By now most of us have tried live streaming performances. Even in a world beyond the pandemic, not every artist can readily perform at bars, festivals, or events. For those reluctantly turning to live streams, the landscape has evolved and lucky for you, it’s for the better! Livestreaming has become more refined and much more lucrative than ever before.
Here are our tips for navigating live streaming in 2024.
1. Create a Live stream that’s visually pleasing
Like anything, you want to create an experience and that starts with the visuals. Not only are you sharing your music, you’re sharing your entire process and journey. When live streaming, it’s important to have no distractions. Your backdrop should be visually pleasing, but not distracting. Some examples of distractions include: people walking in the background, open doors or closets, a very vibrant or crowded backdrop image, etc.
You’ll also want to have good lighting. What most first time live streamers fail to compensate for is brightness. Ring-lights are incredibly popular for live streaming, but there are other ways to add light to your stream. Find something that fits your aesthetic and participate in test runs with close friends or family to ensure your stream will have enough brightness.
Lastly, dress your best. We know this concert is taking place from inside your bedroom, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t treat it like an actual performance. Your fans are still here to watch you perform, even if it’s not in person. So make sure you dress as if you were actually performing at a venue.
2. Consistency is Key
This is one we say a lot. Attention spans get shorter and shorter every year. People forget events unless they are constantly reminded. Humans are creatures of consistency. They follow along better when they have a recurring schedule. As an artist and creator, it is your job to keep your viewers coming by staying consistent with your live streams. Make a plan or schedule of what and when you’re going to live stream and stick to it. Tailor your streams to your fans. Go live when it’s most convenient for them, research when they’re on social media, and perform something they would enjoy. Make something intriguing and worth your time and theirs.
3. Choose your preferred live streaming platform
As live streaming became more and more popular throughout the pandemic, more platforms began to conform to live streams. Nowadays, there are a multitude of platforms to choose from. To name a few, here’s a list of the most common platforms to live stream on (besides social media):
The Volume.com Artist Accelerator Program is the live streaming platform’s continued effort to be an artist-centric and artist-first platform by helping independent musicians like you to grow, monetize, and engage with your communities. The program includes additional career-accelerating opportunities including: weekly streamer grants, showcases, and opportunities to play at Volume.com’s venue network across the US.
With progressing live streams, there also comes progressing monetization tactics. The most common forms of earning money from live streaming come in bundles, tips/donations, and outbound links. With bundles, you can have select merch on sale only during live streams, or merch that is unique to each particular live stream. This creates an incentive to buy because it is one-of-a-kind or exclusive, two things many people search for. You can also ask for tips and donations through a virtual tip jar where fans can contribute.
Live streaming is also a fantastic way to identify your superfans. Which brings me to…
5. 2024 is the Year of the Superfans
It’s time to embrace the live-streaming wave and leverage it to expand your base of superfans. What makes live streaming particularly valuable for identifying superfans is its ability to reveal who is tuning in, who might be joining VIP Fanclubs, and who actively engages with your content. This proves invaluable when strategizing tours, developing new merchandise, and exploring monetization opportunities.Make no mistake, superfans are your best avenue to a steady, profitable career.
In this era of the Superfan, understanding and capitalizing on this is what will set you apart. Live streams not only foster a sense of community but also serve as a direct way for fans to demonstrate their support through donations, ticket purchases, and participation in VIP Fan Clubs like the ones Volume offers. Encourage interaction, solicit feedback, and watch your fanbase grow.
6. Have good tech
Having good tech is incredibly essential to live streaming. The last thing you want is your mic to cut out, your laptop to die, or for you to lose connection in the middle of your live stream. Imagine watching that happen with your favorite band?
A good thing to do is to check your camera, computer, and any other tech you have, the night before your stream to make sure they have solid charge and are connected to the internet without any hiccups. While you can easily stream from your phone – especially if you have a really good, new phone – it might be nice to invest in some high-tech gear. This can be a good mic, headphones, audio mixer, cables, or camera.
7. Be Yourself
Last but certainly not least, when live streaming, remember to be yourself. The most intriguing form of live streaming is one with personality and energy. What makes you unique? That’s what people want to know. They are more interested in seeing who you are behind the music. The best way to get people to watch your live stream is to be yourself and share that vulnerability and intimacy with your fans.
More Live-Streaming Tactics Coming Soon
As live streaming continues to grow, there are more features coming soon to keep an eye out. Even TikTok has launched a Livestreaming element with chatbox, gifts, and real-time followings to help you grow at a much more rapid speed.
TikTok isn’t the only app looking to expand their live streaming capabilities. Twitch is also adding something new this year,after gaining popularity with artists over the pandemic. Twitch recently released a new program in an attempt to give their streamers more monetization opportunities. This feature will offer creators a more predictable monthly income. All streamers have to do is what they do best; stream.
Plus, there’s Volume.com’s own streaming program which allows musicians to establish a community and enable fans to contribute financially through similar means: livestream attendance, gifts, and more. All you have to do is sign up for a Volume accountand from there you can set up a Fan Club account and start earning money through that and your live streams!
Interested in live streaming but not quite sure how to market and promote your stream? Download this FREE live streaming checksheet for more information on best practices for live streams.
