Live streaming is having a massive surge since the corona pandemic hit the world. Every night from 7 pm onwards your Instagram explodes with myriads of live streams.
Surely, live streaming did exist beforehand.
However, most usage is for on-demand streaming. What does that mean?
That means everything from Netflix to Spotify. The file providers server is hosting the file.
A stream happens when you as the user click on a movie on Netflix, for example. Live streaming is different, however.
The content does not exist beforehand. It all happens right in the moment of capture.
Since the corona lockdown forced all touring to stop and no concerts or festivals are possible to happen, a lot of musicians turn their attention to live streaming.
This gives them the opportunity to showcase their material as well as staying in touch with their fanbase. There may be a surplus of live streaming going on right now.
Everyone tries to jump onto the bandwagon and participate in live streaming. For once, it is probably out of a fear of missing out.
If all of your competitors do live streaming then surely you need to do the same? Also, if you just had planned on starting your tour, you’re probably hungry to play the new material.
No matter the circumstances. It is also a great way of staying in touch with your band or collaborators.
However, the big questions still is, what will happen to live touring and concerts? Yes, there are numerous relaxations coming for the corona lockdown.
At least in some European countries. But will they be enough to revitalise the live sector?
Even if concerts will be allowed again. There will still be regulations on how many people can access a room and many more.
Can live streaming replace real concerts?
The big elephant in the room is simply: can live streams replace real concerts?
For once, most live streams are happening for free. Of course, in a crisis like this, everyone wants to do their fair share for the community.
And if you’re musician, of course, you want everyone to enjoy your content in an ethical way.
However, the big difference in concerts is that everyone is simply used to pay for a ticket. Because concerts have been around for centuries if not longer, society en large values concerts.
On the other hand side, live streaming is a relatively new concept of music consumption. In a way, there wasn’t enough time to create a social behaviour pattern around this.
This is crazy: when a musician plays music in a live stream, people are less willing to pay for ist. On the contrary to live tickets, where big bands can easily ask for 80€ or more per ticket.
Are you afraid of releasing new music right now?
What can you take home from this?
When you are a musician right now, it is really important to build your digital strategy. Now more than ever, a digital strategy can help you along the way.
Want to know the best part? Optimising your digital portfolio can actually earn you money!
How can you do this? By building a really strong community with your fans.
The key part about asking money online from your fans is to be approachable. That means, being in contact with your fanbase.
Perhaps even include them in your content strategy altogether. If your fans feel that you really value them, they will be willing to support you financially.
May it be through Patreon, digital purchases, merch or paying for your live stream.
Important to realize, nowadays the online world is a very much homogenous structure. What does that mean?
It simply means that your fans have two ‘aggregate conditions’. They are either online or they are not.
That is why a digital strategy is so important. Because you can’t just be good on YouTube and ignore the rest.
Or just dabble on Instagram but not care about your website. One social media platform or digital portfolio block is always in relation with all others.
So at the end of the day, the big question is not really if live streaming will be the new concert experience. The question is rather, when will people start and take their online web presence serious?