The Flaming Lips & MTV Embark On Live & Streaming Journey: 8 Concerts In 24 Hours

In an attempt to break the Guinness World Record for most concerts performed within a 24-hour span in multiple cities (currently held by rapper / entrepreneur Jay-Z), the Flaming Lips and MTV have teamed up to net broadcast an eight show tour. The kick off for O Music Awards - MTV’s celebration of the intersection of music and technology - begins Wednesday afternoon in Memphis and concludes the following day in New Orleans.

This concert feat is set to be one-part reality show (in true MTV fashion) and one part live music show. Several others have joined The Flaming Lips for this as well including Grimes, Neon Indian, Big Freedia, Givers, and Gary Clark, Jr. If simply getting the bands to all eight venues wasn’t a massive logistical feat on its own, MTV also must also be able to host a live stream of each performance from all of the venues. That’s eight shows in eight different cities across three states (Tennessee, Mississippi, and Louisiana)… in 24 hours.

Not only will the performances themselves be streamed, but also fans will be taken inside the tour bus as it transports the Flaming Lips to each show, which MTV will also be streaming. Given that they will be traveling through an area full of wide open space that doesn’t fare too well with reception and cell phone signals, MTV will employ a series of live video uplink units provided by LiveU. These uplink units will contain eight cell phone cards that will bundle together to create one powerful signal, and perhaps neatest of all, the technology will automatically search for the strongest signal from any of the four major cell phone carriers at any given time and automatically switch over. The feed will then transmitted to the cloud and sent to MTV’s mobile servers in New Orleans.

The Flaming Lips and MTV begin their record-setting attempt Wednesday, June 27 in Memphis at 7:30 pm EST. Tune in here.

—

Hisham Dahud is a Senior Analyst for Hypebot.com. Additionally, he is the head of Business Development for Fame House, LLC and an independent musician. Follow him on Twitter: @HishamDahud