Prelude
A classical concert companion that gives you deep, opinionated context before, during, and after every concert you attend.
classical music enthusiasts attending live concerts who want richer context than generic program notes
- Pre-concert briefing: who the performers are, what to listen for, why this piece was programmed
- Intermission notes with interpretive angles drawn from professional critics
- Performer history and links to recommended recordings
- Post-concert reflection journal to capture what you heard
Post-pandemic classical festivals are drawing record crowds (the Lanaudière review notes audiences doubled on star-power alone), and audiences are hungry for the deep, opinionated criticism Le Devoir provides but most attendees never read.
Bachtrack listed 30,774 classical performances across 48 countries in 2024 and 2023 ticket sales hit 101.6% of 2019 pre-pandemic levels, indicating a recovering, sizable live audience; Sarasota Orchestra already runs a 'Concert Companion' podcast and Classical Notes markets itself to pros, confirming appetite for deeper context.All in the balance: Classical Music Statistics 2024 | Bachtrack ↗Sarasota Orchestra - Concert Companion ↗
The space is meaningfully crowded: Apple Music Classical ($10.99/mo after Primephonic acquisition), IDAGIO, Presto Music, Bachtrack, Classical Notes for professionals, Sarasota Orchestra's Concert Companion, plus historical Concert Companion (CoCo) PDAs — no dominant AI-opinionated live-companion yet, but the niche is far from open.Six of the best audio streaming platforms for classical music in 2023 ↗Classical Notes - Unlock the stories behind the music ↗
Classical fans demonstrably pay for premium classical-specific tools (IDAGIO ~$10-15/mo, Apple Music Classical $10.99/mo) and Le Devoir runs paid digital subscriptions, so willingness-to-pay exists; but the addressable audience for a concert-specific companion is a thin slice of those subscribers, capping revenue.Which subscriptions are available? | IDAGIO Support ↗Abonnement | Le Devoir ↗
Classical attendance is recovering faster than other performing arts per JCA Arts Marketing; 2024 saw tens of thousands of performances globally tracked by Bachtrack; recession and aging-audience headwinds exist (Ludwig Van) but the live classical ritual and appetite for curated commentary appear durable.Of the Performing Arts, Classical Music Attendance and Box Office Are Recovering Swiftest ↗2024 Classical Music Predictions - Ludwig Van Weekly ↗
An LLM-driven opinionated program-note layer is technically straightforward, but a live, geolocation-aware concert companion requires orchestra/venue partnerships, concert metadata feeds, and mobile build — moderately hard, not trivial.Classical Notes - Unlock the stories behind the music ↗