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Bicep’s trailblazing approach to live streaming electronic music

Words by DICE

The duo were one of the first acts to embrace virtual events when the pandemic hit, but how did they do it?

When the pandemic hit and live events weren’t a possibility anymore, it seemed like the electronic scene would suffer hardest. How would people be able to enjoy music that’s designed to be enjoyed in a club? Bicep chose to lead the way and investigate the possibilities of pay-per-view streaming.

A different kind of event

With a new album on the way, Bicep were looking for a way to showcase their new music and also create a unique experience for their fans. Simon Gold, the band’s manager, was aware of DICE’s unique position: “Having worked with DICE for a number of years on live shows, we were keen to see if [Bicep] could try to be one of the first within electronic music to successfully run a paid music live stream.” 

DICE and Bicep had already seen success, with 23k+ tickets sold and more than 50k+ fans joining the Waiting List to get tickets to sold out events. Focusing on offering a live streamed performance that would rival a physical event, Bicep planned to perform new and unreleased music as well as reworked songs from their catalogue. Even if they couldn’t tour for their new album, they could still give fans an amazing streamed experience with DICE.

Even
if
they
couldn’t
tour
for
their
new
album,
they
could
still
give
fans
an
amazing
streamed
experience
with
DICE

Finding fans and generating hype

Reaching fan communities and also finding a new audience meant using every channel available. Bicep teased their new and reworked tracks in a trailer, creating excitement online as fans began to share the content. They also collaborated with artist and stage design company Black Box Echo to create a unique audio-visual experience with production values that fans would be wowed by. 

Thanks to Bicep and DICE’s history of working together, DICE were able to remarket the stream to the 50k+ fans who had joined the Waiting List for tickets in the past. Identifying the ideal audience, without any additional marketing support, gave Bicep the upper hand when it came to selling tickets. Four broadcasts for a variety of timezones ensured that no fan missed out on the experience, no matter where they were based.

Results

5K

Tickets sold

71

Countries

52%

Of tickets sold the day of the stream

1 in 4

Fans previously purchased Bicep tickets on DICE

A new frontier for live streaming

Live streaming has been a lifeboat for artists during the pandemic, but it’s not going anywhere. As we move back towards live events, we’re going to see live streaming integrate seamlessly into artists’ offerings. It creates a new revenue stream, one that can be an excellent return on investment if done with the right partner. Bicep were looking for a new way to engage with fans, and DICE helped them make it happen. We have a host of streaming experts here at DICE, ready to help you the same way we helped Bicep.