Living as an artist in 2020 means being smart and confident enough to put yourself out there seizing every opportunity for fan engagement and for generating extra cash. And if you are looking to walk the extra mile, then turn up the heat on live streaming. Live streaming is an interesting and fun way to engage with your fans, but it will require you to get a bit more creative and experimental while using it. Live streaming can be used to promote your new release, build a bigger community, or even test out some new musical ideas.
What type of content can get your audience excited to tune in?
- Live performances
- Fan Q&A where your fans can ask you questions through comments and you can reply through a live stream
- Studio masterclasses where you teach a specific style, demonstrate a technique or share an experience
- Live collaboration with other artists
- Daily life vlogs
- Podcasts where you can interview other musicians
Next, choose your platform for Live Streaming
Our best bet to start live streaming is Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook. And most probably, these are the platforms where you already have most of your audience on, so it will be easier for you to go live. Now, let’s chunk up some useful information about each platform:
Instagram: Instagram Live notifies your followers whenever you go live. The platform provides you with watchers stats and their reactions during your broadcast. An extra cool feature is that you can add guests to your live streaming.
Facebook: You can schedule your live stream up to 7 days in advance and you can push notification to your audience.
Some programs allow broadcast on various platforms at once, but the only problem with these programs is that you will find it hard to monitor and engage with your fans in more than one place at a time.
YouTube: You can go live on YouTube if you are a verified user. However, you can also use the YouTube mobile app to stream from your mobile, but only if you have more than 1000 subscribers to your channel.
Don’t let the kit get in your way
You can easily and affordably live stream through using your smartphone and the built-in features of Facebook, YouTube, or Instagram apps. And you don’t need any extra cash for the cost of additional hardware but if you are going to use a smartphone, there won’t be any harm in getting a tripod, to avoid that shaky stream. However, if you want to use your laptop or desktop computer, you can invest in an external webcam, a USB mic or a standard Mic, lighting, and a good internet connection.
Location doesn’t matter, location setup matters
It doesn’t matter whether you live stream from your bedroom, living room, basement, or outdoor, just make sure you have good lighting, a quiet place, nice background, and a pleasant décor that would stand out in the feed.
Finally, make sure you test everything beforehand, your devices and your internet connection, communicate with your fans during the stream, publicize it, check your analytics, and remember always be you. These live streaming should be a true reflection of who you are, and don’t pressure yourself trying to appeal to everyone!