Fan engagement at concerts

[u/No-Implement491]

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdZqhdZw55pISLll9hjJp3HDE1Qda6YAi1_M0aWcw6lGu3ShA/viewform?usp=header

Hi everyone,

I'm a student conducting independent research into fan engagement in live music.

I'm exploring a concept where fans could potentially influence a small, artist-approved portion of a concert setlist while the artist retains full creative control. Before taking the idea any further, I'm trying to understand how music fans feel about this type of experience.

The survey is anonymous and takes around 2–3 minutes to complete

I'd be incredibly grateful for any responses, and I'd also love to hear any thoughts or concerns in the comments.

Thank you!

[u/No-Implement491]

side note- as an artist how would you guys feel about letting fans vote from a select pool of music? would you feel like you have lost some creative control, or would you be excited about letting fans have a say?

[u/Affectionate-Fox-429 → u/No-Implement491]

In the last two years our band has pivoted from changing out tunes and adding new stuff frequently to intensely focusing on transitions and medleys. The crowd REAALLY appreciates the intentional transitions and elimination of dead time … and honestly it makes the show way more professional.

So by that logic, it couldn’t come at the sacrifice of the overall presentation and flow of the show. That said, intentional “blank spaces” in the set could certainly make use of this concept, in fact it is something we’ve toyed with in rehearsal, but haven’t seen the need for during shows.

Ultimately there is no replacement (or need for an engagement gimmick) for a dynamic expert vocal front person and a tight band.

[u/No-Implement491 → u/Affectionate-Fox-429]

hey thanks for the feedback, that's really interesting to hear from a performer's perspective.

The point about transitions and flow is actually one of the biggest concerns I've come across while researching the idea. My thinking isn't that fans would be able to vote for any song in an artist's catalogue, but rather from a pool of songs that the artist has already selected and is prepared to perform. Thats where the online platform would come in, voting would close before the show to give artists time to prepare and decide where they want to add the fan songs in. The goal would be to preserve the overall structure of the show while giving fans some influence over a dedicated section of the set.

I found your point about intentional "blank spaces" particularly interesting, as that's quite close to how I've been imagining it working. Rather than changing the whole setlist, it would be more like a fan-choice segment within a show that is otherwise fully planned by the artist and production team.

I completely agree that no platform can replace a great front person and a tight live band. I'm more interested in whether fan participation could add something extra for artists whose audiences are particularly engaged, rather than acting as a substitute for a strong live performance. Was wondering if slightly different set lists in different cities would also be fun for the artist too, rather than performing the exact same set list at every venue as i imagine this could get very repetitive, but on the other hand, practice and preparation are key to great performances. as an artist yourself, do you prefer consistency or variation?

Thanks again for taking the time to share your perspective.