Technology changes monumentally every decade or so. Think back a dozen

years ago to the Live Aid concerts, when the music world was awed as

mega-millionaire Phil Collins performed in London, hopped on a Concorde jet

and played a set in Philadelphia just hours later.

On Saturday a similar intercontinental musical event took place--but its

execution was instantaneous, and moreover, was available to artists who

fall well short of millionaire status.

As part of the Intel-sponsored New York Music Festival, Finnish electronic

experimentalists RinneRadio played a set in the Big Apple, which was

instantly transmitted via ISDN line to Finland. There, New York's DJ

Spooky created a live remix of RinneRadio's music, which was then sent back

to New York. Fans listening to the Finnish band got an immediate broadcast

of Spooky's mix.

Meanwhile, fans in their living rooms all over the world could tap into

audio or video cybercasts streaming from the 20 New York clubs that took

part in the four-day festival. And tap in they did. The

festival web site (www.thegig.com) was visited by thousands of music fans. The "Global Internet Gathering," as the

festival site was billed, was indeed global: 45 percent of the site's

visitors came from outside the United States.

Andrew Rasiej, festival co-producer and owner of New York's Irving Plaza

venue, told ATN the event's success was "fantastic." Rasiej was

particularly proud of the festival's cybercast of the 400 participating

bands. "Every show except for two--actual performances of artists--made it

out to the web.," Rasiej said. "I would basically say we were at 100 percent

[success]."

Both Progressive Networks, the maker of Real Audio and Video software, and

Intel, the festival's sponsor, sent representatives out to the clubs to

ensure the cybercasts' success. "We just made sure that the lines stayed

up and connected and that the modems were working properly," Rasiej said.

"Once we established contact, we just made sure people didn't spill beer on

it. And it worked--it actually worked."

Intel spokeswoman Wendy Hafner said the audio and video cybercasts during

the event were between 90 and 100 percent successful. Computer kiosks set

up at each club, however, were slightly less triumphant due to problems with

touch-screen software. At any given time, 70 percent were functioning

properly.

Nonetheless, Hafner cites the kiosks as an important element for the

festival. Especially popular were the video phones set up in six venues to

facilitate conversations between fans and artists at different clubs. "I

talked to Jill Sobule at the Bottom Line on Wednesday night," said Hafner,

"and she was talking to fans at other venues. She said, 'Yeah, I was back

there talking to people, and they said aren't you supposed to be performing

Jill?' And she goes, 'Yeah, I'm just warming up to be performing.'"

For Rasiej, this year's Intel festival served as a successful beta run for

the Digital Club Network that he and co-producer Michael Dorf dream of

establishing. "We would permanently connect 40 to 60 clubs around the

world on a 24 hour basis, and allow people to visit those clubs using

whatever technology best can do it. Trying to give these clubs

connectivity and permanent access to one web site is an idea that we've

been sort of mulling about for a while. The biggest issue for us in the

past has been some of the costs and being able to maintain a stable

network. I think the technology has moved along far enough that you can do

it."

Intel, which sponsored the festival for the first time this year, also

considered the event a victory. Hafner predicted that the computer chip

giant will sign on again to underwrite next year's festival. "The music

industry knows that we've arrived and that we want to help them get their

content on the Internet and the PC," Hafner said. "I think the artists

there understood we were there as well. I believe that we will be doing if

not this exact thing, then something very much like this, but probably on a

larger scale. That's where we're at right now. We're thinking of doing

something bi-coastal, something in San Francisco and New York. But that's

to be discussed and negotiated with the festival offices."

And what did fans think of this year's event? A sampling of only a few

festival-goers found them by and large pleased with the whole affair.

Arthur Hurwitz, 32, said that he believes 'Net festivals hold particular

appeal for young people unable to attend shows. "As a teenager, I didn't

have anyone to go with, or concerts were too far away," he said. On the

downside, however, Hurwitz wondered if the atmosphere of say, a Sonic Youth

show, would translate over a computer transmission.

"I'd like for technology not to have prohibitive costs, "

said Janine Papp, 22, who publishes the print 'zine Temple of Sting. While waiting for Friday night's Girls Against

Boys show, Papp said she would tune in to transmissions on the Net, but

would not pay a cover fee to watch a show from across the world at a club

kiosk. Papp said

she's "totally interested in the free speech element of the Internet."