The definitive guide to the top platforms.
There's a bewildering selection of choices for whether you want to watch a live show or stream online as a musician. Live Music Streaming continues to grow and offer multiple options for audience and performers alike. Every quarter we're going to revisit this list and update platforms as they evolve.
Self-Scheduled by Musician:
Who this is for: anyone feeling isolated and wanting to connect with an audience while feeling a part of something special. Still hands-down the best experience.
What's in it for Musicians:
Ability to build real and lasting one-on-one connections with viewers
Self-schedule your stream at convenient times
Monetize your music through a variety of means
Develop your performance style gradually and evolve your stream persona in a forgiving environment
The Good:
Free to use
Strong & supportive community
Twitch is well established and streamers have enough clout and sway to request (and get) changes made to the platform. This makes for a powerful experience.
Solid monetization paths for performers
Well-integrated extensions to maximize viewer engagement. Built on game-streaming success.
The Bad:
The platform not widely known to audiences outside Twitch or gaming
First-time viewers face an overwhelming deluge of channels
Musicians can face a long grind for little-to-no money and it is tempting to spend more money ordering streaming gadgets from Amazon than taking in revenue share from Amazon/Twitch
Who this is for: generally older audiences & musicians 45-70. Street Jelly began in 2012 as one of the first live streaming platforms for musicians. The founder's intent was to create a virtual busking site.
What's in it for Musicians:
Entry-level streaming platform easy to use from your smartphone, laptop or desktop
Self-schedule and self-promote
The Good:
Free to use
Clean, simple interface, immediate connection
Viewers can tip musicians
Calendar shows which musicians are going to be on when
The Bad:
Small window with a simple chat, or large window without any chat
Community is hard to discern and the platform looks out-of-date
Who this is for: anyone familiar with YouTube and musicians wanting to work towards monetizing their streams and videos
What's in it for Musicians:
Large audience if they can find you and potential to monetize your channel
Familiar format for understanding live music streaming
The Good:
Free to use
Audiences familiar with YouTube
Musicians can stream live and save videos to YouTube
Monetization path for musicians
The Bad:
Limited discoverability and limited categories relating to music on the front page
Rudimentary chat, emotes & interaction with viewers
Who this is for: Younger audiences and amateur musicians 18-40.
What's in it for Musicians:
The Wild West of live music streaming means you might be able to invent something interesting
Partner program for monetization
Informal engagement with viewers
The Good:
Free to use
Musicians can create "Zoom" type live streams for collaborating with other musicians and singers
Low-pressure and can be simply fun & casual
The Bad:
Awkward discoverability and hard to navigate
Rudimentary chat and emotes
A bit rough on the edges
Audio & Video quality is not the best
Who this is for: anyone on Facebook or Instagram
What's in it for Musicians:
Schedule & promote your live gig stream as an event on Facebook
Access to a wide audience potentially
The Good:
Free to use
Easy access and well-integrated with Facebook and Instagram
Notification on when musicians you follow go live
Easy for musicians to set up and boost their live streaming event
The Bad:
No discoverability
No community
Chat and emotes are very basic and limited
No direct monetization. Donations are through 3rd party apps that you have to mention to viewers when streaming, and no interactive incentive for viewers to donate.
Coming Soon:
Who this is for: anyone on Twitter using their Go Live streaming app, and those migrating from Periscope which is closing down March, 2021.
What's in it for Musicians:
Easy access to Twitter followers
Easy to stream from your mobile device.
The Good:
Ease of use
Potential to have your stream or video reach a wide audience
The Bad:
No discoverability
No scheduling
Rudimentary chat & emotes
No community
No monetization for musicians
Announced in late 2020 with gradual rollout during early-to-mid 2021. At first glance appears to look like current live music streaming platforms. Could be a solid option for musicians already with a Bandcamp account and discography.
Professional Streams where performances are scheduled by the platform:
Who this is for: traditional concertgoers & professional musicians and currently specializing in Classical, Jazz & World music with some Rap, Pop and Indie artists.
What's in it for Musicians:
Ticketed events with good pay
Professional crew support
Intimate, more formal front-row-live experience
The Good:
High-quality audio & video, professionally produced and promoted
A cozy enough atmosphere that makes viewers feel at home
The Bad:
Distracting conventional concert camera work seems intrusive
Looks & feels like a pre-recorded concert
No community and artists are not able to link to their social media
Who this is for: traditional concert-goers, music fans & professional musicians.
What's in it for Musicians:
A professional streaming platform with monetization and interactivity.
The Good:
Professional at every step: polished user interface, quality audio experience.
The Bad:
Not welcoming to audiences
Not easily accessible
Hoops to jump through before seeing anything
Limited discoverability and no filtering of artist list by genre
No community
Who this is for: traditional concertgoers & established musicians. BandsInTown is more of a portal where musicians announce and promote their live stream shows on other platforms (YouTube, Twitch, Facebook etc). Now BandsInTownPlus offers a $9.99 monthly subscription service for more established acts and bigger names, with a promise of a certain minimum number of live streaming shows per month for one price. What's in it for Audiences:
Familiar look and feel to other online concert experiences
What's in it for Musicians:
Promotion and scheduling
Professional look and feel
Ticket selling system
The Good:
High profile, well-promoted platform
The Bad:
Mostly just connects to Twitch Music Channels, Facebook Live or other streaming platforms
Not welcoming
No community
Noteworthy:
A number of other established streaming platforms exist that are aimed at small & large businesses. These do not cater to Music specifically but are worth exploring for musicians wanting options to give paid live video lessons or webinars and special events.
Who this is for: those wanting a webinar platform that any small business or not-for-profit can use and have an option to charge a fee for viewers to watch
What's in it for Musicians:
A suite of tools to help you produce paid lessons, a webinar or something special like a theatrical event
Charge whatever you like, or simply allow viewers to pay what they can
Viewers can also donate live from the chat
The Good:
Connects to Patreon
Control over pricing
High-quality video & sound
Everything you need to set up a live stream.
The Bad:
Not well known
Pricing of tickets could turn some audiences away
Who this is for: anyone familiar with Vimeo. Still a very sparsely populated live music streaming site even though connected to Vimeo.
What's in it for Musicians:
Good for those already familiar with Vimeo
The Good:
High-quality video & sound
Pretty straight forward
The Bad:
Not well known
No discoverability
No audience for music so far
Platforms on hiatus:
Who this is for: Traditional concert goers & professional musicians but LFH has been hit hard during the pandemic and has gone on hiatus due to funding loss.
What's in it for Audiences:
Professionally managed podcasts, live streams and videos. There's a YouTube channel where videos can be viewed.
What's in it for Musicians:
Professional platform with promotion & support
The Good:
Traditional online concert experience with ticketed access.
The Bad:
This platform may not return
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Let us know in the comments if there's a platform or any features that we missed.