Beyonc , Taylor Swift, and the Soaring Popularity of Concert Films Ralph Jaccodine of Berklee's Music Business/Management Department delves into the recent concert film phenomenon and its future trajectory.
By
Tori Donahue
November 28, 2023
Taylor Swifts Eras Tour film was a blockbuster at the box office in October, setting the stage for a larger trend in the music and movie industries.
Photo by Getty Images
Ralph Jaccodine, assistant professor in the Music Business/Management Department at Berklee, has held various roles in the industry for over 30 years as a concert promoter, record label owner, concert director, and manager. He has worked with Bruce Springsteen, Kiss, Rush, Hall & Oates, and Foreigner, among other prominent artists over the years. These days, Jaccodine often finds himself in discussions about one artist in particular, Taylor Swift, sharing his insights on the economic impact of her record-breaking Eras Tour in interviews with Bloomberg, CNN, and other outlets.
On the heels of the blockbuster Eras Tour concert film, and right before Beyonc 's highly anticipated Renaissance World Tour hits theaters on December 1, we talked to Jaccodine about how these movies are setting a trend that the industry will likely see for years to come.
Taylor Swift's Eras Tour film was a blockbuster and Beyonc 's Renaissance World Tour film is on track to do similar damage at the box office. Is there anything specific about this moment in time that is driving up the appeal of these types of movies?There's few artists that can propel the economy of a market like Taylor Swift. It's similar when Paul McCartney and Bruce Springsteen tour, but this is bigger and it's more deeply rooted in families and multiple generations. People are taking vacations and traveling to see artists like Taylor Swift and Beyonc . The thing I like about the movie idea is that a lot of the movies are going to independent film houses that are community-based, and that's intentional. It's helping the theaters out a lot. It doesn't cost that much money to go to see a concert film, and you don't have to pay for parking and a hotel like a tour performance. People who can't get around or are possibly too old or too young to go to a show-this provides an accessible way to see these artists perform. At a Taylor Swift or Beyonc or Woodstock movie, you're with a tribe.
Can you describe the novelty of experiencing a concert film in a theater versus an on-demand streaming platform like Netflix?It's very simple-the energy is there. You're with people who love the music and love the art. When you're in a group of 65,000 people united by music at a stadium, it is religious and it is everything good about life. It's a really powerful experience. And that does translate to movies, especially niche moves like if you're a horror film person or if you're a U2 fan or something like that-you're with your people. And it's a beautiful experience. These films are interactive and ideal for fan engagement.
Describe the deals that artists and movie distributors negotiate to make these kinds of films possible. It's a whole different kind of economic factor in that you're not dealing with major ticketing platforms, you're dealing with theaters and chains directly and you have more leverage. AMC will benefit from these films just like independent theaters. This also gives the artist a chance to negotiate, because you know the theaters are going to make money on concessions and the idea that folks will come back in the future. There's a whole generation of people-maybe even two, because of Covid-who aren't going to movie theaters, and the young kids don't know about that experience and it gets people back into the space, yielding more customers who will see more movies.
Between the Beyonc and Taylor Swift concert films and the rerelease of Talking Heads' Stop Making Sense in theaters, is this now a trend? Do you expect to see this from other artists in the future?I think it's going to happen all the time now. A lot of artists and their fans are also very conscious of climate change. For the environment and sustainability, it's a historical document that will live on. You don't need people to drive hundreds of miles to access it. What we're seeing is that there will be future concert films of artists who have passed away-that is how estates will make money and continue to get the music out there. With virtual reality and augmented reality, these technologies make these concerts very immersive and unbelievably realistic, and that is technology that's happening right now.
Do you see any particular advantages or drawbacks of these films in terms of their impact on the movie or film industry itself?Artists should be doing this-the idea of when they come to town, they soak up a lot of money. That means possibly the smaller clubs or smaller bands . . . may get hurt. But I think, all in all, if Taylor Swift is how people are raising their kids and they see a concert, that means they like music. And if they like Taylor Swift, they might like Dolly Parton or . . . Ed Sheeran. I think it's good for music. It gets people out seeing the beauty of live music, and technology and AI and augmented reality are going to change that. The idea is to get people away from their screens to see music and buy music. I love the fact that people are going to movie theaters for a great experience. It's a brave new world and we should be talking about this.
Related Categories
Keyed In
News
Most Popular
Elena Pinderhughes
Image courtesy of the artist
Berklee Announces 2023 Fall Signature Series Lineup This years series will feature Elena Pinderhughes, Braxton Cook, Pavel N ez, and the Pletenitsa Balkan Choir, as wel
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
13/11/2026
The UIM E1 Series wraps its third season this week with the Bombay Sapphire E1 Miami GP, Nov. 11-14, on Biscayne Bay at the Miami Seaplane Base on Watson Island...
13/11/2026
In-venue and creative video staffers at the professional and collegiate level ha...
