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Writer's pictureLilan Kane

EPISODE 7: DEALING WITH LIVESTREAMING

OBS, Facebook, Instagram and More

Aired on Sunday, May 10, 2020



OUTLINE

THE NEW NORMAL

PROS AND CONS OF LIVESTREAMING

FEELINGS ABOUT LIVESTREAMS

LIVESTREAMING PLATFORMS

EXTERNAL LIVESTREAMING PROGRAMS

LIVESTREAM CHECKLIST

MONETIZING LIVESTREAMS





THE NEW NORMAL

Livestreaming has quickly become the new (and seemingly only) way of reaching our audiences as musicians in a live performance setting. We are sheltered in place but still have a reciprocal need to provide and receive music. This has led to people becoming very creative - concerts from home, “flying in” guests, virtual festivals, Instagram Verzuz, Zoom weddings and parties.


Predictably, we will be the last ones to get our livelihoods back, at least in the way that we have known for so long. It’s in our best interest to learn some of these programs so we can integrate them into our professional future. Think outside the box, you can build your fan base by including them in your journey. Let folks watch your songwriting/recording process, do a vlog talking about your experience during this time, share a hobby.



PROS AND CONS OF LIVESTREAMING

PROS

  • Viewers are consuming content on your time, not theirs

  • Easy to target a niche

  • It’s cheap

  • You can do it from the comfort of your own home (and in comfortable clothes!)

  • Offers real time engagement

  • You can repurpose and repost the content. Unless you have filmed all of your shows, usually they happen and they're over.

  • No need to edit footage

  • You have full creative control

  • Build your fan base

  • You can monetize them creatively

CONS

  • It takes work and preparation, sometimes more than for a traditional gig

  • You are reliant on technology and all of the glitches that come with it

  • You are reliant on the how the algorithms work in your favor or against it

  • You may not be aware of the technical difficulties as they are happening




FEELINGS ABOUT LIVESTREAMS

Not everyone wants to do them! It’s vulnerable! It’s weird! It’s unknown territory! It’s not a judgement free zone! All these things are true. Let’s talk about it.


  • There are certain people who are actively doing livestreams and it can make you feel like you should too. If that’s not your style that’s ok! You can still learn these programs and implement them for someone else. You could get work!

  • Nothing is weirder than playing your heart out to a computer screen. When do you end the song? Are people vibing to it? You don’t experience the same energetic exchange or applause. It is hard not to be in your head. Mistakes, technical glitches, and all. Embrace this and be easy on yourself because it is what it is.

  • Not only are you adapting to performing in a new way, you are also using a program that you have to operate while performing and make sure that is running smoothly. We have time right now. Play around with it, try it out with friends, set Facebook live to private and do a trial run.

  • It’s still social media, people can still chime in with their opinions. That is life.

  • Your stream doesn’t have to be perfect, but you are still representing yourself, so make sure you have goals and an objective. You will feel better and be more prepared which can help eliminate some of the above mentioned stressors.

  • Be prepared to put your ego aside about wanting to do the most. It is a new skill, set yourself up for success by being humble and taking the time to learn the programs and being okay with making mistakes...LIVE!


LIVESTREAMING PLATFORMS

  • Facebook live - Easier accessibility and shareability, easier to promote directly, better audio, and ability to repost, Algorithms can interfere with actual viewership

  • Instagram Live - Reach people you aren’t “friends” with, more tech glitches, it is a mirrored reflection, harder to share, promote, and repost

  • Youtube Live - global accessibility

  • Twitch

  • Periscope

  • Zoom - audio is harder to dial in

  • Where is most of your audience based? that can help you figure out which platform might be best for you to focus on



LIVESTREAMING PROGRAMS

  • OBS - can be used with facebook, zoom, instagram, restream, twitch , others and for recording

  • Restream - to stream to 30 + multiple platforms and manage comments in one place

  • Yellow Duck - to connect OBS to instagram

  • Promovgram - to connect OBS to instagram

  • When you are using multiple video inputs, it is more likely that you will experience technical difficulties

  • STREAMING ON MULTIPLE OUTLETS

  • Restream - you can stream to multiple outlets at once

  • Facebook cross streaming

  • Be careful, because sometimes these connections can interfere and cause delays, freezing, and audio problems



LIVESTREAM CHECKLIST

  • Have a strong wi-fi connection

  • Use a microphone and DI whenever possible - eliminate excess noise and get a quality sound

  • --there are great USB microphones, or use an interface

  • Test your audio by doing a recording through OBS or on Facebook live private stream

  • Less is more. Did you see Teddy Riley verzuz Babyface???

  • Run your sound through a mixer

  • Use headphones or in ears so you can hear yourself well

  • Make your place look nice and check out good lighting and camera angles *Neewer Ring Light Kit

  • Using an external camera is helpful for better angles and clarity

  • Have some talking points

  • Set goals - why are you doing it and what are you hoping to achieve - do you want people to buy tickets? Do you want to enrich the community involvement? Do you want it to be interactive or more like a concert?

  • Do a test run EACH time, even if your settings are the same

  • Learn about latency and understand reactions and comments may not filter through as quickly as you are performing

  • Have someone help you by monitoring the comments and pinning your tipjar

  • As soon as you are done, go back through comments and interact

  • IG - save your story at the end!

  • MAKE SURE TO END YOUR STREAM


MONETIZING YOUR LIVESTREAM

  • Signage - have a text overlay with your virtual tip jar, or a homemade sign that is PRINTED and easy to read (it will be backwards on IG so mirror the font)

  • Ask people to share it and/or host a watch party

  • Stream for at least 30 minutes to an hour

  • Pin your tipjar to the top of the comments, list it as your IG bio link

  • Make the link EASILY accessible - many people have lost viewers because they couldn’t find the link easily

  • Start your stream right away, don’t wait for people to join or you will lose them, or have some background music while they are waiting and be interactive

  • Promote - it will impact algorithms and exposure; do a teaser video, post about it, email list, countdown reminders, what you will be doing

  • Repost

  • If you do it on Facebook, download, save and upload to IGTV

  • Have a cause

  • Mention your tip jar like you would at a gig

  • Do something special and engage your listeners --Themes, requests, a new song, talk to the people!

  • Show love to other artists! They in turn may help spread the word about you


RECOMMENDED LINKS


LIVESTREAM PROGRAMS


ARTICLES FOR LIVESTREAMING

Complete Guide to Livestreaming for Artists - a great breakdown of the pros and cons of various platforms

How to use OBS & IG streaming Tutorial for yellow duck

GEAR




#mindyourbusiness #networking #yournetworkisyournetworth #musicbusiness


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