Live streaming is a new way to promote your music or art and make money from it. It’s also a platform for people to see you in action, interact with you, and become fans. This guide will help you get started live streaming on YouTube and Twitch.
Live Streaming for Musicians and Artists is a constantly evolving industry. There are many new platforms that have been created to allow musicians and artists to stream their live performances online. Just like people who have their own physical stores and can now sell their products on platforms like WooCommerce. The best live streaming platform for musicians 2024 is one such platform that has gained a lot of traction in the past few years.
For many individuals, live streaming on sites like Twitch, YouTube, and Facebook has become a popular form of entertainment, particularly in light of recent events across the globe. Since you’re here, you may be wondering whether live streaming is also available for musicians and musicians. Is it worthwhile to devote time to it? To give you a quick response, yes, it most certainly is!
Streaming is attracting a growing number of producers from all kinds of entertainment, including musicians and musicians. Even Twitch, the streaming platform with the largest market share in the sector at the moment, has a category/channel for musicians and artists, as well as those interested in watching such broadcasts.
Consider it as though you’re performing a virtual concert for anybody who happens to be watching your stream. The potential is there, but you’ll need to understand a few things before you can set up your live streaming channels. Don’t worry, we’re here to assist you! Here is our 2024 live streaming guide for bands and artists.
Why Should Musicians and Artists Live Stream?
You may utilize live streaming sites like Twitch, YouTube, and Facebook to strengthen your relationship with your audience. When your audience watches your live stream, they receive a more intimate experience. A live broadcast is more interesting than viewing your movie or listening to your song on music streaming services like Spotify.
As you perform and broadcast for them, fans and viewers may actually speak to you live. As humans, we all want to connect with people, so being able to connect with an artist they love listening to on such a personal level is incredible, even for the artist. You’ll begin to form connections with your audience, making them more likely to support your music and business.
Bonus Tip: It’s critical to interact with your conversation while live broadcasting on sites like Twitch. While you are online, the chat is where you can see everyone chatting and sending messages for you to read. Your live broadcasts will be more interesting if you become better at replying to people in chat. Overall, more concurrent viewers are active during your broadcasts as a result of this.
As an Artist, Develop Your Brand
As I previously said, you’ll need to build your identity as an artist, a person, and the name behind the music. Live streaming on sites like Twitch, YouTube, and even Facebook is ideal for this since it allows you to interact with your followers on a more personal level.
Unlike traveling and performing live on stage, streaming allows you to show a distinct aspect of yourself as an artist. At times, you’ll most likely stream from the comfort of your own home, bringing your old and new followers into your space. You may broadcast live performances or use the time to interact with your followers.
Demonstrate to everyone who loves your music that you are a genuine person. This makes you more relevant to your audience, which is essential today since we gravitate toward artists with whom we can connect.
You provide a behind-the-scenes glimpse into who you are as an artist and as a person to your audience. Don’t underestimate the value of cultivating these connections with your audience, particularly in the early years of your career.
Increase the Number of People You May Potentially Reach (Twitch Being an Exception)
While some may say that Twitch (many people’s preferred streaming site) isn’t very “discoverable” to begin with, that doesn’t imply you shouldn’t utilize it.
What I’ve discovered is that in order to build your audience on live streaming sites like Twitch, you’ll need to attract viewers from other places (YouTube, TikTok, Twitter, and more!)
This can help you boost your Twitch viewer count while streaming live, which will help you move up in the platform’s “watch categories” and perhaps get picked up by the platform’s recommendation system. This is why I believe you have the ability to attract new listeners; just remember to develop on more discoverable platforms (TikTok and YouTube) and gradually transfer your following to your live broadcasts.
YouTube, on the other hand, is a very searchable site, therefore I strongly advise you to use it for your live broadcasts as well. Multistreaming to several streaming platforms at the same time is the ideal option, which is simple to accomplish using software like StreamLabs OBS. This leads us to our next subject, multistreaming’s advantages.
Twitch, Youtube, and Facebook Multistreaming
As previously said, Twitch is the platform of choice for live streaming, but social media heavyweights such as YouTube and Facebook should not be overlooked. These platforms are rapidly expanding, and they have a strong possibility of catching up to Twitch in the near future.
