Fans and artists alike love a good live show. When fans can’t flock to physical venues, it’s up to artists to create new performance spaces with video.
Luckily, live streaming music concerts are more viable than ever. From new artists to historic institutions like the Apollo Theater, anyone can bring the stage to life with live streaming.
If you’re looking to stream in the recording studio or gearing up for a big production, we can help you get started. We’ll walk you though how to live stream a concert, the equipment you’ll need, and some tips to promote your next gig.
Three reasons to live stream your performance
Live streaming music performances allows artists to broadcast live to audiences around the world. Content is recorded and broadcast in real-time to destinations like an embedded player on a website, Youtube, Facebook, Twitter, or Vimeo.
Some musical artists have already taken live streaming by storm. Dua Lipa streamed her concert, Studio 2054, bringing in an estimated 5 million viewers from 150 countries. The live event set a record for most attendance on a paid live stream and increased her ticket sales by 70%.
Nothing stopped the Gorillaz from live streaming Song Machine Live from Kong. What started as an audio visual project, culminated into three international live streamed concerts and a music video web series with monthly releases.
Video offers artists a new medium to showcase their work while opening new ways to monetize music. If you’re still skeptical, here are three other reasons artists are going live.
Adaptability
Live streaming allows artists to adapt their performances for physical venues, digital venues, or hybrid experiences. This allows artists to keep the stage lights on and connect with fans regardless of the situation.
Accessibility
Touring artists and musicians know physical venues have capacity limits. Fans aren’t always able to make it to a show. Thankfully, video breaks down physical barriers for fans while tools like auto closed captioning can make performances more accessible to all.
Quality experience for fans
The right equipment and technology can create high quality performances, unique exclusives like backstage access, artists interviews, and more. For fans, engagement tools like live chat, Q&A, and polling can keep them connected.
How to live stream a concert
Live streaming a concert can be as turnkey or customized as you want. Any quality live stream requires audio capture devices, video capture devices, switcher and encoding hardware/software, and a live streaming platform.
The right equipment can make or break a concert. So to help you go live with confidence, we’ll highlight important live streaming equipment for musicians to consider.
Video capture devices
We recommend a camera with a HDMI or SDI output that can be brought in with a capture card to live stream. Your camera has to be capable of sending a “clean” signal over HDMI, which is just another way to say without any user interface elements visible. Check your camera settings to see if you can set it to clean by default or if adjustments are needed.
For live streams that last for several hours, you’ll want to ensure you have a good power supply and an option for an AC power adaptor. If you decide to use a webcam, they are designed specifically for streaming and most come out of the box live stream ready.
Audio capture devices
Quality aux-send and video mixer
You’ll want to use an audio mixer with an auxiliary send. An audio mixer will allow you to mix together all of your audio sources – both instrumental and vocal. Typically a mixer will then feed its main outputs to an in-room PA system. The function of the auxiliary bus will allow you to send another mixed feed to your webcast.
A video mixer allows you to cut together multiple cameras, graphics, and other media. If you’re researching options, Livestream Studio is a great example of a multi camera switcher and encoder.
Multiple microphones
The frequency response of your microphones should be 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz. This refers to the range of voice frequencies your microphone can pick up. You also want to check your microphone polar pattern, the ability to pick up your voice from different angles. A cardioid pattern microphone is most common and blocks surrounding unwanted noise from the back of the microphone. They also isolate the clatter of instruments and any other unwanted ambient sounds.
Streaming platform
Getting the right hardware is half the battle. You want to make sure you’re streaming from the right platform to both control your content and reach your target audience. Here are a few popular platforms to consider.
Twitch is commonly used gamers. But you’ll also find DJs, rappers, singers and music producers looking to do longer streams with quality audio/video. Streaming on Twitch is a great way to connect with your fanbase as they have the ability to request songs, ask questions, and exchange ideas.
Stageit is for artists looking for an intimate setting as they can perform for fans directly from a laptop. The result is an incredibly intimate experience that fans truly appreciate.
Crowdcast includes features like automatic registration and engagement tools to help measure your live stream music performances. You can also multi stream your music events to your social channels.
Youtube Live is ideal for artists who want an ad-supported live stream. Take advantage of pre-roll or mid-roll ads during your live stream concert. You can also experiment with weekly shows and collaborate with other Youtube artists.
Facebook Live and Instagram Live provide artists with a large community. Active users on these platforms also spend 30% more time listening to music in comparison to the rest of the digital population.
Vimeo Enterprise works on both desktop and mobile to make it easier to live stream. The desktop Livestream Studio gives streamers a full production hub while features like simulcast allow streamers to push content to multiple channels like Facebook, Youtube, Twitter, LinkedIn and RTMP destinations like Twitch and Periscope. Robust analytics also help performers optimize future shows.
Rehearse using all equipment
Once you have all your gear in order – don’t forget to test equipment and rehearse the full performance. Record rehearsals for playback to ensure the vocals and instruments are clear. Time spent prepping also give artists time to lock in the right audio levels and minimize delays on the go live date. Remember, your audience isn’t confined to a physical venue, so starting fashionably late is ill advised.
How to promote your live event
Make some noise when promoting your live event! Use marketing strategies like social media and email campaigns to spread the word about your performance. Consider using video to get attention and encourage fans to share promotional content. Here are two ways to get started.
Leverage social media
Create teaser videos or trailers to build hype leading up to the live date. Drop interviews, sound tests, and rehearsal footage to keep fans updated. Creating “behind the scenes” moments builds anticipation for your performance.
Email your fans
If you have a mailing list, email fans to announce upcoming virtual shows. If your live stream concert is a paid event, offer discounted rates to early ticket buyers. Explore embedding video content in your emails like gifs to increase click through rates and help drive registrations.
Wrap up: hit the stage
Digital performances and concerts are a great way to market your creative work, grow your fanbase, and further your professional goals. While nothing can truly replace the power of an in-person performance, video can help you reach more people, connect with more fans, and unlock new opportunities to engage.
Master the art of going live
