A study on the effect of streamed concert experiences on generation Z audience

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a dramatic impact on most people’s daily lives, their ability to socialize, and their mental and emotional wellbeing. Generation Z, in particular, is suffering from markedly more mental health issues than other generations during lockdown. This is in part caused by the high degree of isolation they feel as a result of their social activities being greatly restricted due to the pandemic. Research by others already indicates that regularly attending actual live concerts can dramatically increase individuals’ feelings of health, happiness and wellbeing, and may even help substantially expand their lifespan. Streamed concerts are becoming ever more popular as a form of digital entertainment that can respond to the restrictions of COVID-19 prevention protocols and instantaneously reach people all over the world at the same time via the Internet. They can also help revitalize the live music industry. It is proposed in this present work that the COVID-19 crisis presents new opportunities and impetus for disruptive innovation within that industry related to the creation of streamed concerts that may effectively draw in audiences to a new digital experience, help address social isolation, and help increase mental wellbeing. This research primarily focuses on investigating the Generation Z audience experience and their behaviour with streamed concerts to design a better user experience through creating a service blueprint to make it a desirable alternative option to seeing an on-site concert both now and in the future. This work is intended to help encourage more of the Generation Z audience to open up to the streamed concert concept. Moreover, it reveals its own findings and insights gained from interviews with streamed concert attendees, performing artists, and other stakeholders, to provide insights on present streamed concert experiences, and suggest how they might be improved upon still further.

新冠疫情（COVID-19 pandemic）对绝大多数民众的日常生活、社交能力以及心理与情绪健康均造成了显著冲击。其中，Z世代（Generation Z）在封控期间所遭遇的心理健康问题显著多于其他世代群体，究其原因，部分在于疫情期间社交活动大幅受限，使其产生了强烈的孤独感。

已有研究表明，定期参与线下现场音乐会可显著提升个体的健康感、愉悦度与整体幸福感，甚至可显著延长个体寿命。流媒体音乐会（streamed concerts）作为一种适配新冠防疫管控要求的数字娱乐形式正日益受到欢迎，可通过互联网同步触达全球各地的受众，同时还有助于重振现场音乐产业。

本研究提出，新冠疫情危机为该产业带来了全新机遇与发展动力，推动其围绕流媒体音乐会创作开展颠覆性创新（disruptive innovation）：此类创新可有效吸引受众体验全新的数字娱乐形式，助力缓解社交孤独感，并提升受众的心理健康水平。本研究主要围绕Z世代受众对流媒体音乐会的体验与行为展开调研，旨在通过构建服务蓝图（service blueprint）优化用户体验，使流媒体音乐会成为当下及未来替代线下现场音乐会的优质选择。

本研究旨在助力更多Z世代受众接纳流媒体音乐会这一理念。此外，本研究通过对流媒体音乐会参与者、演艺人员（performing artists）及其他利益相关方（stakeholders）开展访谈，获取了相关发现与洞察，旨在为当前流媒体音乐会的体验优化提供参考，并提出进一步改进的方向。