If you’ve never heard this quote before, it should certainly resonate with you now…
“The Show Must Go On.”
Whether it’s out of the pure joy of sharing your art or the basic necessity of putting food on the table, thousands of artists are now focusing their attention to livestreaming.
Luckily there are tons of resources available to you as an artist that can help you not only transition, but also start to monetize your livestreams.
++ Livestream Resource Roundup for Musicians and Bands
Here is a quick timeline of four such companies and their partnerships and what they all mean for you…
GIGMOR + SOUNDCLOUD
In December, Gigmor announced the launch of their marketing partnership with SoundCloud, the world’s largest streaming site for independent artists. As a special offer, Gigmor offers SoundCloud Pro Unlimited members a 20% discount ($7.99/mo vs. $9.99/mo) to Gigmor’s Pro subscription.
++ Gigmor Partners with Soundcloud
During that time, there was also an awesome live event hosted by Gigmor that took place at the Mint LA, called “Gigmor Presents”. It was a fun showcase of several Gigmor artists, and the thought after that event was to create a recurring live opportunity — more on that below.
GIGMOR + INDIE BAND COACH (that’s me)
When the idea first started for Indie Band Coach, it was literally because (as a booking agent), there were killer, talented, amazing bands being passed up for gigs because their online presence didn’t match their onstage presence.
Since then, I’ve been committed to helping artists succeed online with social media marketing to book more gigs, which includes a LOT of livestreaming and video. In February, I was pleasantly surprised to get an Instagram DM from Tracy Eumont Baird at Gigmor and realized our companies were working towards the same thing.
++ Shared Vision: An Interview with Indie Band Coach, Leonard Patterson
Since then, it’s been an absolute honor to contribute to the Gigmor blog each week and be involved in some great strategy sessions with Team Gigmor. Of course, none of us could predict a pandemic or the critical impact it would have on the state of live music around the world.
++ How Coronavirus is Affecting Live Music
So now more than ever, it’s important to think about staying healthy, staying inside, and staying busy. Of course, things are drastically different, but luckily there are options… and in options, there is hope.
GIGMOR + TWITCH
This week the Gigmor Team announced the launch of their Twitch Channel: Gigmor Live!
So first off, what is Twitch? You may have heard of it if you have any friends who are online gamers, or maybe you’re one of the up & coming musicians already on the platform. Regardless, it’s a great opportunity is what it is!
Twitch is the world’s leading live streaming platform for gamers and almost literally all the things we love. At any given time of day, you can watch and chat with millions of other fans from around the world.
GIGMOR LIVE will be a channel that allows Gigmor to live stream amazing performances from incredible musicians across all genres and locations!
Want to be featured in the Twitch Live Streams?
– Log Into Gigmor
– Update Your Gigmor Profile
– Apply to Gigmor Live Gig Post
Make sure to include your most recent music!
- Note: no payment is required to take advantage of this awesome opportunity. Use promo code gigmortwitch to apply if you’re not a Gigmor Pro Member!
As if all of those things weren’t cool enough, there’s still one other thing to highlight — and that’s the monetization possibilities with Twitch.
People can make donations and give you tips on the platform, but the real benefit comes from subscriptions. As a streamer, people can subscribe to your channel, but only once you reach affiliate level. To reach that, you have to meet certain criteria like number of hours, concurrent viewers, and a minimum number of followers.
In speaking with Twitch for Musicians Author, Karen Hall, she mentioned that some artists reach affiliate status in 2 week, some 2 months or maybe longer. And that brings us to our final partnership…
SOUNDCLOUD + TWITCH
In a very exciting announcement just last week (3/20/20) Soundcloud announced their partnership with Twitch.
“It’s an unsettling time for everyone right now, and we know COVID-19 has been especially hard on musicians who were scheduled to play live shows over the next few months. Many creators are turning to live video streaming platforms to connect with their fans.”
If you are a Soundcloud Pro Unlimited Member, once you join Twitch, you’ll automatically be considered “affiliate status.”
That means — no follower minimum, no concurrent viewer requirements, or number of hours streamed. Your fans will immediately be able to subscribe to your channel.
It’s time to jump on it.
We’re all in this together — separately — but still together. it’s going to take new ideas, new solutions, and new ways of sharing your gifts with your fans to make it through this crisis and we plan to be there every step of the way.
- So, sign up for Gigmor.
- Apply to be an artist on the Gigmor Live Twitch Channel.
- Use the promo code gigmortwitch to avoid the application fee.
- Sign up or upgrade your Soundcloud (currently 50% off for $6/mo) to be immediately considered for affiliate status on Twitch.
TWITCH FOR MUSICIANS INTERVIEW
Lastly, speaking of Twitch, if you want to get more familiar with the platform, watch my interview below with Karen Allen, Twitch for Musicians.
If you’re interested in downloading her ebook, Twitch for Musicians, A Step-By-Step Guide to Producing A Livestream, Growing An Audience and Making Money, use our Indie Band Coach promo code IBC20 for a 20% discount.
If you’re interested in signing up for her course (an over the shoulder video course on launching your own channel), click here for a 20% discount as well.
Cheers to your success!
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Leonard Patterson is an avid fan of all things New Edition, an indie-focused booking agent, a frequent hi-fiver (currently practicing safe “air fives”), and a certified digital marketer. Since stepping off stage as a band manager/front man of a 6-figure party band, he launched Indie Band Coach with a mission to help indie bands reach more fans and book more gigs. When he’s not working, he’s most likely at a live music event, analyzing Marvel movies, or soaking up vitamin D at the beach with his wife and son.
Want more fanbase and social media tips? Subscribe to the Indie Band Coach YouTube Channel .