This year has brought so many changes and live events became the only way for musicians to stay in touch with their audience. From organizing free shows to hosting exclusive online gigs to raise money, entertainers are always looking for a way to earn some money or stream their new music. What the audience doesn’t see is all the work put behind making these events well-organized and successful. There are shows hosted in studios, the homes of world-famous musicians, and some of the most popular event places. Based on the streaming platform, people can be included in many different ways. In this hectic time, this is a great way to forget all about our troubles and remind ourselves that we all need some fun in our lives.
Find a platform
There are many ways to stream your live show and the first thing you need to do is choose a platform. From different social media accounts to YouTube and other platforms, all these platforms have their own pros and cons when it comes to streaming.
If you want to host a free show, you can opt for any platform, but if you want to raise some money, find one that has a donation button. Alternatively, you can opt for a platform that allows people to join in only if they have a unique code. Apart from that, you can always choose to stream your gig on different platforms to let your audience watch it, having in mind that there are people who don’t have accounts on different social media.
Connect with the audience
Look at this performance as something that people have been waiting to see for a long time. That is why you need to make it look as close to a live act as possible. Connect with your audience by letting them be included before the stream. Encourage them to send you their favorite songs and some inspirational quotes you can include in the video.
Also, you can let them post comments and interact while you’re playing. These online shows are more intimate and allow the entertainers to connect to their audience. You can use them to show everyone your studio, introduce them to your band and present the crew that made the event possible.
Use high-quality equipment
No matter where you host your event, you have to look and sound the best you can. Start by making sure you sound right and all your instruments and microphones work. In addition to that, pay attention to the stage and think about the atmosphere you want to transfer to your audience.
Set a stage, and then find and hire stage lighting experts to make sure the setting is perfect and will look good on your stream. Lastly, do a final sound check and video rehearsal to make sure everything is at the highest level and that you’re satisfied with the way you look and sound.
Pre-record or go live
Musicians generally like to be in control of everything. That is why having the luxury of pre-recording a show is what they see as the main benefit of hosting an online event. This allows them to correct something if they’re not satisfied, but also edit the performance after filming it.
Many of them use small breaks between songs to add comments, stories, or teasers for upcoming songs. On the other hand, some musicians like to do everything live and allow their audience to feel like they’re experiencing an actual live gig.
Promotion
Sometimes, there isn’t too much work around promoting live events since many people searched for different live shows during the lockdown. This makes everything easier and all you need to do is to spread the word.
Announce your concert and let people know all the details in advance. You can make a video announcement and invite fans to watch your show. You can even encourage them to make videos explaining why they’ll be watching it. That is a great invitation for everyone and it will make your event unique.
Online events are the future of music and we will witness more of them. Many musicians see this as a great way to promote their upcoming work. Look at this as a way to stay connected to your fans during these tough times, so let them know you’ll always share your work with them.
