Guest post by Leonard Patterson, originally published on IndieBandCoach.com

If there’s one thing that’s needed right now, it’s for artists to be able to express themselves. If we’re going to turn this “mess” into a “message”, it’s going to involve music. One of the ways I like to repurpose content is with the Wavve app, so I wanted to introduce it to you. I wrote a blog post about it in 2019 and updated it earlier this year.

So whether you are writing a protest song, sharing your message on a podcast, or starting a new YouTube series to express your opinion, I encourage you to get creative and get your message out there. A lot of musicians are out of work and there’s no telling when (if ever) things will get back to normal.

++ Help Gigmor Find Musicians Paying Gigs

WAVVE MAKES IT EASY FOR INDIE ARTISTS TO SHARE THEIR MUSIC AND THEIR MESSAGE BY TURNING SONGS INTO SOCIAL VIDEOS FOR INSTAGRAM, FACEBOOK, YOUTUBE, & MORE.

This post contains affiliate links for any paid plans on Wavve. Indie Band Coach may receive a commission for purchases made through these links.

Video: It’s No Longer Just “Nice to Have”…

As an Indie band or musician, promoting yourself and your music on social media can feel like an uphill battle. Social media is becoming an ever increasing noisy place and it takes great content to stand out.

One of the best ways to connect with your fans on social media is with video. All of the major social media platforms are turning their algorithms to promote video content because that’s what your fans are watching. In fact, Facebook alone generates 8 billion video views on average per day (Social Media Today) and native videos on the platform have 10 times higher reach compared to YouTube links (SocialBakers.com). 

Unfortunately, most indie bands are on a budget which means things like professional music videos and promo videos seem too far out of reach. But having videos as part of your music marketing is no longer something that’s just “nice to have”, it’s a must.

Even if you’re an iMovie pro, uploading video files, overlaying your music, and editing it all together can be a time-consuming task. That’s why I’m always looking for innovative ways to help you promote and share your music and livestreams online.

And the good news? We came across an awesome online platform called Wavve which will help you quickly ‘up’ your video content game and is a great tool for livestreaming for musicians.

Social media graphics, video, and promotional content just got easier. If you are an indie musician trying to grow your fanbase and promote your music, this tool can help you make it look like a million bucks.

What’s Wavve?

Wavve is a web application that helps you easily combine a clip of your favorite track with an image to create animated videos formatted for social media. Wavve offers a library of waveform animations to choose from when designing your video that “move” with the audio so fans will know it’s a video that has sound.

Check out how DTOWN used his album artwork and new single to create an Instagram video with Wavve.

Are you not on Instagram yet? No worries, your Wavve account comes with options designed for all social media.

++ How to Succeed on Social Media with Consistency

Within Wavve you’ll upload your content into “card templates” which determine exactly what your video will look like. You can save these templates to your account and update/edit them anytime you want:

• Horizontal: This video size is perfect for Youtube & Twitter. 
• Square: Great for Instagram & Facebook
• Vertical: Perfect for Instagram Stories & Snapchat

Once you select a size, all you need to do is upload an image and add the animated sound wave (8 styles to choose from). You can adjust the size and shape of the sound wave, change its color and place it anywhere on the image you’d like. Wavve also allows you to add additional text directly on the image.

Here’s a quick video on setting up your first Wavve social video…

Get started and setup your account here. 

Once your template is set up how you want it you simply upload your track, trim it down, and Wavve generates the .mp4 video. You’re only about 5 minutes from a promo video for your next single that you can share with your fans!

++ HOW TO GET MORE FANS TUNED IN TO YOUR BAND

Here’s just a little design inspiration from music makers using Wavve:

	Country artist Stoney LaRue used Wavve to help promote some of his Summer tour dates. Including a soundwave graphic on the post helped his fanbase know they could also hear his track. Even if you have a blank image, you can still add text and even captions within Wavve.
	Toronto-based DJ/Producers Funk X Rish used Wavve to premiere their new mix on Instagram. Adding the animation on top of your album art would be a great way to keep your branding while also introducing clips from your release.
	LitSounds is a group of music creators in the NYC area. They used one of the new soundwave animations to highlight their latest drum loops. Take advantage of the new features in Wavve to create quote graphics or even string several videos together to make a short lyric video.

If there’s any doubt that your fanbase is listening and watching, consider this: More video content is uploaded in 30 days than the major U.S. television networks have created in 30 years (Source: WordStream).

Some of the newer features included in your Wavve.co account include full customizable progress animations. Check out this video from the Wavve.co YouTube channel that shows you the various uses and styles of progress animations.

Get Wavve

In my role as a booking agent and band manager, one of the most frustrating things I notice is that a lot of really great, hard-working musicians have very little music on their social sites. 

Pictures are great and stories are awesome. But whether it’s your next single, an upcoming tour, or your new Spotify playlist, your fans are begging for you to make video and livestreaming a consistent part of your music marketing.

Wavve is free to try by signing up here. You’ll be able to upgrade when you want to start creating longer videos and posting more content per month.

More from the Gigmor Blog:

++ How To Start Streaming

++ Product Update: Gig Booking Calendar

————————————-

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 the Indie Band Coach YouTube Channel and get more tools, tips, and training to help you on your journey. 

