promote live streams

Promote Your Livestreams on These Sites for Free

It felt so promising, right? 

We thought we’d weathered the initial storm known as 2020 — venues starting to open back up and glimpses of “normal” were starting to appear (whatever that means nowadays). But as reality creeps in and covid cases rise, state governors are forced to press pause or backtrack all together on a host of Summer plans.

Now, what used to be a “nice add-on” marketing strategy for musicians and bands has become a new fan-centered foundation from which to build on. Obviously livestreaming is not new, but its acceptance as a reasonable way to connect (and contribute) took several giant leaps forward since mid-March!

++ 3 Virus Proof Marketing Ideas

A new study conducted called: “Media and Entertainment During The Time of Coronavirus” revealed some telling stats:

  • 46% of music fans missing the live experience have tuned in to a livestream. 
  • 28% of online concert-goers have paid to watch a livestream.
  • Approximately 7 in 10 concert attendees who participated in a livestream concert while social distancing plan to continue doing so even after they return to live music events.

A few takeaways from those stats (and the rest of the article)?

  1. Livestreaming is just one form of content, but it can help you connect with new fans more quickly since you’re able to interact real-time. 
  2. Unless you have a huge engaged fanbase already, your livestreaming efforts may take some and repetition time to see any consistent financial results.
  3. As much as we wanted this to be a quick, temporary issue, you’re going to need a long-term livestream strategy. Don’t wait.

While there are tons of livestream platforms, gear lists, and tips to help improve the quality of your virtual gigs, this list is focused on places to consider to promote your livestreams. 

++ Turn Your Audio Into Visuals with This Social Media Tool

Now that there is more traffic than ever online, looking for entertainment, researching these sites could help you increase your reach. They may not all fit your genre and may only accept submissions from certain Countries, but these listings are all free sites where you can submit and promote your livestream gigs. 

Eventbrite

promote livestreams eventbrite

Eventbrite is a global self-service ticketing platform for live experiences that lets users create, share, and attend events. From music festivals, marathons, conferences, community rallies, and fundraisers, to gaming competitions and air guitar contests (i.e. you name it).

With the popularity of online events of all kinds, Eventbrite has updated its site to include unique event pages where you can add links to promote livestreams, virtual hangouts, and more. Once you create an event, you’d just set the location to “Online event” to access the tools to create your virtual event page. 

And while it is free to list a gig on Eventbrite, if you are selling tickets, be sure to check out the commission you will be charged for each transaction.

++ 7 Online Sites to Promote Your Shows That Aren’t Social Media

Meetup

promote livestreams meetup

Meetup.com has always been focused on in-person events. In fact, it wasn’t in their policy to host online events because they were on a mission to get people together, but have now opened up new features to host online events. Their website says they’ve “temporarily updated our in-person event policy to permit groups to host events online.”

When creating your Meetup, it now includes the option to add a video conference link to an event instead of a physical location. Are there interests you have that may be non-musical where you could join (or start) an online Meetup group?

Browse through some of the current Online Meetups and see what ideas for promoting your livestreams it sparks!

Social Distancing Festival

promote livestreams social distancing

The Social Distancing Festival is an online artist’s community made to celebrate and showcase the work of the many artists around the world who have been affected by the need for social distancing that has come about due to the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19). 

The creator of the site lists his three main goals as:

  1. It helps to get some of the great work that you’ve done out to the world, and projects that were cancelled get the word of mouth that they missed out on.
  2. We are able to keep feeling a sense of artistic community, even from our living rooms, and;
  3. Artists are able to continue to engage with their projects by making videos, sharing work, and celebrating the work of others. 

Promote your upcoming livestreams here: https://www.socialdistancingfestival.com/submit

Quaranstream.Video

promote livestreams quaranstream

Simply put, quaranstream is a crowdsourced list of live streamed music shows. Creator Shane Martz said his focus was to help everyone get through these tough times with the power of music and it’s a great way to promote your livestreams.

In just over a month after it launched, the site had 20,000 users with a wide variety of genres of online concert listings, including electronic, pop, country, hip hop, reggae, rock, and more.

Submitting your event to quaranstream only requires you to complete a Google form. Get your event listed today.

++ You Are an Artist and COVID Does Not Stop That 

Bandsintown

promote livestream bandsintown

Bandsintown is a multi-sided, data-driven platform in the fast-growing music market, enabling artists, superfans, & brands to connect. Like many artist-centered platforms, Bandsintown has shifted its focus to include easy access to virtual concerts. 

