Almost all concert tours have been canceled or postponed for a year now. But people still need music in quarantine. So the lockdown created a whole new phenomenon – livestream concerts. They are a sign of hope, and everyone recognizes this. So many prominent artists turned to large platforms such as YouTube and Instagram to connect with their listeners.
Indeed, livestream concerts might not look like crowded festival performances but are unique experiences nevertheless. These shows are more intimate and special, allowing musicians to curate setlists as they play. Most importantly, fans can participate too. At-home performances are not only uplifting to audiences but enable artists to do what they love the most.
It is still unclear if concerts would get a green light this year, but musicians worldwide continue to play music in slightly different circumstances. Here is why livestream concerts are an excellent idea for all artists and their audiences:
Livestream concerts don’t feel as intimate as live performances. But there are ways to make them feel perhaps more special for the fans. Artists now have the opportunity to chat with their audience and ask them what they want to hear. John Legend aced this at the beginning of the pandemic when he went live on Instagram. His wife, Chrissy Teigen, also made an appearance. Legend read the chat, shared unknown details about his career, and viewers made song requests.
Dua Lipa released Future Nostalgia, a critically acclaimed album, in 2020. She went live on YouTube for the launch party. But more importantly, fans got to hear her sing live and comment on each song from the album. If you love tuning in to livestream performances, remember to use tools such as a VPN.
Those of you who use public Wi-Fi need a VPN to make sure the traffic is secure. A VPN roots all of the traffic to a remote server, making it entirely invisible for cybercriminals. Not to forget that some livestream concerts could be hosted on websites that are blocked in your country. A VPN can change your IP address and make the content available to you.
The pandemic hit the music industry hard. Concert venues are suffering substantial financial losses, and some even closed their doors forever. Many big-name musicians and organizations recognize the importance of smaller concert venues, so they came up with Save Our Stages Fest. This streaming event is a fundraiser, and artists like Miley Cyrus, Foo Fighters, Macklemore, and The Roots participated in it.
Death Cab For Cutie vocalist Ben Gibbard came up with a different idea for a fundraiser. He started performing live on YouTube almost daily, playing various covers, as well as Death Cab For Cutie’s hits. At the beginning of every stream, Gibbard encourages his viewers to donate money to a different charity organization.
Most fans love getting merch at every single show they attend. It is a beautiful way to support your favorite artists and have something that will always remind you of a day you saw them live. Also, browsing through merch is an authentic concert experience. But this doesn’t have to stop during the pandemic. Some musicians started including merch to go with their livestream concerts.
Low Cut Connie, a band led by the charismatic Adam Weiner, expanded their merch line with products inspired by their regular livestream concerts. Artists like Ariana Grande and Nine Inch Nails might not have a lot in common, but both now offer exclusive facemasks in their merch store. The proceedings are sent to various charities and foundations that are fighting against COVID-19.
The lockdown enabled musicians to explore different ways of connecting with their fans. Diplo, a famous DJ, played sets on the streaming platform Twitch. He came up with the Corona World Tour series, and many famous DJs and musicians from all around the globe appeared on his stream. Diplo would also play his sets and engage with fans via chat. They soon discovered that Diplo enjoys playing Fortnite since he streamed this game a couple of times.
Speaking of Fortnite, Travis Scott was all over the media back in August 2020 because his in-game show drew the biggest audience ever. More than 12.3 million viewers tuned in to watch Scott perform in Fortnite. Scott sang for fifteen minutes and even introduced a brand new song. Epic Games also partnered up with Scott and added his outfits, accessories, and gear to the game itself.