Over the past two months, COVID-19 has affected the music industry with a ruthless amount of hits — pushing the entire music community to quickly adapt to what we now call the New Normal. Despite these abrupt changes, it hasn’t stopped musicians and event professionals from concocting a large array of innovative ideas to continue performing, entertaining, connecting, and feeling. Wendy Parr, the founder of The Artist’s Circle and one of the industry’s top artistic/vocal coaches with over 28 years of experience addressing vocal creativity & exercises, has curated 4 classes and crash courses to help fellow musicians hone in on their skills for the upcoming month.

Want to focus on singing, technique, style, performance, and songwriting? — Scheduled for this upcoming Monday on June 1st at 11 AM PST: The Artist’s Toolbox workshop is a 1hr. Q&A session that addresses any songwriting questions any musician/music lover may have. This workshop focuses on not only providing practical tools for developing songs, a style, a sound, and a specific craft, but it also allows other members of the music community to virtually connect with each other during the shelter-in-place period. Registration for the class can be found here: “The Artist’s Toolbox — Songwriter Edition” Q&A Workshop

Or are you trying to develop your authentic style and keep that “passionate spark” ablaze? — On June 20th going from 10 AM-12 PM PST: Beyond the Notes is an interactive, 2-hour-long workshop that’ll dive deeper into utilizing your music and voice as a vehicle into enhancing your authentic self & expression with specific activities and vocal tools that’ll help you empower your personality to its fullest. More information on the course can be found here: “Beyond the Notes” Workshop

Does taking a 6-week-long course sound like a better option for you to hone in on your authentic self? — Starting on June 26th with every Tuesday up till July 28th: The Ride dives into the nitty-gritty details, tips, and hacks on creating your authentic brand and give you access to tangible tools that’ll ensure your artistic legacy. Interested in registering? You can find more information in this link, and if you think you’re up for the ultimate challenge, make your request via email right here. 

Do you just want to take a mental-health day and practice self-love for yourself? — featuring Chris Tai Melodista, a Meditation & Movement Coach: The Practice of Self Love is scheduled to be on Saturday, June 27th starting at 11AM PST. This workshop will dive deeper into using specific tactics that’ll help boost your confidence, mind, and focus that is essential to accessing your authenticity & clarity — all for the sake of growing your creativity and business. More information can be found in this link.
We highly encourage you to register for any of these courses! Just because we’re stuck at home, it doesn’t mean we should stop expressing ourselves to our fullest…and it surely doesn’t mean that we should keep it in our own bedroom. Do you have any questions regarding the courses? Do you have other innovative ideas that you’d like to share so that we can keep a lookout in the future? What are some other concepts/techniques/subjects we can focus on that’ll help you develop your musicianship? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!

More resources for indie bands and musicians

Guest post by Leonard Patterson, Indie Band Coach

Sometimes it’s necessary to test the waters, other times you just need to jump in with both feet. Yes, there are tons of options when it comes to creating content, making videos, and streaming online, but very few are as easy and accessible as going live on Facebook.

Facebook Live was introduced in 2016 and has steadily gained momentum since. You can livestream events, performances and gatherings and your fans can watch from a phone, computer or connected TV. In fact, with the recent pandemic-induced rise in online users, even more functionality is being introduced as the race for attention is at an all-time high.

++ How to Start Livestreaming (Twitch)

Benefits of Livestreaming on Facebook

There’s no doubt that Facebook has done an excellent job at remaining relevant and even on the cutting edge of technology. While some of their biggest moves have been the piggybacking of competing platforms, you’re not going to find a social platform with more active users. 

With that though, here are some of the benefits of livestreaming on Facebook.

• Anyone can start immediately
• No cost involved other than what you already have
• Immediate feedback from viewers
• It will become a permanent piece of content
• The longer you stream the better
• Ability to crosspost to other pages / channels

Four Places to Livestream on Facebook

You can go live on your music Page (any business page), in a group, on your personal profile, or to an event on Facebook. Going live on a Page will give you access to more tools and capabilities than going live to a group or event.

For example, if you are using a 3rd party livestreaming tool, Facebook does not allow you to see the identity of your viewers when livestreaming to a personal profile or group.

How do you know which one to stream to? That’s going to depend on the purpose of the stream, and it could change based on your needs. In general though, here are a few things to consider when choosing to livestream on a Page, Profile, or in a Group or Event.

Livestream on a Page when you want to increase the reach of your brand. The content on your Pages is public even to viewers who don’t follow you. So if you want the ability to have the widest reach, use your Page. Of course, with “organic” reach being next to nothing, you may also want to boost the post or use it as a Facebook reach ad to connect with more people.

Livestream on your Profile when you want to connect with your audience that already knows you. This could also be used as a method of driving traffic TO your fan page by including a link in your broadcast post.

Livestream in a Facebook Group when you want to provide some sort of exclusive value to a community. This could be in a group you have started or one in which you are a guest. Just be sure to follow the community guidelines of whatever group in which you choose to livestream.

