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Building A Better Livestream: Crucial Lessons From Artists Who’ve Figured It Out
Practical advice from the players behind virtual concerts by Kane Brown, Dropkick Murphys, H.E.R. and Lissie. The first time singer-songwriter Lissie tried a livestream, in late March, she was at her then-boyfriend’s house in northern Virginia, and she had just managed to thank those in attendance — two dogs in the kitchen — before the camera fell to the floor. “This is so professional!” she declared. But over the months, both her equipment and her savvy became increasingly sophisticated, with the response to her ticketed streams strong enough to cover personal costs and make a charitable donation each time. (She also broadcast her rehearsals for fans who couldn’t afford a ticket.) On Aug. 2, she performed with a band and a dozen sound and lighting crew members at an empty Parkway The...
What’s a Livestream Worth?
How much is that concert in the computer window? Six months into the pandemic, here’s how artists are experimenting with pricing to see what consumers will pay. In April, Dutch DJ Oliver Heldens cruised the canals of Amsterdam in an open-air boat outfitted with turntables, blasting a set of future house music that was streamed on YouTube. The spectacle cost between $5,000 and $10,000 to produce, but Heldens made it free for viewers. He thought of it as a marketing expense to stay in fans’ minds as coronavirus lockdowns became the norm around the world, his manager, Dave Frank, tells Billboard. In the five months since, livestreamed concerts are slowly becoming a source of revenue, as well as promotion. These days, Frank, of management firm Milk & Honey, gets several livestream offers a...
Choosing A Livestream Platform: A Guide For Artists And Managers
The New Livestreaming Landscape Here’s how the leading livestream platforms stack up on revenue split, merch integration and more key variables for artists. When the coronavirus shut down the live industry, artists had no choice but to cancel or postpone their tours. Now they face an overwhelming range of choices as dozens of livestream platforms compete to be the next big virtual stage. Many of these livestream companies launched amid the pandemic, while new services are debuting on an almost weekly basis. They have much in common and are sometimes difficult to tell apart, but employ a variety of business models — including pay-per-view ticketing, sponsorship and virtual tipping. To help artists make an educated decision about which platform to use to reach their fans — or collect new one...
If You Stream It, Will They Come? Inside The Livestream Boom
Sessions founder Tim Westergren estimates the market for virtual concerts is worth $1 billion with the potential to grow to “tens of billions” in just a few years, but can that rate of expansion continue when actual live shows resume? At a 2007 Los Angeles music industry function, Ray Smith was pitching his new company, BE-AT.TV, to a high-ranking Live Nation executive. The business was focused on livestreaming electronic music festivals like Tomorrowland and Ultra Music Festival, and Smith says the executive’s reaction was not as he had hoped: “He was like, ‘Who the hell is going to sit at home and watch a bunch of kids partying on a laptop?'” Thirteen years and a global pandemic later, millions of music fans worldwide are doing just that, and Smith’s newly rebranded BeA...
Mariah Carey Holiday Special Coming to Apple TV+
Mariah Carey is the Christmas gift that keeps on giving. Following the announcement of her new album The Rarities, and as excitement brews for her upcoming memoir, Mimi is giving us more holiday cheer after going No. 1 on the charts with her 25-year-old smash “All I Want For Christmas is You.” Now, Apple TV+ confirmed today (Aug. 31) that Carey has yet another project on the way: A holiday special. Mariah Carey’s Magical Christmas Special is on the way, though no release date is set yet. The service is labeling the program as an “innovative special” featuring music, dancing and animation, all of which will be “driven by a universally heartwarming story that brings the world together.” Done + Dusted, the production company who did the popular A Legendary Christmas with John a...
Björk’s Icelandic Concert Series Pushed Back to 2021
Coronavirus cases have begun to creep back up in Iceland, forcing Björk to push back her planned live concert series. Via Stereogum, the performances at Reykjavík’s Harpa Hall will now take place in January and February of 2021. The original concert announcements were born of unbridled optimism and national pride. Early in the pandemic, Iceland drew rave reviews for their aggressive response to the threat of COVID-19. Through intense social cooperation, and with the protection of their island home, it seemed as if the Scandinavian country had found a recipe for coronavirus success. As the government eased restrictions, the Icelandic Queen herself announced a four-concert run at Harpa Hall, originally set to begin on August 9th. But by the end of July, coronavirus c...
