[June 03, 2011] Movement music festival in Detroit goes all out to reach online listeners worldwide Tweet May 29, 2011 (Detroit Free Press - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Boosters of Movement have long described the Detroit electronic music festival as a global party. On Saturday, it became just that, as thousands of Web users around the world tuned in to hear performances from the fest's five stages -- a first for the 12-year-old event. As Hart Plaza transformed into a loud, colorful swirl of edgy beats, fashion and youthful energy Saturday afternoon, the music was beamed out to the world via small, unassuming boxes tucked by the mixing board at each stage. The concept of live concert streaming certainly isn't new, and video feeds of events such as the Coachella festival have been heralded as Internet milestones. But Movement's move into full-time, three-day, five-stage audio streaming does emphasize a new era's arrival, made possible by advancements in bandwidth and technology. On Saturday, it symbolized the meeting of music and high-tech that has long been the festival's calling card. Movement's streams had drawn about 5,000 global listeners by midafternoon, said officials with Awdio, the French tech firm behind the Webcasts. "The dream is now possible," said Awdio CEO Vittorio Strigari, keeping tabs on a box and Internet router by the Red Bull Academy Stage. "This is exactly something that couldn't have happened before. We have the Internet -- we should be able to send whatever music we want all over the world." Strigari said the early traffic volume makes him confident Awdio will hit its weekend goal of 20,000 listeners. Awdio's proprietary technology, available for rental by clubs and DJs, is largely hands-off: Plug the DVR-size box into the mixing board and let it link up with an Internet signal, which sends the stream to servers in Virginia and California and lets the world listen. "I've got five boxes working automatically," said Awdio technology chief Thomas Lucas in a backstage office. "I've got nothing to do." Movement promoter Paxahau, an early leader in Web radio and online music archiving, made its first foray into live streaming a decade ago, with mixed results. "It was a technical nightmare then," said company cofounder Jason Clark, recalling shows in Hamtramck clubs. "Now, you've got this box that just does it for you." Awdio handles streams for about 200 clubs and events internationally, including prestigious festivals such as Spain's SONAR. But Movement is a feather in the cap. "Detroit is a worldwide brand for techno music," Strigari said. Movement's music had kicked off at noon with a set from Windsor's Matthew Hawtin, one of more than 100 performers on tap for the weekend. Late fill-in Paul Woolford -- subbing for an ill DJ Harvey -- kicked off the main-stage action with a hip-hop-laced mix of Gil Scott-Heron's "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised," a tribute to the poet-musician who died Friday at age 62. The skies over Hart Plaza had held out through late afternoon, as thousands streamed onto Detroit's riverfront for the first of three days. Festival officials said early ticket sales put the event on pace to meet last year's three-day attendance of 95,000. Contact BRIAN McCOLLUM: 313-223-4450 or [email protected] To see more of the Detroit Free Press, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.freep.com Copyright (c) 2011, Detroit Free Press Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For more information about the content services offered by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (MCT), visit www.mctinfoservices.com. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]