When bluegrass festivals and concerts started offering streaming access to live performances during the COVID shutdowns last year, it seemed that a new industry was being born. While not as exciting as watching music live and in person, it did offer music lovers a chance to see and hear their favorite artists while everyone was shut in at home. And once people began to get accustomed to watching from the comfort of their homes, we all expected to see this as a continuing trend.
The Industrial Strength Bluegrass Festival in Ohio, formerly known as the Southern Ohio Indoor Music Festival, has announced today that streaming passes will be available for their November event, occurring next weekend in Wilmington, OH. Joe Mullins and his family, who produce these spring and fall festivals, experimented with the streaming technology earlier this year when the Industrial Strength Bluegrass album released, and are prepared to make the evening performances November 11-13 accessible on all platforms for less than the in-person tickets.
To accomplish this, the festival is partnering with the National Tractor Pulling Association, who are in the habit of live streaming their many events each year. The NTPA has provided their video crews to the festival for several years to operate the live camera feeds offered in the auditorium. This year the stage show will be beamed to livestream ticket holders to watch on their smart TVs, laptops, tablets, or phones.
Scheduled to appear next weekend in Wilmington are:
- Joe Mullins and The Radio Ramblers
- Darin & Brooke Aldridge
- Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver
- Nothin’ Fancy
- Bobby Osborne & The Rocky Top X-Press
- The Quebe Sisters
- The Po Ramblin’ Boys
- Alan Bibey & Grasstowne
- Donna Ulisse
- Danny Paisley & The Southern Grass
- The Malpass Brothers
Livestream passes can be purchased online for $24.95 per day, or $49.50 for all three days. Full ticket details can be found online.
