CCB Magazine

The Corona crisis has hit the music industry hard: 80 percent of a musician's income today depends on the live business. That's collapsing for the time being. Here we give you a short overview of different streaming platforms, where you can reach an audience but also earn money.
 

Text Boris Messing

Streamlabs
First stop: San Francisco. This is the home of Tech Start-up Streamlabs. Streamlabs monetizes streams 100%. And: For just a few euros a month, an expanded toolkit can be used: a merchandise store, a customized design and much more. The platform also offers useful gimmicks such as stream alerts or an integrated chat function. The streamed broadcasts appear on YouTube, Facebook, twich or mixer at the end of the month. 

Stageit
We'll continue in Los Angeles. Here sits Stageit. The platform is mainly for musicians. The special thing about the platform: Every Stageit concert is a unique experience. Musicians perform live, the live gigs are not archived afterwards. A chat system also enables interaction between performers and their audience. Many world-famous musicians from Jon Bon Jovi to Jason Mraz have already left their mark here. And the artists themselves decide how much they want to charge for a concert.

Moment House
Moment House is also in the USA. The platform sees itself as a community of fans and live performers. The platform is mainly intended for concerts or DJ sets. The tickets for the streamed live shows are advertised on the platform, Moment House charges 10 percent per ticket. But you can set the price yourself and you also have to take care of the promotion yourself. A countdown counts down the start of the live event, information about the artist makes curious about his performance.

Caffeine
The last stop in the USA is Caffeine. Caffeine is really not for still water drinkers. With this dazzling community platform the line between actor and spectator becomes blurred. It is indeed possible to watch a live broadcast of an entertainer, musician or athlete. But you can just as well join games activities or pick up the microphone for a battle rap. It is a motley variety of things that are offered here - which can also be interpreted as a weakness of the platform. As a broadcaster you can still earn money - by converting a digital point system into real money.

45minutes.me
Back to Berlin. When the musical engines are started up in the capital, the Music Pool Berlin is a must. The Music Pool Berlin is the first point of contact for musicians in the city, including a range of advisory services. To mark the occasion, a virtual stage has been created to offer artists a new source of play and income: the platform is called 45minutes.me. It was initiated by Eric Eitel from Music Pool Berlin. Here, musicians can go on stage live on the internet, offer music lessons or host workshops. "It's like a small stage with an entrance fee. From private to private. It's all about interaction - but in the end it's also a source of income for artists* and creative solo self-employed people," says Eric Eitel. The offer on the platform is also not limited to music: yoga, cooking, crocheting or coaching sessions are also possible. Registration is free of charge and billing is straightforward via the portal.

Live-Streams auf Spendenbasis

But that is by far not all that Berlin has to offer at the moment. The online pay community is growing and growing. There are now a number of institutions like clubs or platforms that stream live acts on a donation basis: For example, Badehaus Berlin streams live concerts from the Badehaus twice a week on the RAW grounds. The platform Berlin (a)live brings culture into the living rooms and supports artists - Berlin (a)live is a joint project of the Senate Department for Culture and Europe and the Berlin agency 3pc. The platform is the contact point for all Berlin live offers such as discussions, performances, DJ battles, operas, concerts and vernissages on the internet. Live streams from all platforms can be freely compiled and linked here. Another project is One Heart Berlin: The crew of the site wants to set a sign of hope. Every day, a work of art from the closed exhibitions or a piece by musicians whose concerts cannot take place will be shown alternately. Berlin-based TV Noir also streams concerts live - all on a donation basis. Last but not least there is United We Stream, a platform for live streams to DJ sets, concerts and other performances - which currently also has a crowdfunding campaign. Every night there's a party somewhere, electro-sound crash in the living room or gabba in the bathtub - just do what you want, it's Corona anyway. United we Stream is a campaign of the Berlin Clubcommission, Arte and Radio Eins. 

All in all: The net doesn't replace the offline world, but offers new possibilities and even payment models. Whoever is in, is in. You always get out anyway. Finally, please close the door. 

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