As an artist on the platform, you are able to create, add, and promote your livestreams. Get started here and let your fans know where to tune in. https://www.artists.bandsintown.com/

Gigs Guide

GigsGuide is a site based in the UK that lists live events, but recently started to also house a directory of “online” live music events. Their focus is on helping artists and fans alike still use this time to go to amazing gigs all over the world, without even having to get up from the couch.

Get your livestream listed on their calendar here: https://gigs.guide/blog/add-event/

Koir

Koir was started on March 20, 2020 by musician Nika Roza Danilova (Zola Jesus), web developer Erik Zuuring & musician Devon Welsh. The website states they wanted to give musicians another option to monetize and promote their music. 

Koir v0.1 currently consists of an event calendar with the musician in mind. Read up on their submission guidelines here: https://koir.tv/submit/

Folk Alliance International

Folk Alliance International’s mission is to serve, strengthen, and engage the global folk music community through preservation, presentation, and promotion.

FAI defines folk broadly as “the music of the people” (reflective of any community they are from), and programs a diverse array of subgenres including, but not limited to Appalachian, Americana, Blues, Bluegrass, Celtic, Cajun, Global Roots, Hip-Hop, Old-Time, Singer-Songwriter, Spoken Word, Traditional, Zydeco, and various fusions.

Does your music fit into any of these subgenres? Submit to be included on their calendar: https://folk.org/livestream/

More Promotional Opportunities

In addition to listing your upcoming livestreams to the calendars mentioned above, you also have several opportunities to promote your broadcasts to new, existing audiences.

GigmorLive (Twitch)

Gigmor has been on the forefront of helping musicians find gigs on stages across the Country. Like other platforms listed here, they have also adapted to the livestream landscape. They’ve provided a platform for many artists to perform live on their Twitch channel every Thursday (more coming soon). 

They’ve also recently announced their partnership with JUJU on their premium live streaming platform providing artists another opportunity to perform live and get paid! 

Create a Gigmor account and submit to perform in one of their upcoming livestreams: https://bit.ly/2ZJdvsF

Live From Home Open Stage (Facebook Group)

One of the Facebook Groups that started as a direct result of the lockdown is Live from home open stage. Within just a few days of musicians, artists, and bands losing their gigs, Scot Shrader started the group and quickly grew to over 50,000 members. It consists of music lovers of all kinds with the focus to provide an avenue for artists to connect with fans and fans to still have a place for live music. 

This is a Public group, so the genres are diverse, but from being a member since Day 1, I’ve seen quite a few livestreams have a good number of concurrent viewers still. It’s worth taking a look at, especially if Facebook Live is your go to streaming platform!

Peek into the ‘Live From Home’ group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/227483271730098/

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Leonard Patterson is a former front-man for a 6-figure party band, a booking agent with 1000’s of shows under his belt, and a certified digital marketer. He launched Indie Band Coach with a mission to help indie bands create, curate, and automate their social media to share their music and get better gigs. Subscribe to his YouTube Channel and get more tools, tips, and training to help you on your journey. 

You Are an Artist and COVID Does Not Stop That

As we all know, COVID-19 is part of daily life and not the passing malady we hoped. While there are some signs of a comeback, live music is still very much paused. However, we have been incredibly inspired by the creativity we have seen within the industry and the Gigmor community. Artists have continued to keep music in the hearts and minds of fans by adapting to live streams and other inventive ways of sharing music. Music is truly beautiful and a universal language that gives people hope. Now, more than ever, it deserves to be shared. That being said, here are some tips that have helped many musicians connect with their fans during these difficult times.

Why are your Instagram live streams not giving you the results you want?

Live streaming is a must these days and Instagram is one of the easiest ways to jump in. Today’s fans are content hungry and not just for your music. They care about you, what you like, and who you are. Instagram live streams are perfect for this. They are not meant to be photoshopped performances, but rather honest, transparent talks and time spent with fans. Here are some tips to try on your live streams.

  • Play tunes while answering questions from fans but pick a consistent time. For example, every Thursday morning your fans know that you go live. Make sure to promote your stream at least once a week before you go live.
  • Invite collaborators to go live with you. Pick a topic you are really passionate about and invite an expert to speak with you and answer question via Instagram. You could even go live with a fellow musician just to talk about how things have been for the both of you.
  • Do a trivia show. Several artists have made their own game shows (ala Jeopardy) on Insta live and have fans call in to win prizes. It’s a fantastic way to engage fans and interact with them while everyone is still stuck at home.

For inspiration I would check out John Mayer’s IGTV

https://www.instagram.com/johnmayer/channel/

Also Quinnxcii

https://www.instagram.com/quinnxcii/channel/

Don’t know what to do with your free time because your live gigs have been cancelled ? Here is a solution

Post covers or acoustic takes of your songs once a week on your socials. Come up with a name for your weekly posts like “Music Check in Tuesday” but try to make the title something personal that your fans will connect with. You could even test out songs for your new album or EP. These weekly posts are a great way to see what your fans might be receptive to or want more of from you.

