What Robert Pattinson and opera have in common?

Robert Pattinson performed an impromptu SoFar Sounds concert that later aired on YouTube, giving the new concept a boost into the spotlight.

“Out with the physical, in with the digital!”

By Jennifer Grassman

HOUSTON,TX(Hollywood Today)11/18/2010–Gone are the days of black-and-white television, VHS is antiquated, and we find ourselves in the twilight of the DVD age. With nearly everything available as a streaming feed or digital download, media of the physical have become obsolete. In fact, the obsoleteness of the physical has become so pervasive that you can now attend a private house concert in Houston from your living room in Bangladesh, should you so desire. Yes, that’s right; a private house concert on the other side of the world is yours to attend, free of charge. How is this possible? Because, “Out with the physical, in with the digital!” is pop culture’s new mantra.

Liam Bonner imports opera from a “packed house” to, quite literally, a packed house, in his recent SoFar Sounds concert.

Take YouTube, for example. Everything on YouTube is free and is derived from millions of different sources across the globe. It’s a fun and cool concept, but what if such a concept where honed to accommodate elite, private events that promoted music and the arts? Enter SoFar Sounds, otherwise known as Songs From A Room. SoFar Sounds is the brainchild of David Alexander, also known as the British musical phenomenon Passion Ate Dave. Passion Ate Dave began hosting house concerts in London, filming them and posting them online in 2009. The concept was met with high praise and noteworthy attention. In fact, Robert Pattinson of “Twilight” vampire fame performed at a London SoFar Sounds house concert earlier this year. In the subsequent video (which now has more than 88,900 plays on YouTube) Pattinson dons a beanie hat, strums an acoustic guitar and sings in a soulfully raw voice.

Watch Pattinson’s SoFar Sounds performance on YouTube here.

Last week, I had the honor (being a recording artist myself) to perform at a SoFar Sounds event in Houston. It was held in a posh bachelor pad downtown and organized by the ineffable Heather Pray, arts patron and director of communications for Houston Young People for the Arts. At the Saturday night soirée, approximately 60 people where stuffed with burritos by FreeBirds, squeezed into an artsy albeit sparse living room and awed by a diversity of live acoustic performances.

Robert Pattinson performed an impromptu SoFar Sounds concert that later aired on YouTube, giving the new concept a boost into the spotlight. Photo courtesy of GQ.

According to Kristen Eide of The Houston Press, “It was no ordinary unplugged event. The bands varied from operatic and string quartet to electronic rock and indie Britpop. Jennifer Grassman exposed some deep and often times hurtful feelings, taking us into a page of her own diary while playing the piano and singing in a surprisingly upbeat tone. Liam Bonner’s rich and versatile voice covered Italian, French and German, and he so kindly explained each song before hand. Opera never felt so intimate as he connected individually to the audience members. The Watermarks toned down their usual loud set for the evening but stayed true to their blend of guitars and organic drums. Castle Lights played soft but lyrically challenging Britpop. Two Star Symphony ended the evening off with some kickass quartet action inspired by Dr. Dre and a short fat man who wrote some nasty things about them.”

So, what do Pattinson and opera have in common? They’ve both found a comfortable home in a revolutionary new concept on the frontiers of “The Digital Revolution”: SoFar Sounds – an entrepreneurial mix of intimate concert settings, online digital media and grassroots-gone-global promotion.

It’s easy to foresee such concepts becoming more and more prevalent as it becomes easier and easier to film high-quality videos and post them online for the world to experience. In fact, it wouldn’t be surprising if we saw a decline in live concert tours, as more artists take to the Net, where they can interact with fans from around the world instantaneously (and notably more cost-effectively). After all, who’s going to buy a $100 ticket to sit in an uncomfortable arena with thousands of drinking, screaming groupies, when you can download an intimate evening with the likes of Paul McCartney onto your laptop for free? And what artist or label is going to fund a multimillion-dollar tour to haul a band and crew around the world, when their fans are quite happy to stay at home in their pajamas and watch via a webcasting platform like LiveStream or UStream?

One thing is for certain: Artists and labels need to re-evaluate where their income is derived, because CDs, DVDs and maybe even concert tickets have gone the way of the Dodo. Keep your eye on “The Business Of Being Diva” for a (hopefully) upcoming interview with SoFar Sounds founder Passion Ate Dave himself.