By I do miss a lot of things that I haven’t done since the pandemic hit. One of which would be watching a live concert. I miss that adrenalin rush when the lights dim when the show is about to start. Being at the same area as your favorite musicians and the energy that they exude whenever they give an exceptionally good performance, you feel it and it’s absolutely priceless. Unfortunately, I personally think that it would still take a while before we can go back to how things were, and that includes attending live concerts. That’s why I’m grateful for companies like KUMU who actually understands that longing of a music fan to be able to watch their favorite musicians perform and interact with, therefore launching KUMU LIVE EVENTS.
KUMU is a Philippine based streaming application that you can download on your android or Apple phone for free. This app gives way to new age entertainment and communication via live streaming. In a few days they’d be launching the latest feature of the brand and that is KUMU LIVE EVENTS. I spoke to Mariel Bitanga, KUMU LIVE EVENTS’ Director of Live Events to explain to us what KUMU LIVE EVENTS is all about and what can current and future KUMU users expect from this latest project. Mariel is not a stranger to facilitating startup companies and projects, that’s why being part of building KUMU LIVE EVENTS from the ground up is nothing but exciting for her and a challenge that she’s ready to take on.
HOW DID THE KUMU LIVE EVENTS COME ABOUT?
Mariel: When I started talking to the heads of KUMU, they already had an idea that they wanted to build KUMU LIVE EVENTS. Aside from the fact that we are still in a pandemic and we can’t go to face-to-face concerts yet, one idea is that they want to offer our users a different experience as well. We wanted to add another layer of offering for our users besides what they usually experience on the app.
On the app, what they see are different streams, there are concerts as well but those are free and they can watch that through the app. In KUMU LIVE EVENTS we created a platform where these are ticketed or gated events and there’s more production value behind them. We want to create a new platform for our users and to grow our ecosystem even more.
HOW DOES KUMU LIVE EVENTS WORK?
Mariel: KUMU LIVE EVENTS is on https://www.kumu.live/, that’s the web version of our app. That’s where they can watch the shows and get their tickets. You’ll see our upcoming events there and if you want to purchase a ticket, you can do so by using a credit card, debit card, GCash, and PayMaya. The best browser to use would be Google Chrome, Brave, or Edge browsers. You only need your computer or mobile and of course you need to have a KUMU account to buy a ticket.
HOW OFTEN WILL THE CONCERTS BE HAPPENING?
Mariel: We have concerts lined up every month. We’ll have tiny gigs, so that’ll basically feature some of our top streamers on KUMU. On May 22, our first big one would be Ben & Ben. Right now, we’re focusing on mostly local talents but we are in talks with some foreign acts so hopefully those will push through.
WHY DID KUMU CHOSE BEN & BEN AS THE FIRST GROUP TO HOLD A MAIN VIRTUAL CONCERT ON KUMU LIVE EVENTS?
Mariel: They’re one of the most talented and popular bands in the Philippines today. Ben & Ben hasn’t done a virtual private concert yet apart from maybe their partnerships from other brands, but those you can watch for free. Ben & Ben will serenade us with their beautiful songs, and you can expect some engagement components as the VIP ticket holders will have a chance to have a virtual meet & greet wherein, they’ll be in a private room online with Ben & Ben. They’ll get a chance to interact and chat with them.
The general admission (P499) ticket is just an access to the main show; the performance. The VIP (P999) ticket holders, aside from access to the main show, will have entry to the 20-minute meet & greet, wherein there will be a host moderating and Ben & Ben will be there. Let’s say there’s a question of yours that’s get chosen, they’ll get to answer.
WHAT CAN PEOPLE EXPECT FROM KUMU LIVE EVENTS?
Mariel: We already have other concerts lined up, for June we already have three. Watch out for that. Aside from concerts, we would like to have fan meets as well in the future.
In cooperation with MYX PH, KUMU LIVE EVENTS presents Ben & Ben as their first main act to grace this latest online concert feature of KUMU. Tickets are P499 for general admission and P999 for VIP. You can buy your ticket/s at https://www.kumu.live/ .
Follow me on KUMU: denisemallabo , as I have my regular show there called Drinks with Denise every Friday and Saturday at 6pm.
Denise J. Mallabo 