U2ube: Irish rock band to stream gigs online

by Andrew McCormick, revolutionmagazine.com 20-Oct-09, 08:10

LONDON - U2's next gig will reach beyond the Rose Bowl stadium in California to an audience of millions around the world by being streamed live on YouTube, with accompanying Twitter feed.

In a move being dubbed U2ube, the rock band's concert, part of its 360 tour, will be streamed live this Sunday in a first for YouTube, which is looking at serving ads around songs. The concert wlil also be available to view after the live event, when YouTube will run overlay ads related to the content.

U2's official YouTube channel will host the event, which will be supplemented by a Twitter feed tracking chatter around the concert.

The success or failure of the venture could help YouTube decide if this is an area it wants to explore further, as it has expressed reluctance to do so in the past due to the costs involved.

While the live streaming could provide the blueprint for future concerts, there is an element of old media to the project as well: U2 is heavily promoting CD sales and is expected to release a DVD version of the gig.