As live streaming video gets increasingly popular, we will see additional services emerge to compete with Twitch.
This brings us to the subject of multistreaming to several platforms at the same time, and why it may be the best option for you right now.
How to Stream on Twitch, YouTube, and Facebook at the Same Time
There are a variety of software options for multistreaming, but I use Streamlabs OBS (SLOBS) Prime. I already stream using SLOBS, so upgrading to a Prime membership to enable Multistreaming and other capabilities was a no-brainer for me. Keep in mind that upgrading to Streamlabs OBS Prime is more expensive, but I found it well worth it because of SLOBS’s user-friendly design and additional capabilities.
Multistreaming’s Advantages
Obtain a Larger Audience
One of the most significant advantages of multistreaming is the opportunity to reach a larger audience, with the possibility of having more viewers viewing your live broadcast at the same time. During my live broadcasts, I’ve discovered that approximately 60% of my viewers are on Twitch, whereas 40% are on YouTube and Facebook.
Twitch is now recognized as the place to go for live content. As I have said, other platforms are beginning to catch up. Viewers in chat have stated their reasons for preferring YouTube over Twitch, so bear that in mind before committing to one medium exclusively.
Since I began multistreaming, I’ve seen a substantial increase in the size of my total stream. My Twitch and YouTube channels have constantly increased their number of followers and concurrent views. It’s still too early to say which platform I’ll prefer in the future, but for the time being, I’ll continue to enjoy the multistream.
Experiment with Different Platforms to Discover Which One Is Best for You
I began multistreaming to see which platform would be best for me. While most streamers choose Twitch as their main live streaming site, I didn’t want to rule out YouTube and Facebook just yet. Musicians and artists that intend to utilize live streaming to build their brand and interact with their audience are distinct from the bulk of “game streamers” in this area.
Multistreaming may help you figure out which platform you like to watch videos on. If you already have a YouTube following, you may find it more convenient to live stream there rather than on Twitch or Facebook. When you’re first starting out, don’t put any restrictions on yourself and strive to be as broad as possible. Once you’ve determined one platform is doing better than the others, you may focus your efforts on that platform.
Putting All of Your Eggs in One Basket Isn’t a Good Idea
Being properly spaced out with your material is something to keep in mind as you continue to build your brand on social media sites, like Twitch and YouTube. The worst-case scenario is losing all you’ve created as a result of a platform’s account cancellation.
Multistreaming enables you to develop several platforms at the same time. This is the most effective method to establish your artist brand on social media and live streaming platforms in order to guarantee future success.
What Kinds of Streams Should You Participate In?
Performances of Music
As I previously said, you may put up a broadcast to resemble a virtual concert. Make it entertaining and personable for your viewers, whether it’s simply playing some music while the broadcast is on or arranging a full virtual event.
Unlike public performances, you have a better opportunity of interacting with your audience via chat and even answering questions they may ask in real time. At the same time, you’re playing your song.
Keep in mind that the greatest aspect of viewing a live broadcast is experiencing the streamer’s personal connection. Don’t stress about making it a super-expensive virtual concert. Your primary aim is to offer your audience a different aspect of the person who creates the music they love.
We’re just chatting
Just talking broadcasts are a lot of fun, they’re stress-free, and they’re excellent for having interesting discussions with your followers and viewers. These kinds of broadcasts are particularly beneficial if you’re attempting to promote a new project or create a stronger connection with your audience.
Gaming?
People playing their favorite video games make up the bulk of live broadcasts on the internet. The gaming community has developed its own culture in tandem with the streaming community. Over time, gaming and streaming have created an online culture. Playing games on live is only recommended if you’re a musician who likes doing it. You don’t want to push yourself to play since you won’t enjoy yourself, and your audience will notice.
They’ll think it’s phony, which will make people uninterested in your stream and, perhaps, your brand as a musician.
Last Thoughts
As the world of live streaming expands, more and more musicians are getting in on the fun, using platforms like Twitch, YouTube, and Facebook to enhance their overall brand. Keep in mind that streaming has a steep learning curve that may be intimidating to people who have never used it before.
Just keep going because the rewards may be well worth it in the end, and you could even love the process of live streaming. Send us an email at [email protected] if you have any queries, and we’ll do our best to answer them!
Best of luck, and have a blast streaming!
