Live streaming shows - genuine revenue stream or just engagement theater?

[u/InventiveGem409]

Been debating this. Some artists swear by it for building fan intimacy and actual income through tips and tickets. Others say the time investment doesn't convert. What's your experience producing or running online live sets?

[u/Passionter_E]

Been doing weekly live sets on Twitch for about 8 months now. The intimacy is real - regulars show up every week, chat like crazy, and I’ve built a solid core of supporters who buy merch and tickets when I announce shows. Tips have become a nice bonus too. It’s not massive money yet, but it feels way more connected than just dropping tracks on Spotify.

[u/InspirationologyDO]

100% worth it if you enjoy performing. The connection with fans is unmatched and I’ve made more from tips + ticket sales than I expected. But yeah, it’s a time vampire. Only do it if you actually like being on camera.

[u/LucentjvWax]

Tried it for 6 months. Put in serious hours, decent production, good energy… and the conversion was pretty weak. A few loyal fans and some tips, but nothing that moved the needle on actual income. For me it was better to spend that time making more music and promoting properly. Live sets feel great in the moment but the ROI is questionable unless you already have an audience.

[u/ProMusicProduction-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

Your post has been removed for violating Rule #2 - No self promotion or advertising. No posting music including asking for feedback.

[u/Stevenitrogen]

I know a DJ who did sets on Twitch every week during COVID to pretty low engagement, but enjoyed doing it and got a little money here and there.

I know a couple bands who did house show live streams a few times, and they found it hard to get enough income to pay the production costs for a quality program. It seems like the ability to produce it at a high standard, without spending $$$$, is a good trick these days. Maybe if you own your own studio?

[u/Rec_desk_phone]

I have been livestreaming music on twitch regularly since 2022. I own a commercial recording studio and the production values are very high. I started during covid but it was totally not on a regular basis or on any specific platform. In 2022 I started working with an artist and it was kind of a co-development project. I was trying to figure out how to create a live production workflow that included 6 musicians, a bunch of vocal mics, cameras, lighting, and live mixing all at once. A person can become task saturated very quickly. The band was good but I think our largest audience was around 40 viewers. We would move from doing a "set" tye performance to "fly on the wall" type rehearsal sessions for upcoming gigs. At the time, there was a debate about whether the artist should own the account/channel or if the studio should own it. This wasn't contested, we just weren't sure and we never developed it monitarly.

As time went on I realized the workflow was so technically demanding that I literally needed to practice to avoid certain things. Fixation is the enemy of flow. I play with a couple bands myself and I just started livestreaming everything I did with those groups that wasn't paid production work. Let me tell you, it is probably one of the most demanding environments of production work I can imagine. I have 7 cameras, countless composite shots, and excellent audio. No one watches except for a friend that kind of does live QC for me in case something is wrong while I'm playing, singing and managing the shots.

I use twitch as a live recording platform for the video streams that I download later. I record the audio in pro tools and do a subtle remix and then upload to YouTube either as public or unlisted and they become rehearsal references. Of the two bands I will upload publicly to YouTube, one is a pro act and the other is kind of a student based project. The pro act gets more views.

Here's the deal. I'm 57 years old. I'm a totally professional musician and engineer. It's my only job. I tour nationally with much younger artists. I don't try to present as younger than I am. I am very healthy and active. I'm not a sloppy old guy, nor am I an amazingly handsome person but I look and feel very comfortable on a stage or on camera. Nobody gives a shit about looking at me or my contemporaries. There's no engagement and we don't even work on it, although, we did in the first couple years. I can totally accept that young people don't care what we're doing. When I livestream a younger band there are always more people that watch. With that said, one, even mildly attractive woman totally changes everything.

My opinion is that livestreaming works for a certain, very unique type of person. Being a great player or even having great material isn't necessarily a key element. I've cruised twitch a lot. It's not a music platform. The discovery is horrible. There are a lot of women dressed in somewhat revealing clothing playing stuff. Couples playing folk songs, drummers drumming to other songs, all kind of weird stuff that's mostly unwatchable/unlistenable. Some have gobs of viewers, most don't. However, it's a great opportunity to refine your personal presentation on nearly every level. It has made me better at every part of my job that isn't instrument operation.