Doing It Live Again! More Tips to Improve Your Live Streams

A few weeks ago, we posted an article with 5 tips to step up the quality of your live streams. Well, we’re back with more pointers to further improve your streams. Today’s post covers techniques to increase your audience size, and keep people watching longer!

Read below for some more tips to improve your live streams.

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Get Weird With Visuals

 

 

Life is stimulating. Very stimulating. Consider the last time you went to a relatively big concert (when was the last time one of those happened?).

Were there lights and visuals? My guess is that there were. Visuals have become a major part of live music experiences. Although the industry has temporarily shifted to streaming platforms, fans are still used to having visuals complement the performance.

Read below to see a couple of ways to get some cool visuals behind you during your set!

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Use a Green Screen

This method is relatively inexpensive. Purchase a green screen (paper or straightened fabric) and hang it behind you (if possible, tape it to a wall). The setup in OBS isn’t too tedious. This video will show you how:

 

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You’re good to go! Another method is with projection.

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Use a Projector

 

 

This is the more expensive method depending on the projector you purchase. It adds a sense of character to the live stream and looks more natural, since it is a physical projection, rather than a layer added via the broadcast software.

This method can make the live stream experience more engaging for you, as well. Have it project behind you, onto you, or get creative with futuristic 3D mapped projection techniques.

The downside is that solid quality projectors are expensive, and fitting the projected image into the live stream may take some careful camera positioning.

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Add Color Changing Lights

 

 

Get flashy by adorning your walls with some color-changing lights! Having a well-lit, vibrant live stream can help to attract fans and keep your energy up during your set!

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Collaborate With Friends

 

 

It may be difficult to branch out and find new audience members— especially if you’re doing that all on your own. A quick way to speed up the process is to find a friend that makes similar music and do a collaborative live stream. 

There are a few ways to go about this. Twitch offers streamers the ability to host other channels from their own channel. You could trade off hosting each other. Host your friend on your Twitch channel one week; the next week, they can host you on their channel. Another option is using Squad Stream, which allows streamers to live stream side-by-side. This is great for chatting together with fans, interviewing each other, or even sharing songs with each other to provide live feedback.

Instagram is another platform that offers sharing live streams. Instagram Live offers the option to stream alongside friends, which is similar to Twitch’s Squad Stream, in that streamers broadcast side-by-side.

There are other platforms that offer collaborative streaming. Test them out and find which one works best for your friends and you.

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Update Your Fans

 

 

You may have a solid following and lot of support, or you may not. Either way, chances are that your fans don’t see every single post of yours. Live stream announcements you make on Instagram may fall through the cracks (thanks, algorithm), leaving only a few followers aware of your upcoming stream sets. Also, take into account how much content is being pumped out by others. Fans are sifting through information all day.

Time to get active. Call and text your friends and family to let them know when your live streams are happening. Email and message your close fans to keep them up to date on your sets. Direct contact motivates people to show up; the more people you contact directly, the higher the turn out during your live streams.

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Do Giveaways

 

 

What better incentive to watch an artist perform than free swag?

This works well with gaining a watchbase for a release show. Offer a prize to a random viewer, which will be announced at the end of the show (this keeps people watching).

The prize does not have to be grandiose and expensive. It can be the mp3s of the release, a CD (yes, they’re still being produced), or a signed picture or poster.

You can take it a step further and require fans tag a friend on your giveaway post, as well as attend your live stream, in order to enter the giveaway. One of the most effective ways to increase your fanbase is through word of mouth, as people trust their friends and family more than outside advertising.

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Want to Put Your Skills Into Practice?

Now’s the perfect time to take classes to improve your abilities. You can get our online classes at 50% off, which is a total steal, for a limited time. Take advantage of it while it lasts, sale ending soon.

If you’re tired of being cooped up inside, lucky for you we’re opening the school back up to the public! Beat Lab Academy’s in-person Ableton courses will give you the skills you need to become tomorrow’s super producer.

 

 

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