HITKOR Is Reshaping Live Performances With a ‘Boutique, High-End, and Groundbreaking’ Broadcasting Model 

En Vogue (Photo: HITKOR)

HITKOR is all about the fan experience — with an important twist. The company delivers high-end live-streaming capabilities from a well-appointed studio to artists, labels, and a global customer base. At its core, the platform revolves around a professional sound stage and a range of recording services and monetization options, all of which are now available to the music industry. “This is for you to reach your fans in a meaningful manner and present yourself in a groundbreaking way,” HITKOR says.Russ Miller, CEO of HITKOR, clarifies that they’re not in the business of being a publishing or content marketing company — and aren’t trying to be. “HITKOR’s business model is about a premium live-streaming entertainment experience,” Miller shared, relaying that HITKOR even allows fans to switch through different cameras and audio streams.

Alongside a global reach, the company introduces unique revenue pathways for artists, an elevated experience for their fans, and assets such as ‘a world-class Live crew specializing in music performances and high-definition isolated audio recording.’ Just recently, HITKOR joined forces with DMN to broaden awareness of their model.

Most significantly, artists retain their audio IP and the ability to collaborate with HITKOR to produce a unique and exclusive event. According to Miller, the expanded live experience is about a ‘boutique, high-level global offering that other players aren’t bringing.’ With its premium infrastructure, Miller believes HITKOR can provide these elevated offerings to every artist while maintaining a very green footprint — by dramatically reducing the resources consumed by conventional global touring.

Miller says HITKOR’s hybrid entertainment — for fans and artists — is the way of the future, adding, “HITKOR does not aim to replace live entertainment. Its purpose is to augment.”Miller offers a perspective you won’t find from a typical tech CEO. He’s a working musician and session drummer who has toured for many years with the likes of Andrea Bocelli and the Psychedelic Furs. Part working musician and part business owner, Miller knows the many nuts and bolts required to create a powerful live performance.

Accordingly, HITKOR’s inspiration stemmed from his passion for equipping artists with the tools they need to present fans with a quality stream of their performances.

HITKOR set for Stephen Glickman (Photo: HITKOR)

With that goal in mind, HITKOR allows fans to switch cameras in real time, enabling them to stream just like ISO cams and hear the performance in immersive audio.The platform also provides artists and creators accessibility to fans in far-off, expensive-to-tour territories.

“There are a ton of young rock bands with followings in certain places like Australia and Asia — but they need hundreds of thousands of dollars in travel and production to reach those fans. The math of touring and putting hefty resources into reaching that audience doesn’t work,” Miller explains, adding that these territories with bubbling fan bases are a significant opportunity for artists, but unlike ‘top tier artists whose touring companies can afford it or get corporate sponsorships’ to reach them, indie players do not enjoy the same luxuries.

So how does an artist reach hard-to-access fans and offer them the experience they deserve — without the incredible amount of resources that touring demands?Artists can pursue the traditional model of producing a show — renting a venue and getting a whole crew to capture and edit the piece. Or, artists can let HITKOR curate a premium experience for their fans — from start to finish.

According to Miller, HITKOR is an all-in-one solution for artists who need access to lucrative and expansive label resources. “We can work with artists who play theater-sized events, performing arts centers, etc. There’s a lot of opportunity on both sides — if the industry understands what we do.”

It’s an accessibility thing, explains Miller — another way to cultivate an audience and attain a wider reach. “We have a very indie approach to what we’re doing, but we’re doing it at a premium level.”

HITKOR’s facility in Simi Valley holds a ‘world-class’ sound stage and recording studio ‘with the latest and greatest Pro Tools HDX systems — where artists can do overdubs, remix, and do anything they want.’

For HITKOR’s one-of-a-kind offering, artists ‘don’t pay anything.’ Miller explains, “We pay. We’re not asking you for money or full licensing. It’s your music.”Artists also gain a full guarantee as though they’re doing a live show. But unlike a traditional venue, artists receive a 50/50 revenue split.

In return, HITKOR — without getting into the weeds of the agreements — receives a sync license to the audio and video recording that covers a one-year monetization deal on the HITKOR platform. After the contract expires, the artist can renegotiate terms to extend the monetization. Throughout it all, HITKOR owns the rights to the video, which the company can only use in collaboration with the artist. And the artist or label always retains ownership of the audio.

“It’s an artist-centric deal,” says Miller, explaining that with a HITKOR tie-up, artists will own ‘a world-class multi-track recording of their gig, which they can re-release.’As for record labels, Miller emphasizes that it’s an ‘excellent opportunity for an artist with a record coming out to do an online global record release party.’

In that scenario, the label would cover the artist’s cost, HITKOR would cover the production cost, and ‘everybody wins.’

Mitch Rossell (Photo: HITKOR)

Unfortunately, live performance fans are all-too-familiar with the shortage of good, highly accessible, well-organized live concert footage. For HITKOR, it all comes down to an optimized fan experience, and they’re betting on their high-end hybrid offer to deliver that at scale.

“It’s a challenging time for artists to figure out how they’re going to present themselves, in which way, and how they can make a living doing it — especially if they’re not huge artists,” Miller says.

As the economy introduces many novel challenges to the live concert industry, some artists have witnessed record success, while many middle-tier artists and performers have fallen by the wayside. Without a mammoth label or touring company resources behind them or enormous audience guarantees, these artists cannot afford to tour and reach their fan base — let alone cultivate a new one.And these economic challenges also crush viewers. With astronomical ticket pricing and other ancillary costs such as gas and parking, even the most devoted fans can now only commit to a fraction of the shows they may be interested in attending.

HITKOR believes there’s now a significant gap to bridge and an opportunity to provide fans access to unique content — that doesn’t cost them an arm and a leg.

In the face of rampant inflation and rapidly depleting spending power, HITKOR’s ‘hybrid solution’ is built to cater to evolving audiences. The company believes fans will soon become highly frugal — prioritizing live performances and festivals that they cannot bear to miss, and switching to watching other shows at home.

By design, HITKOR wants to cast a pretty wide net and is working to build a little bit of everything for viewers, with VOD a big part of the company’s model.“Audiences can watch a live show on HITKOR for a year after purchasing a ticket, with all the options to view it again in HITKOR’s unique ways. We’re adding VR 360 cams to the mix — where the fans join the artist on a virtual stage,” says Miller, adding, “All of the features exist in Encore VOD, even merchandising sales. Selling merch at shows the artist has already performed also presents a new source of revenue.”

Currently, HITKOR is selling everything a la carte and pay-per-view.

With a HITKOR tie-up, artists can cash in on several other potential upsides, including HITKOR’s lesser-known merch manufacturing company, Bold Hits, LLC in Chatsworth, CA. The in-house facility allows artists to create, produce, and sell exclusive merchandise in perpetuity — another cash flow option that comes with HITKOR’s boutique live stream model.

“To fully optimize the monetary benefits, artists need to help promote the HITKOR stream as though it’s a live show, which requires them to maximize their fanbase to sell tickets.”

Miller emphasizes that HITKOR’s offering is not a one-off opportunity for artists to grab and go. With global live streaming and a pay-per-view scenario for tickets and merch, HITKOR sells access  to the ‘event.’ At their end, artists can leverage their reach to ensure they don’t just have a show — ‘they have a floor-to-ceiling event experience for optimal commerce, the best artistic presentation, and a world-class show for all of their fans.’