Musicians Use Stageit to Host Virtual Concerts

In January, we blogged about the website called “Stageit”. We have used this site several times to stream live concerts to our fans—from our computer to our fans’ computers. Today we will provide part one of a two-part update on our experience with Stageit. Today’s blog is geared toward PERFORMERS. Next week’s blog will be for Stageit concert ATTENDEES.

Virtual Acoustic Band Venue

Stageit makes it really easy for an acoustic solo performer or duo to perform a concert directly to fans without the assistance of a brick and mortar establishment (e.g., bar/restaurant), or traditional concert venue (e.g., stadium, park).

• The upfront cost is ZERO dollars, which makes the point of entry perfect for every Indie musician. Stageit earns its money from a cut of your performance proceeds.
• There are no minimums. Sell only 1 ticket if you wish. (Note: Limit the maximum tickets available to a reasonable number. A quantity of 50 for your first show is a good place to start.)

Required Equipment

There are several alternatives you could employ to develop your backend setup. You can consult Stageit (suggested gear, basic equipment) for suggestions. However, the following equipment configuration has worked fairly well for us, so this is what we recommend:

• 8 channel mixing board with USB recording interface
• Microphones
• Small monitor speaker
• Laptop with built-in camera and sound. We use a Mac because Apple still handles this better than Microsoft.
• Electric guitar(s)

Setup: Prior to Scheduling a Show

Test your connection speed by visiting this site: www.speedtest.net. Stageit states the minimum Broadcast requirement is 800 Kbps upload bandwidth. (Note: 800 Kbps = .80 Mbps. Our speed is actually .73 Mbps. Although not perfect, it seems to work ok.)

Upgrade all of your software to the latest versions. These are the minimum Broadcasting requirements:

• Windows Vista / Windows 7 OR Mac OS X 10.5 or higher (v20.0.89) OR Mac OS X 10.6 or higher (v20.2.0)
• Current browser version (Stageit suggests Google’s Chrome. They do not support IE6, IE7, IE8 or Opera)
• Latest version of Adobe Flash Player

Create a SoundCheck. Under “Performer Tools” select “Create a SoundCheck”. It looks very similar to “Create a Show”. Key differences are that 1) it’s limited to 5 attendees and 2) A SoundCheck is free to attend. This is basically a 1×1 show (actually up to 1×5). Ask (a) friend(s) to log in and help you test your levels, sound quality, etc. You don’t need to do this before every show, but you should definitely test it before you have paying customers.

Setup: Day of the Show

• Plug the microphone(s) and guitar(s) directly into the mixer
• Connect the mixer to the computer via the USB cable
• Select the line-input as the Audio Source within the Controls on the Stageit Show Stage
• Log into your Stageit Account, select your show and click “Go to Stage”
• When your concert time arrives, click “On Air” to start broadcasting
• Play a great concert directly to your fans

Please note this is just a basic overview. Stageit has a pretty good knowledge base, and I suggest you peruse it for all the information you need to be a successful Stageit performer.