Need some supplemental income … have you tried writing custom songs?

Across the internet, now more than ever, people are commissioning works from artists. This is everything from a custom set of sneakers to a painting of their beloved puppy. Why not a custom song from their favorite artist? I will not get into pricing because you know your fan base best, but this is something that has been successful for many musicians lately. On your socials, release your pricing and you will be surprised how quickly you receive inquiries about your custom songs. Fans love this kind of stuff and you can choose your own pricing and the amount of time you want to invest in this project. This is also a perfect way to keep your creative juices flowing. There is nothing more fulfilling than a fan asking you to write a song about their loved one … or sometimes it might be the funniest scenarios that you get requested to write a song about.

Looking for gigs to play but cannot find anything? Gigmor is live streaming concerts!

Gigmor is live streaming concerts every week and planning to double to two concerts a week. Miss playing in front of a large crowd? This is the next best thing. Check the gigs page for Gigmor live streams and apply. Fans are ecstatic and artists cannot wait for their next opportunity to play again. You could be the next artist on a lineup of three playing an hour set interacting with your fans once again. Here is a quote from an artist that played last week “So happy to play with Gigmor, it was great to get back into the swing of things and feel like I was playing a concert again! Loved interacting with fans and even my family tuned in. Cannot recommend Gigmor concerts enough to my fellow musicians. Just make sure to warm up your vocals a bit because doing an hour set after being in quarantine for a while might be a lot haha. But seriously apply apply for Gigmor Live!” – Nico Fernandez.

The whole team at Gigmor cares about keeping music alive during these challenges and cares about the future of your careers. Share your thoughts in the comments section below and drop any questions if you have them.

7 Virtual Tip Jar Options To Help You Earn Money During Your Streams

Interview with Gigmor Live favorite, Sam Hastings

Today we sat down (virtually of course) with singer-songwriter and Gigmor artist, Sam Hastings! Sam has a raw singer-songwriter style a la Dave Matthews and James Blake. Sam is no stranger to Gigmor, as he has performed on our live stream quite a few times. Click here to watch one of his recent performances and scroll down to read a bit about his musical upbringing.

  • Hi Sam! Give me the origin-story, why, how, and when did you start playing music?
    • Sam: My mom and my uncle used to get together and play songs every weekend, so I was exposed to music at a very young age. My dad always tells a story where when I was just 3 years old, I sang along to a Pearl Jam song in the back seat of his truck. I sang for years and then when I was 8, I started to play bass guitar. I played bass in my brother’s punk band and ended up learning how to play guitar a few years later. I ended up writing my first song when I was 14, which my mom actually ended up recording for one of her albums! I started writing more music after that and have continued ever since. 
  • You have a very raw/singer-songwriter style — who were some of your biggest musical influences growing up?
    • Sam: From a very young age, my parents exposed me to a lot of classic music. My mom was more into the singer-songwriter style of music, so I listened to James Taylor, Bob Dylan, and Johnny Cash. Bob Dylan was a huge influence for me, because I actually ended up writing my first song with the goal of writing a song that Bob Dylan would have wrote. I got older and started exploring more on my own and got into Coldplay, John Mayer, and Dave Matthews. I think my voice sounds a bit similar to those artists, but I ended up getting more into folk music when I was 18. I love The Tallest Man on Earth and Greensky Bluegrass, so both of their styles of writing have been very influential to me as well. 
  • Are you more of a live performer or in-the-studio creator?
    • Sam: I would say that I personally enjoy creating more in the studio. I love the feeling of writing a song and being able to pick and choose what else goes into it. Putting together my song “Look What I’ve Become” was one of the best experiences I’ve had making music.
  • Lyrics or Melody?
    • Sam: I usually start my writing with a melody. I generally just hear the melody in my head and then start writing based off of what I’m hearing. I love writing lyrics as well, but melody is usually first and foremost.
  • Favorite musical memory?
    • Sam: My favorite musical memory is getting to audition on stage for The Voice. I auditioned not really expecting much, but I kept getting through the preliminary rounds and finally made it to LA. I ended up being in the top 80 of about 44,000, which meant a lot to me. Although I didn’t make it further on the show, it inspired me to go out and see music as more of a career instead of just a hobby. 
  • What is your end goal when it comes to your music?
    • Sam: I’d say my end goal is to make a name for myself from playing music. I want to be able to share a song that I make with people all over the world. I have stories to tell and songs to sing and nothing makes me happier than getting them out for all to enjoy!