In a matter of hours, tens of thousands of people will descend upon Barcelona’s Parc del Fórum for the 2023 edition of Primavera Sound. Depeche Mode, Blur, Rosalia, New Order, Caroline Polachek and Kendrick Lamar are among the acts set to perform this weekend. The latter is, in fact, right now conducting soundcheck in the sweltering Spanish sun. The instantly recognisable bass notes of his 2013 hit “Swimming Pool” reverberate across the park. But while Primavera will welcome approximately 70,000 revellers to its stages each day, countless others will be joining the festivities online.
Like banana bread and virtual wine clubs, live-streaming is one of those concepts that seemed specific to the pandemic but here we are, post-Covid and people are still tuning into the virtual party. The Barcelona edition of Primavera Sound was aired over Prime Video and Twitch last weekend, with the Madrid festival being broadcast on Twitch over the next few days. The company has aired many live-streams over the years, with artists including Tyler, the Creator, Kanye West, Drake, J Cole, Megan Thee Stallion and Latin pop sensation Anitta all having participated. What was once a lifeline for a music industry in crisis mode is now turning out to be a potential bedrock of its success.
