what is most important. They report whatever they can get clicks and views on as generating revenue is their priority.

I rarely attend either as I don't like being sandwiched in crowds of people but I'm more inclined to go to a concert.  

[B0WIE]

it's certainly a hazardous thing to consider the mainstream media too seriously . . .

but even though i've spent way more money on concerts and clubs, i'd love to head to Barcelona to see Messi, Suarez, and Pique as they try to figure out how to wind down their careers, though that's really unlikely as they'll all be retired long before we figure this one out properly
a lot of music venues are completely antithetical to the presentation of music, but i'd wager that if you could create an experiment where you restrict clubs/bars from playing televised sports vs recorded music, you'd see far more people ignoring places that only played football/hockey/basketball/curling than you would from places that only play/present music

professional sports owners secure broadcasting rights/cashflow for airplay far more aggressively than performing rights groups do for musicians. radio stations in the u.s don't even pay royalties to performers  for airplay - imagine if a broadcaster tried to televise sports games without paying their tythes . . .

the presentation of sports is fundamentally gladiatorial,  it thrives on the concept of us and them, and it requires a huge arena to really make any significant return on investment. when was the ladt time we saw a sports career underwritten by patreon or gofundme?

anywho - in the total economic scheme, musicians and music generate for more economic activity than sports - and maybe a move toward the recognition of that fact could be a bright side to this current mess

You're getting a bit tripped up there. It doesn't matter whether musicians like us like it or not. What matters to the media is that there are more people are concerned about live sports and sports on TV than they are live music.

Maybe the better question is, why are small venues for music dying? There's been a trend showing this in many countries. Is it changes in how we listen to mystic? Changing styles? Decline in interest?
The media isn't doing that, it's the consumers.

[gustavowoltmann]

Attending sports event or concerts with packed crowds probably won't happen until 2021 at the earliest, say health experts and government officials
although Hundreds of billions of dollars are spent each year on large events like conferences, sports and concerts. many other industries, Covid-19 quarantines have devastated event-based businesses.

[eded]

Covid-19 quarantines have devastated event-based businesses.

I think it's more accurate to say Covid-19 has devastated event-based businesses.  Quarantines have slowed the spread.

I think there are bigger business models around sports.  Sports depend on the events.  Without the "events" (games), there is no revenue.   There has always been a divide between live and recorded music.  Recorded music is a great revenue scheme for the recording and producing companies.  Live music is a better for the musicians.  

Addendum...  after doing a little research, google searches and looking at several sources, it looks like the live music industry generated about $35 billion in 2019, and sports about $75 billion. Those numbers are globally.

Ed