How many times have you missed out on seeing your favorite band in town? I’ve lost count on how many times I’ve been stuck at work while one of my favorite artists hosts a show in Tribeca. Or how many shows I didn’t even hear about until the morning before when everyone on my newsfeed is SO EXCITED TO GO and it’s too late to buy tickets. Maybe you’re a fan of an artist who will never ever pass through your one-horse town, or you’re a Brooklyn hipster and we’ve never heard of your favorite band (and neither have the concert venues.)

Spacebar, a new app for your iPhone is prepared to change the dynamic of concerts and the live show experience.  Artists can now stream their shows via the Spacebar app on their iPhone, and all you have to do is tune in on your phone when they play.

Here’s the catch: you can only listen in when the artist is actually playing the set. There’s no recording or archiving of anything; once the show is over, you can’t listen anymore. Before users can even listen to your concert, they have to agree to not copy, record or distribute what they hear or watch on Spacebar.

Still, despite the strict privacy restrictions, this a pretty sweet idea. Sure you’re not getting the complete live experience, but for just a few dollars, you can buy a virtual ticket and blast your favorite band’s live concert right in the comfort of your home.

And who wants the “complete” live experience anyway? I’d rather not get thrown up on by some drunk girl (this has happened) or get someone’s entire drink spilled on my new shirt (this has also happened).  Nor do I want to pay $4 for a bottle of water or $9 for a cup of beer.

Not only is Spacebar a great experience for fans at home, you can rest assured knowing that the artists benefit as well. They get paid for all the Spacebar tickets they sell, and after the show ends, they can see some statistics about the listeners who were tuning in to their performance. Can you say marketing?

Spacebar will only be as good as the people who use it. So our fingers are crossed that lots of good artists start using the app so that the Spacebar community can take off properly.

Mumford and Sons are playing but you and your friends don’t want to shell out all the cash? Invite everyone over to your place, spend a few bucks on a Spacebar ticket, blast the music over your sound system and have a good time. Just you, your friends and some good beer. Cheers to that.