Launched in 2010 out of New York by founders Brian Lisi, Bob Frank, and Richard Johnson, Qello Concerts emerged with a focused mission: to become the world’s definitive streaming service for live concerts and music documentaries. At a time when platforms like Netflix and Hulu were building vast on-demand libraries of films and television, Qello carved out a unique niche by licensing long-form concert performances, behind-the-scenes footage, and music documentaries from both major and independent labels.
Qello’s proposition was simple but ambitious. For fans of live music and performance, there was no central digital destination to relive iconic shows or discover new performances. Qello offered on-demand access to full-length concerts across decades and genres, bringing the atmosphere of live shows into homes worldwide. Its content library featured legendary acts like Queen, Nirvana, and The Rolling Stones, alongside modern performers such as Imagine Dragons and Mumford & Sons.
Innovation Beyond the Stage
Beyond its on-demand concert catalog, Qello expanded into original programming and live events. In 2016, it introduced its first original series, “Evolution of a Song,” and began live streaming performances and festivals including the 2016 Lockn’ Festival and Slightly Stoopid with Bob Weir at TRI Studios. These efforts marked Qello’s attempt to go beyond archival content and embrace the immediacy of live performance.
Qello also launched Qello Media Solutions in 2015, offering white-label streaming infrastructure to other media companies. This business arm helped brands like Acorn TV build and manage their own digital streaming offerings. The diversification reflected Qello’s broader ambition to be both a consumer-facing platform and a technology partner.
A Platform That Traveled Everywhere
Accessibility was a pillar of Qello’s growth strategy. The platform was made available on a wide array of devices, including iOS, Android, Amazon Kindle Fire, Roku, Apple TV, Chromecast, and various smart TVs. It was even added to platforms like YouTube as a paid subscription channel and became one of the early streaming services to join Google TV and Amazon Fire TV.
Qello embraced global expansion early. By 2014, it claimed over 3 million users across 160 countries. Its all-access pass, a subscription model that gave users full access to its library, was complemented by Qello TV, a free service offering 30 curated channels of nonstop concert moments. Features like custom setlist creation, iTunes integration, and social logins gave the product a polished, user-friendly experience tailored to music lovers.
The Stingray Acquisition
In January 2018, Canadian media company Stingray Group acquired Qello, rebranding the service as Stingray Qello. The acquisition brought Qello into a larger portfolio of music-themed digital services and expanded Stingray’s global streaming footprint. While the Qello brand remained intact for some time, the transition to Stingray Qello marked the end of its independent journey.
The acquisition also ensured the continuation of Qello’s content and infrastructure, now with the backing of a more diversified media group. Qello’s leadership, including CEO Brian Lisi and President Bob Frank, had built a sustainable platform, and the Stingray deal secured a future for the core service, even if it meant Qello would no longer operate as a standalone brand.
Legacy and Lessons
Qello Concerts filled a void that no other platform had addressed so directly. In a world saturated with on-demand video, it proved that music fans craved a place to revisit iconic live performances and discover global talent. It also helped normalize the idea that streaming wasn’t just for film and television but could become the default way to consume concerts and music documentaries.
Its legacy lies in creating a specialized platform that respected the culture of live performance and brought it into the digital era. Qello also contributed to the early infrastructure of white-label OTT services, paving the way for smaller streaming brands to launch quickly without building everything from scratch.
Though Qello now exists under the Stingray banner, its influence remains embedded in how music content is distributed today. It serves as a case study in niche OTT strategy, proving that focused content, strong user experience, and smart partnerships can carve out meaningful space in a crowded streaming landscape.
