• Information Systems Review
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.77-101
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• 2023

Due to COVID-19, paid virtual live-stream concerts have emerged as an alternative format and a new revenue model for in-person live concerts. Despite the increasing scholarly and practical interest in how participants experience paid virtual live-stream concerts, few studies examined participants' consumption and participation experiences. Thus, this study aims to provide insights into consumers' virtual live-stream concert experience by employing social representations theory (SRT). We explore the features of paid virtual live-stream concerts based on the C-P-N-D (Content-Platform-Network-Device) framework and the consumers' cognitive and affective perception. To this end, an SRT-based core-periphery analysis was conducted based on 239 responses to the open-ended survey questions. The results show that network-and device-level features of virtual live concerts and participants' overall perception are presented as core elements of paid virtual live-stream concerts, whereas content- and platform-level features are peripheral elements. This finding provides an in-depth understanding of the emergence of paid virtual live-stream concerts as an alternative concert format, thereby providing an invaluable understanding of a virtual live concert experience and theoretical and practical insights.