COVID-19 has put the live, in-person events economy on temporary hold. But the music industry is staying alive — and learning how to thrive — with live streamed gigs and shows. If you’re ready to get your music events online, here’s everything you need to know about livestreaming concerts. 

There’s a growing demand for online shows and gigs

During the first few weeks of March 2020, most of us were trying to understand what social distancing rules meant for us. Now, as people start to get comfortable with staying home, we’re all looking for new ways to connect with others and fill our spare time. Based on the immediate data we are seeing, people are ready for online events and creators are ready to host them. 

Eventbrite has seen a significant shift in consumer behaviour with a 9x increase in searches for “online events” on our platform as people are craving ways to connect. With a 1,000+% year-over-year rise of online events published in April, Eventbrite is the leading platform for connecting with new experiences globally.

Most event creators in the music industry are familiar with livestreaming, although to date, it has typically been used as a way to broadcast performances at no cost.

With live music one of the hardest industries hit by COVID-19 measures, it’s important to look at ways to create online-only events that can still generate much needed revenue for artists, creators and those employed across music. 

Option #1 for livestreaming concerts: Hosting a free performance 

As you may have already seen, live streaming channels on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube are filling up with live shows and performances by artists who are streaming at no cost. A free gig for fans is a great way to stay connected to your audience, build a community, or ask for donations to support an industry-healing cause such as SupportAct. 

Of course, there are drawbacks. Not only will you not get paid for your art during a time when employment opportunities in music are scarce, you also risk a higher rate of no-shows because fans aren’t making a commitment to watching your performances. 

If you’re looking for simple ways to stream live music events for free, check out this blog post. For options on creating paid online events, keep reading. 

Option #2 for livestreaming concerts: Creating paid, ticketed online-only shows

With fans looking to support the music industry and their favourite artists, there are many ways you can use ticketed events to create new revenue streams without hosting physical events.

Isolation and lockdowns are giving artists an opportunity to get creative with online-only concerts for fans, with recording artists performing in their studio or home. But that doesn’t mean you’re limited to performing free acoustic sets from the lounge room either. 

For example, US party-festival, Daybreaker, hosted their first global pyjama dance-party experience. They broadcast costumed dancers, artists and even a virtual community breakfast afterwards. Their next event will be a Spring Break party, broadcasting live DJ sets and recreating beach party vibes at home. Fans can join the livestream and even get on their official dance cam to feel part of the live party. 

These events are being hosted for $15 per ticket, with all proceeds supporting their staff and community of artists during the lockdown period.

Connecting with fans online using exclusive content

At Eventbrite, we’re seeing a lot of other industries use web conferencing tool ‘Zoom’ to host events such as virtual coffee catch ups and discussion sessions — but web conferencing doesn’t need to be limited to webinars and book clubs. 

In fact, for the music industry, there’s an opportunity that is currently being overlooked here and that’s virtual meet and greets with artists. 

Here are a few ideas for connecting with fans online as part of a stand-alone ticketed event, or as a VIP upgrade to performances:

  • Host a live Q&A or ‘Ask Me Anything’ session for fans to connect with you directly
  • Have a virtual coffee date with a small group of fans
  • Host an online jam session for people who have always wanted to perform in your band
  • Run an online music lesson for fans to learn how to play their favourite tracks
  • Collaborate with other artists to host weekly performances across mixed genres and mediums, such as ‘The House is Open’ which features live music, poetry, and theatre 

Choosing the right tech to broadcast your gig

Creating an online concert that still rocks means choosing the right tech to broadcast it. There has been a lot of free broadcasting from artists on Instagram TV, but for ticketed gigs you’re going to be looking at services like Vimeo or YouTube. Zoom is another channel you might want to consider for artist meet and greets or intimate music sessions. 

You’ll also need an event ticketing platform that can handle online-only events — like Eventbrite. It’s important to prioritise how you can manage tickets and market your event to capture an audience — as you would for a physical show.  

To create a ticketed, online-only experience, Eventbrite allows you to build what we call a Online Events Page. This is populated with things like any live streams you are showing, web conferencing, or files such as recorded music or video that you want to send to ticket holders on purchase. Please note that for Eventbrite Music account holders, you will need to speak to an account manager to switch this feature on for you.

Read more: How to set up an online-only event with Eventbrite

With the stage and crowd removed, your tech will also play a part in making your audience feel like they’re there with you. Whether you’re broadcasting from a recording studio or artist lounge room, a quality audio/visual experience will go a long way in keeping your audience tuned in.

Here are a few basic things to remember before going live with your first online show:

  • Test your video and audio before the event:You’ll be able to fix any issues before they impact your fan experience.
  • Use a good quality camera and headset: The camera on your computer will get the job done, but it’s important to remember your audience — especially for a paid event. Remember, people attend live events and performances for the immersive experiences they offer. Investing in a quality camera and microphone will ensure your presence on their screens is sharp and clear.
  • Make sure your connection is solid: Fans are going to get annoyed if spotty wifi means your live music set cuts out every 3 minutes. Streaming quality is best on a stable, wired internet connection — otherwise, make sure you have serviceable Wi-Fi and run some tests before going live.

Get set up and ready to be sold-out

We’ve moved quickly to respond to increases for online events so that you can reach your audience and instantly sell tickets to your virtual show. To get started, sign in to Eventbrite now.