Rafart Music

In the last few weeks, a lot of musicians have decided to try out live streaming performances, in an attempt to keep their audiences engaged and generate income while locked down in quarantine. A niche activity pursued by a small number of performers until a month ago suddenly went mainstream out of necessity.

The rush in the adoption of this new medium correlates to the quality of the content released. Right now, whether it comes from big or small artists, live-streamed performances are pretty underwhelming. No one is even close to nailing this one yet.

Why are live music streams underwhelming?

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The first explanation that we can think of is that streaming can’t replace a live performance — video doesn’t substitute watching an artist perform in front of you. There is some truth in that. The problem is we’ve been enjoying live performances on video for a long time. Do you complain when you see a great concert on video? Probably not.

The reason current live music streams are underwhelming has to do with the content itself, and the problems are self-evident. Here are a few observations of these first few weeks of live music streaming explosion that I think need to be addressed urgently.

Looks

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Most of the live streams are an eyesore. A messy living room, a poorly lit bedroom, or the kitchen table, are not a proper space for a performance. You are inevitably limited in space right now, so take advantage of the possibilities of video and pick the best place available to you. Play with illumination, compose your scene. Create, as much as possible, a compelling image to look at. If you don’t feel like it, at the very least, tidy up.

Sound

Sound is the vehicle of music. Yet, a lot of the live streams I’ve encountered online sound terrible. Not only do the amateur sin of poor audio, but experienced performers as well. It surprises me to see seasoned musicians not taking care of their sounds, relying on a laptop’s mic or a direct signal coming out of their instruments. Musicians should address this immediately.

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A few things you can do is to use a proper mic, process your sound, get your mix right, and look into streaming services that don’t degrade audio down to minimum quality (Facebook). There’s a vast supply of digital and analog tools to achieve better results. The bottom line is that there is no excuse for an experienced musician to sound like crap.

Unrehearsed

For some reason, live streams are being confused with improvisation or casual jamming. If you wouldn’t ever improvise in front of a live audience, why do it in front of a streaming one? Leave improvisation to professional improvisers and half rehearsed sets for your summer camp fire. Treat the performance as a real presentation and rehearse accordingly.

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Trying to replace live music

Another reason live music streaming is boring is that everyone is trying to substitute live music with it. This replacement is not going to happen, as you can’t supplant the sound of instruments in a venue and the direct presence of performers with video and canned audio. These experiences are miles away. But, the good news is that as much as a new medium is a limitation, it is also an opportunity. To make quality content will require treating live music streams as an art form in itself. Only then we’ll approach it creatively.

Why better quality?

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There are other reasons to be careful with the quality of the content you’re putting out there. The most important reason, in my opinion, is that when you live stream, you’re competing with all the engaging content any person has available at their fingertips. Doing quantity over quality won’t work in this already saturated space. If the choices are watching someone in their pajamas perform a half rehearsed set in a dark room, or watching a season of Vikings, I’m sorry to tell you this: Ragnar Lothbrock kicks your ass every single day.

How to improve your live streams?

I don’t have an answer, since this is a new musical landscape. But what is clear is that, in the world of live music streaming, musicians need to step up their game fast. In a few weeks, everyone will become saturated and sick of these low-production semi-improvised performances, and we risk spoiling a big opportunity of engaging audiences in a new way and make some money while people are still paying attention.

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If you want to try live streaming, explore the medium creatively, not as a replacement of live performances, but as a new art form. Don’t rush into it, mind the sound quality, think about the scene you’re creating, incorporate novel elements, and please … rehearse!