With gas prices taking a huge chunk of change out of all of our pockets, bands are looking for ways to stay in touch with their audience. Today I’m going to talk a bit about streaming a live concert online for all your fans to enjoy.
The easiest way that I’ve found to do this is with a great Internet streaming service called Shoutcast. It’s a music stream that you can listen to with either Winamp or iTunes. You can check it out at www.shoutcast.com and it’s very easy to set up. Here are 2 links on how to set everything up: How To Setup Your Own Internet Radio Station and How To Set Up An Internet Radio Station. I was able to setup a Shoutcast stream from my house just using these 2 tutorials.
To broadcast your band after you get your server running all you need to do is mic everything through a mixer and plug that mixer into the computer’s soundcard that is running your Winamp server. After you start your stream, you’re live on the Internet for the world to hear! If you use a Chat program like mIRC, you can have a live chat session running simultaneously so that you can interact with your online audience as well.
Live online streaming can really help promote your band as well as give you an easy way to play a live concert. You won’t have to haul to a venue and setup if you have an Internet connection right in your rehearsal studio. It’s also great if you have stagefright since you never really come face to face with your audience. Of course the downside is you will miss the feel of a live audience but it’s still a great way to connect with people.
Also, if your band decides to do this, let me know here at Live Musician Central and I will do a Blog post announcing your live online gig. -Matt-
