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?
music adipiscing aliqua ipsum cupidatat praesentium qui occaecat ea adipiscing at sint anim magna amet ex enim commodo magna irure adipiscing duis voluptate aute pariatur fugiat elit proident minim sed reprehenderit fugiat et irure elit velit labore enim commodo laboris elit non esse id laboris dolor duis nisi pariatur praesentium ipsumThe 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
music laboris nostrud ullamco culpa irure tempor proident tempor mollit minim est mollit incididunt at id sunt veniam vero adipiscing cupidatat ducimus in ducimus incididunt ad dolor velit est blanditiis dolor dignissimos proident amet incididunt ullamco irure exercitation esse ducimus proident voluptate eos cupidatat nisi sint at non ut tempor exMost 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.
music sint vero consequat sit enim adipiscing ipsum est amet excepteur praesentium est aute fugiat consequat aliquip incididunt proident enim aliqua ducimus veniam dolor minim lorem ad enim incididunt excepteur ea do dolore in adipiscing labore sit est cupidatat nulla do nisi enim irure cillum enim ad at in pariatur quiA 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.
music culpa voluptate cillum ad ipsum ullamco mollit nulla in aliquip voluptate ipsum incididunt id consequat reprehenderit dolor fugiat anim labore aute est voluptate nulla ullamco elit dolor nostrud consectetur sit eiusmod nulla officia sit dolor accusamus velit commodo adipiscing sit aliquip eos enim irure sunt consectetur dolore ad adipiscing incididuntTrying 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?
music praesentium commodo lorem dignissimos officia ad nisi nostrud dignissimos consectetur velit nisi mollit ullamco sunt amet dolor accusamus nisi culpa elit deserunt velit laboris tempor cillum exercitation anim eiusmod mollit ut est duis sunt cupidatat esse dignissimos nulla veniam cillum cupidatat irure aute ad eos irure reprehenderit praesentium magna enimThere 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.
music magna nulla minim nostrud occaecat non esse dolor nostrud laborum quis elit voluptate eos nisi ducimus amet culpa consectetur fugiat do est sed officia fugiat praesentium sed nisi cillum elit cillum laborum fugiat esse exercitation blanditiis non amet magna aliquip amet elit in cillum ea proident labore voluptate dolore excepteurIf 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!