The Digital R&D Fund for Arts and Culture is a partnership between the Arts Council England, Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and NESTA to support arts and cultural organisations across England who want to work with digital technologies to expand their audience reach and engagement and/or explore new business models. Dero is a digital music project to enable live orchestral concerts to reach wider audiences online and in venues in the North East of England.

1. 1. What is your project? What are you trying to achieve?
A nascent network that streams
live and ‘encore’ (on demand)
music performances to regional
mixed arts venues and home
audiences.
Insert
We aim to co-produce and
distribute high-quality music
experiences and cultivate new
markets – while ensuring costs to
audiences remain competitive, the
music experience unparalleled and
producers see a realistic return.

2. 2. What will your project deliver?
Products and Knowledge Research
services and skills outputs
 Live and on-demand
 Deeper understanding  Audience mapping and
music performances –
of audience analysis
to venues and home
motivation, behaviours,  Case study for multiple
audiences
demographics, interests, audiences (business
 Exclusive behind the
propensity for future schools, arts
scenes access
engagement administrators, funders,
 Low barrier platform for
 Deeper understanding venues, musicians)
concert halls to
of affect of performance  Strategic advice/
distribute and mixed
on musicians (if any) analysis for moving
venues to access
 Knowledge and Dero forward/ business
 Longer term – archive;
exploration into the planning
products/recordings;
viability of various
benchmarking
business models, rights
database; educational
negotiation and
access
technological issues

3. 3. Who is in your R&D team? How are you working together
to make the project happen?
Arts / Cultural Organisation
• The Sage Gateshead & Northern Sinfonia
• Aurora Orchestra Technology provider
• Manchester Camerata • Videojuicer
• London Roundhouse • Aframe
• Maltings Theatre
• Alnwick Playhouse
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• Gala Durham Arts Centre & Cinema
• Otley Courthouse
Researchers Others
• Fusion Research & Analytics • Guardian online
• University of Cambridge Judge Business • Medici
School • BBC Classical Music Magazine

4. 4. What are you learning and developing that could be of
value to the sector?
Through technology, the ability to provide great artistic product to more people
at low cost
The ability to cultivate and scale a three-sided market/network
A new distribution platform and a new ‘brand’ that indicates very high quality
product/partners in a crowded marketplace
A better understanding of
- the affect of simulcasts performances on musicians/the art
- whether the ‘liveness’ of a streaming is important to the ‘success’ of the
performance
- the home/mobile vs. the live vs. cinema experience
The merits (and challenges) of exploiting simulcasting through a strategic
alliance rather than as a solo producer (a la Met Live in HD)

5. 5. Where are you in terms of your project’s development?
Challenges (fun)
Still to do
• +/- Multiple partners
Completed work • Media partnership /
2 live events (28 April, 6 marketing
May): • Audio/technology
1 live streaming issues in mixed arts
Portrait of Love, RNCM
Reverb: Love Song Concert Hall – venues
for the City, Aurora Manchester • Legal / rights issues
Orchestra,Insert
Camden (?)
Northern Sinfonia with
Roundhouse (25 Christian Vasquez, The • Our name!
February) Sage Gateshead • Building and
3 nearcasts (21 April, 12 corralling a
May and xx) fragmented market
• Finding the perfect
business model
Evaluate
Develop Develop Live to
Project launch audience
and test and test market
data