13/11/2026
Singer-songwriter Benson Boone will headline entertainment for the Discover NHL Winter Classic between the Utah Mammoth and Colorado Avalanche at Rice-Eccles St...
13/11/2026
Blackmagic Design has announced the Blackmagic Ambisonic Microphone, a 7th order ambisonic microphone array that captures spatial audio for immersive video prod...
13/11/2026
SMPTE has announced that The Studio B&H and Riedel Communications will provide the video infrastructure and communications technology for the Solutions Hub at t...
13/11/2026
The Hollywood Professional Association (HPA) has announced the theme and program focus for the 2027 HPA Tech Retreat, which takes place Feb. 14-18, 2027, in La ...
13/11/2026
Football Manager 27 Touch is available on Apple Arcade starting today. The game ...
13/11/2026
MotoGP has announced a two-year media rights agreement with ESPN covering the Un...
13/11/2026
Apple Sports, the free iPhone app, has added the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) to its lineup of supported sports, in time for Saturday's UFC 334. The...
13/11/2026
The NBA and Fanatics Studios, the joint venture between Fanatics and entertainme...
13/11/2026
ESPN held its annual EDGE Innovation Conference last night and offered up an ove...
13/11/2026
Regional sports network gives Ithaca College, SUNY Cortland students a platform to thrive
One of the biggest games in Division III college football will be pla...
13/11/2026
Studer-inspired 500-series PWM compressor unveiled
The HLabs range already includes a couple of Studer-inspired offerings in the form of the PRE169 and EQ16...
13/11/2026
Download Now!
To view the white paper, please enter the following details:
--
First Name* First Name
Company*
Country* Please select your countryA...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Blue Lucy, the workflow orchestration and integration platform for broadcasters, rights owners and localisation companies, today announced an integration with c...
13/11/2026
Krotos announces Black Friday offers on Studio Pro and Studio Max
Brie Clayton November 12, 2026
0 Comments
First-year annual plans start at US$195.99...
13/11/2026
Blackmagic Design Announces Blackmagic Ambisonic Microphone
Brie Clayton November 12, 2026
0 Comments
New 7th order ambisonic microphone with 108 MEMS...
13/11/2026
Meet the Berklee Student Setting Planetary Motion to Music With his compositional platform SoniKosmos, Javier Roqueni aims to make the universe the ultimate i...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , er...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , er...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Amagi, the media industry cloud company, today announced a partnership with Golden Times Media Technology (stock code 920021.BJ), a Beijing-based media and tech...
13/11/2026
CGI (TSX: GIB.A) (NYSE: GIB), one of the largest independent IT and business consulting services firms in the world, together with its Malaysian partner, Cedar ...
13/11/2026
SMPTE, the home for media professionals, technologists and engineers, today announced that The Studio B&H and Riedel Communications will provide the video infra...
13/11/2026
iWedia, a global leader in connected TV software solutions, will present its software-first approach to DRAM optimization at Android TV APAC Summit 2026 in Bang...
13/11/2026
Beginning today, November 13, Apple HomeView is available for purchase at Apple Store locations, on the Apple Store online, and in the Apple Store app in select...
13/11/2026
From pediatric research to smart hospitals, AI is helping care teams spend less time on routine tasks and more time with patients.
Health systems and startups...
12/11/2026
Industry leaders examine how Dynamic Media Facility, Media eXchange Layer, and c...
12/11/2026
The junior Tar Heel is embracing the technical and creative challenges of live production while emerging as a leader and mentor in the control room...
12/11/2026
Gracenote, Nielsen's content intelligence business, has released its fifth a...
12/11/2026
RTL Deutschland will bring the NHL to free-to-air TV in Germany starting Nov. 30...
12/11/2026
Clear-Com supported On Air 2026, a 24-hour student-led broadcast connecting 45 u...
12/11/2026
uniqFEED has opened a Remote Operations Center (ROC) in Madrid, Spain. It is already operational, delivering virtual advertising for LaLiga matches. The ROC is ...
12/11/2026
Disney, ESPN and the NBA will present Dunk the Halls, the third real-time animated NBA game using Sony's Beyond Sports data visualization technology, on Chr...
12/11/2026
Van Wagner has launched Van Wagner RELAY, a digital platform for official athlet...
12/11/2026
Deal brings together two of the industry's most established graphics brands and significantly expands Vizrt's footprint in U.S. sports and regional broa...
12/11/2026
Euro TV Production GmbH of Austria has upgraded its outside broadcast vehicle with Lawo technology. The mc 36 Classic console in service since 2019 was replaced...
12/11/2026
Tagboard has launched Spark Resize, an AI-assisted tool now in beta that takes an existing graphic and produces a new version for a different aspect ratio or sc...
Beyonc , Taylor Swift, and the Soaring Popularity of Concert Films Ralph Jaccodine of Berklee's Music Business/Management Department delves into the recent concert film phenomenon and its future trajectory.