IDLES Cover The Strokes, The Beatles, Ramones During Abbey Road Livestream: Watch
IDLES took over Abbey Road Studios for a three-part livestream this past weekend. Coming in support of their forthcoming full-length, Ultra Mono, the sets featured a bevy of new tracks — including singles “Model Village”, “A Hymn”, “Mr. Motivator”, and “Grounds” — in addition to past favorites like “Colossus”, “I’m Scum”, and “Never Fight a Man with a Perm”. The Bristol post punks also tucked in a few covers, including takes on The Beatles, The Strokes, and The Ramones. First came their dirge-y rendition of The Ramones’ classic “I Wanna Be Sedated”. Smoldering in its own sedation, the cover saw a psychedelic war wage between guitarist Mark Bown and bassist Adam Devonshire. Set No. 2 brought IDLES’ ripping version of The Strokes’ “Reptilia”. The band kept the melody largely intact, but scra...
Netflix Unlocks Stranger Things, Bird Box, The Two Popes, More for Free Worldwide Viewing
Facing more competition than ever, Netflix is looking for new ways to attract potential subscribers. Among the streamer’s latest initiatives is offering access to some of its biggest titles, including the first episode of Stranger Things, the horror hit Bird Box, and Oscar nominee The Two Popes, which are now available to stream worldwide for free sans a subscription. A total of ten titles have been made available. In addition to those already mentioned, you can check out the Jennifer Aniston-Adam Sandler comedy Murder Mystery, the Spanish-language sensation Elite, Ava DuVernay’s When They See Us, reality-popcorn extravaganza Love Is Blind, iconic actresses Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin squaring off in Grace and Frankie, an...
Philip Anselmo Honors Dimebag and Vinnie Paul During Down’s NOLA 25th Anniversary Livestream Show: Watch
Down played their first show in four years over the weekend, celebrating the 25th anniversary of their debut album, NOLA, with a livestream concert dubbed “Quarter Century Throwdown”. During the set, filmed at an undisclosed venue in New Orleans, singer Philip Anselmo paid tribute to his fallen Pantera bandmates Dimebag Darrell and Vinnie Paul. The 15-song concert, which streamed for $9 on Saturday (August 29th), saw Down perform all of 1995’s NOLA (except for the instrumental track “Pray for the Locust”) and three songs from 2002’s Down II: A Bustle in Your Hedgerow. It also marked the live return of founding member Kirk Windstein, who had parted ways with the band in 2013 before rejoining the group late last year. Prior to performing “Lifer”, Anselmo dedicated the song “to all the bands ...
Members of Vio-lence, Converge, Havok and More Cover Billy Idol’s ‘Rebel Yell’
To celebrate their 20th “bedroom cover,” Two Minutes to Late Night picked Billy Idol’s “Rebel Yell” for the series’ latest cover. “Rebel rebel, how could they know? Hot yell, I love you so. It’s a Billy Idol cover and Phil is playing his solo in a tiny child rocket ship tent. We did it, everyone!” the caption of the video said. With musicians getting more comfortable with performing from home, Phil Demmel of Vio-lence brings in his guitar solo in a fun way and shreds from inside a spaceship-shaped tent. Myke Terry of Volumes took vocal duties. Havok bassist Brandon Bruce, Lee Jowono of Potion, Ben Koller from Converge and Mutoid Man and All Pigs Must Die took their respective musical duties. And Jordan Olds as GW Arsneio Hall returned to round out the band. Two Minutes to Late Night has al...
Björk Postpones Orchestral Concert Series Until 2021
It seemed too good to be true: Björk playing four live acoustic shows in front of an actual crowd this year. Well, it was. The Icelandic singer’s long-awaited orchestral show series — titled Björk Orkestral – Live from Reykjavík in Harpa — is postponed until January and February 2021, according to Iceland Airwaves. This is not its first time they’re being pushed back, either. The Harpa Hall shows were originally scheduled to kick off Aug. 9, got pushed to late August and then even further to September. “The new dates are January 17th, 24th, 31st and February 7th,” a statement from Iceland Airwaves read. “This is because we can’t trust that the newly imposed restrictions will be be lifted in time for the shows and we always want to prioritize the health and safety o...
Every Time I Die, American Authors, and Baker Grace Lead This Week’s Schedule for SPIN’s Untitled Twitch Stream
This week’s schedule for SPIN’s Untitled Twitch Stream might be the best (and most diverse) yet. Sure, last week was pretty cool with Hinder closing things out on Friday after shows from artists like M.A.G.S. and the Milwaukees — all of which you can still see on Twitch for now before they get moved to YouTube. We’re starting the week off in just a few hours with something we’ve never done before, as Keith Buckley from Every Time I Die will be giving out download codes and vinyls for the soundtrack of the brand new No Straight Roads. There’ll be at least a handful of each available, so don’t miss them this afternoon. From there, things will swap over to some more unforgettable live performances from artists like American Authors, Baker Grace, and more before hittin...