Livestream in an Event when you want to remind and encourage interested parties about your upcoming event. Provide a sneak peek into what’s going to happen or perhaps how you’re preparing for the event itself.

Mobile, Desktop, or 3rd Party Streaming

Basically, there are three ways to go live on Facebook — on a mobile phone via the Facebook app, on a desktop or laptop computer directly through Facebook, or through a 3rd party streaming software like OBS, StreamYard, or ECamm Live. 

In fact, I encourage you to go live with just your phone whenever you can. The more repetition you get interacting with fans and getting over any “screen-fright”, the better off you’ll be.

Go Live on Mobile

You can go live using the Facebook app for iOS or Android and the quality of your stream depends on your internet connection speed. For mobile streaming, it’s highly recommended that you use Wi-Fi instead of your phone’s cellular data. It’ll just be a more reliable experience. Sure you may be “able” to livestream over a 5G connection, but now you’re depending on more variables. 

Go Live on Desktop

Currently, there’s still an option on personal profiles to Go live directly from Facebook on a computer, although it seems to be missing from business pages now.

For now, Facebook is pushing businesses towards using their Live Producer platform. Live Producer is how to go live with higher-end production equipment and streaming software on a computer. https://www.facebook.com/live/create/

Using a Streaming Software

To go live with an external camera, include graphics or overlays, or have multiple camera angles, you’ll need to use one of the many streaming software options (also called encoders). 

Here’s a list of some of the more widely used encoders, a base price and whether or not they’re web-based, and Mac or PC.

++ Live Stream Resource Roundup for Musicians and Bands

Browser-based

• Streamyard (Browser-based, PC & Mac – free & from $25/mth)
• Lightstream (Browser-based, free)
• BlueJeans Streaming (Browser-based, from $12.49/mth)
• BeLive (Browser-based, free & from $30/mth)

Macs and PCs

• OBS Studio (Macs, PCs, Linux – Free)
• Wirecast (Macs & PCs, from $599)
• Zoom – (Macs & PCs, from $14.99)

Mac Only

• Ecamm Live (Mac Only, from $15/mth)
• mimoLive (Mac only, from $199/yr)

PC Only

• vMix (PC only, free & from $60)
• XSplit Broadcaster (PC only, free and from $4.17/month)

Viewing Your Livestream

Your Facebook livestreams aren’t just viewable on Facebook. You can make your livestreams available via URL, embedded on your website, or the Facebook Watch TV app.

I think that’s one of the misconceptions I had even before researching this blog. People really just need the livestream URL to view. In fact, a Facebook account isn’t even required. 

Another option, which could be a way to make your content exclusive, is to embed the stream on your website, blog, or membership site. 

Viewers can also watch your livestream on their Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Android TV, Xbox One, and more with the Facebook Watch TV App.

Updated Policy for Using Music In Video

If you’ve ever had a Facebook live video muted, been put in Facebook jail, or just started streaming and wondered what the rules were for playing covers of any kind, this update is for you.

In a blog post, Facebook announced its updated rules and guidelines as it pertains to including music in your livestreams. Specifically they addressed playing RECORDINGS and recording live PERFORMANCES. 

I shared a video on my YouTube page that goes into detail about the announcement, or you can also see the full update here: 

Some of the highlights of the update include:

— There are no limits on things like music in Stories, or traditional musical performances (e.g. filming a live artist or band performing).

— The greater the number of full-length recorded tracks in a video, the more likely it may be muted or removed

— There should always be a visual component to your video; recorded audio should not be the primary purpose of the video.

The announcement also clarified that these guidelines are consistent across live and recorded video on both Facebook and Instagram, and for all types of accounts — i.e. pages, profiles, verified and unverified accounts.

It certainly comes at a convenient time when so many artists have taken to livestreaming to supplement their income.

++ 7 Virtual Tip Jar Options You Need to Know

Facebook Live Format Guidelines

In case you wanted a little more technical info about Facebook Lives other than “how long can you go live?” (8 hours) or “how far in advance can you schedule a livestream?” (7 days), here is a handy list of specs for Facebook Live video:

• Video Length: 8-hour max
• Sample rate: 48 kHz
• Channel layout: Stereo or Mono
• Bit rate: up to 256 kbps
• Max video bit rate is 4000 Kbps (4 mbps).
• Audio bit rate is 96 Kbps or 128 Kbps.
• Max: 1080p (1920×1080) resolution, at 60 frames per second.
• A keyframe sent at least every 2 seconds throughout the stream.
• Titles must have fewer than 255 characters or the stream will fail.
• H264 encoded video and AAC encoded audio only.
• Minimum lead time for scheduling: 10 Minutes
• Maximum date for schedule future broadcast: 7 Days

All formatting specs can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/help/1534561009906955

So as I’ve said before, if you’re just getting started out livestreaming and wanting to get some experience under your belt, going live directly to Facebook is probably your best testing ground. Plus, if it’s something you truly can’t stand to look at, you can always delete a post. Think about it, all of the tech is taken care of and with over 2.3 billion users, chances are your crowd is already there too.

• – – –  – – – – –

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 the Indie Band Coach YouTube Channel and get more tools, tips, and training to help you on your journey.