Live8 Concert Web Broadcast Breaks New Ground And Sets Records

According to Digital Music News, "This weekend’s Live8 concert juggernaut set a number of records, with a massive lift in political awareness complimented by some technology firsts."

"AOL touted a one-day streaming record on the event, pointing to a total of 5 million streams. Volume hit a peak of 175,000 simultaneous requests…That helped AOL Music show off its suite of free services, with non-AOL members flocking to the multi-city coverage. Other firsts happened in the mobile sector, with 26.4 million viewers texting their support for a petition supporting an end to extreme poverty in Africa, easily besting a 5.8 million record set by an episode of American Idol. On the downloadable music front, a version of "Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Heart’s Club Band" as performed by Bono and Paul McCartney was made available for paid digital download within an hour of the song ending."