From direct communication tools like FaceTime and Skype to social apps like Vine and Snapchat, the options for quality live video interactions have increased dramatically, and the music industry has noticed. Nowadays, every major festival partners with a streaming service to leverage artist performances, and bands like Phish and the Black Keys have streamed some of their biggest shows to connect with a larger audience. With today's technology, everyone can do the same. Here are four tools you can use to stream your own shows and help grow your presence – not only in the city in which you’re performing, but around the world.
Gigee
Why we love it: As an all-inclusive live video streaming, ticketing, and merch store platform, Gigee was made for musicians, by musicians. The platform allows you to generate more income from each show by offering an in-house ticketing service to sell your online concert like a pay-per-view event. You can also get discovered by fans combing the Gigee event page.
What it costs: The service is free, plus artists earn 80 percent of ticket sales.
How to get started: Create an account. You can then set up an online event equipped with a ticketing service. When the ticketing goal for the event is reached, the event will go live. You can learn more here.
Livestream
Why we love it: This is one of the premier live-streaming platforms which you can embed on any site, as well as stream on all devices (desktops, laptops, phones, and tablets), making it super accessible for your fans. Host the live event on your own site and drive traffic to your content and store.
What it costs: You can start off with the free model to produce any event, and increase your account to suit your needs from there. Learn more about Livestream's pricing here.
How to get started: By signing up for free, you can get started immediately. Download the app or use other resources like the producer product from the platform to broadcast your show. You can get fancier by looking into other products, but it's not necessary if you're just starting out.
Ustream
Why we love it: You can broadcast straight from your browser without downloading any software. This service is very similar to Livestream as another leader in this space, however, viewers don't need to log in to view your show. Ustream also integrates with your Facebook timeline, allowing users to share the feed, along with the platform's own 12 million unique users.
What it costs: The first 30 days are free, after which Pro Plans start at $99.
How to get started: Sign up for a free trial and start immediately. This is a really easy tool to use and integrate with your site. The huge amount of traffic to the site daily makes the potential for growing your audience that much more possible.
Tourpedo
Why we love it: This is a musician-focused platform that showcases great bands' live shows on video stream. From legends like The Allman Brothers to up-and-comers like Trampled By Turtles, these guys love live music. People discover similar-sounding bands by searching by genre, and you can also get featured on the calendar, as well as emailed out on the ever-growing Tourpedo mailing list.
What it costs: Free.
How to get started: Get started by signing up for free, and a member of the team will reach out to your band to discuss your goals.
As a lifelong Bostonian, Andrew Hall has been an advocate for the local music scene by participating, managing, and consulting with bands since 2006. A founding team member of a service-based music management company Deer in Headlights Music Group, Andrew has taken his experience in community building and tech and applied that knowledge learned cross dimensionally.
