Live performances are the lifeblood of the creative arts, and nowhere is this more true than in music. So imagine if you had the whole internet as your stage. With BandLab’s live streaming, you can easily put on whatever show you like in this global venue.
While live streaming has changed the game for performing musicians, artists who want to stand out from the crowd have to change their mindset to match. Yet there are many downsides to the live streaming phenomenon. Many of your streams will involve performing your music, but directly translating a gig into a video stream is unlikely to create the most engaging viewing experience – it lacks the energy and noise of a live audience.
So you need to think like a TV presenter.
Devise engaging shows and master the art of audience engagement through the camera rather than just talking to it. Get these things right and your live streams will stand out. Your audience will be more satisfied, and your following will grow. Here are a few ideas to get you started.
Hype up your releases
Your audience will be interested in the creative process that lies behind an album or track, and a great way to preview and promote a new release is to do a show about it. You could discuss your inspirations, and perhaps cover a couple of their songs. Other music producers will also be interested in how you conceptualized the music, what production processes you’ve employed, and any special tricks or techniques you’ve used to create particular sounds or effects.
When promoting a release in this way, be sure to tie it into other marketing such as merch giveaways, and regular postings to your BandLab feed. This helps to build up anticipation for the new release.
Host open mic sessions
Pulling together fellow musicians and collaborators will not only heighten on-camera drama and excitement – it helps the performers, yourself included, combine followings and cross-promote one another. And an open mic session featuring a handful of up-and-coming musicians is the perfect vehicle for an engaging live stream.
Swissbeatbox, for instance, usually hosts its Grand Beatbox Battle in ‘real life’, but it added a live-streamed segment this year – dubbed Grand Beatbox Battle Online – as the in-person events had been postponed. Hosted by a vivacious personality, the open mic battle saw over a dozen participants try to outshine each other in an entertaining, off-the-cuff competition.
Banter between artists is a sure way of keeping things lively. So try to lubricate conversation by allowing viewers to ask questions live. You can also further engage with your followers through your BandLab feed by letting them recommend artists to include in your next open mic session.
- Read More: A Simple Guide To Starting A Band Online
Let the audience request songs
Give your audience the opportunity to make song and shout-out requests, either via your BandLab feed prior to the show (which will also serve to preview and build interest in the show), or by posting to the feed during the show itself. Be responsive and talk to the audience as if it were a live show, and be prepared to deviate from your show’s setlist to fulfill requests.
- Read More: BandLab Chat
Be a talk show host
The talk show format was invented for people to plug and promote their new products and releases. So why not adopt it for your own shows?
Invite your followers to let you know who they’d like to see you chatting with, and what questions they’d like to have answered. Don’t forget: you can have live questions coming in during the stream. A great thing to do here is for you and your interviewee to prepare and perform a track together. And remember, your interviewees’ followers will also be interested in your talk shows, and so cross-connecting with other artists is a smart way to grow your audience and expand your creative circle.
Create your own tutorials
Learning new musical tips and techniques – especially from their peers – is important for artists and producers to fuel their own creations. You may have a few tricks up your sleeve that other musicians may want to pick up. Consider sharing your knowledge, while attracting new followers, with an engaging tutorial show of your own.
If you’re unsure about what to cover, ask your audience what techniques they’d like to see. Keep in mind that the more unusual or unknown the technique, the more attractive a tutorial about that technique will be.
Trial and error
Always encourage your viewers to subscribe to your BandLab feed, both from your feed itself and with shout-outs and graphics within your shows. It’s very useful to ask for feedback from your viewers, too. Find out which kinds of posts are engaging and which aren’t. You can then use this knowledge to fine-tune and perfect the content and style of future shows and live streams.
Read More: How To Live Stream Your Music From Home
