Symphony performances, accompanied by filmed entertainment, represent one area of experiential licensing that has been hitting a high note for the past few years, especially but not exclusively among entertainment properties:
- Most recently, National Geographic partnered with Jason Michael Paul Entertainment for “National Geographic: Symphony for Our World,” which features a live performance of a symphony by Bleeding Fingers Music, complemented by National Geographic-produced natural history film footage. Fifty shows are planned for this year, starting with a San Francisco event on Earth Day that will be captured in a TV broadcast.
- Also this month, Sony’s Columbia Pictures, Ghost Corps, and Schirmer Theatrical announced the launch of Ghostbusters Live in Concert, which pairs a live orchestra playing the original score—as well as the famous “Ghostbusters” theme song by Ray Parker, Jr.—with a showing of the 1984 film. The tour will take place globally.
- CBS Consumer Products, Paramount Pictures, and CineConcerts created “Star Trek: The Ultimate Voyage,” a touring concert highlighting the music of the Star Trek TV series and films. It visited more than 100 cities in North America in 2016, the property’s 50th anniversary year.
- The Pokémon Company International and U-Live paired in 2015 for “Pokémon: Symphonic Evolutions,” with performances across North America and in the U.K. The Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra presented the latter. Projections of assets from the video games were shown on the big screen as the music played.
- Warner Bros. Consumer Products marked the 25th anniversary of its concert-plus-film event, “Bugs Bunny at the Symphony,” with a 20-city U.S. tour in 2015, including appearances with the New York and Los Angeles Philharmonic orchestras. The show features the symphonic music of the Looney Tunes shorts, performed while the animation is shown on screen. Orchestras globally have been including the concert in their seasonal schedules throughout the years since its debut in 1990.
As the Bugs Bunny example shows, licensed symphonic events are not new. Companies such as Disney and Lucasfilm have been creating such concerts for years, and many film soundtracks are offered for licensing to symphony orchestras around the world. The frequency has been on the rise of late, however, as licensors look for as many ways as possible to give their fans a deeper relationship with their properties and generate ancillary revenues.
Meanwhile, many symphony orchestras are facing challenging times, having difficulty filling the seats and meeting their financial goals. These sorts of events can bring in fans that love the film or other property being highlighted and have never been to a professional symphony concert before. Not only do the performances themselves see strong ticket sales and give the orchestra a burst of revenue, but some of the fans may enjoy their taste of symphony culture and come back for more.
Raugust Communications’ March e-newsletter comes out next Tuesday, March 20, 2018. The Licensing Topic of the Month will focus on technology and the need to move beyond gimmicks to add real value. The Datapoint research spotlight will highlight an aspect of magazine brand licensing. If you have not subscribed to this free monthly publication, you can do so here.
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