Twitch has become one of the most popular platforms for musicians. Before the lockdowns, musicians broadcasted live shows from their studios and homes. But now, it is on a new level.
For years, Twitch primarily served gamers and coders. Today, it is a social platform of choice for all content creators, with musicians at the forefront. As the platform has grown so rapidly this year, many musicians are now using it to earn some lost income.
There are many other ways to interact with your fans and earn some extra money. In this post, I want to highlight four less obvious ways to promote your music on Twitch besides the concert thing.
Q&A session
What better way to engage your audience than a virtual hangout with them? You can create a more intimate Q&A session on Twitch by taking questions from your audience and creating an open discussion with your community.
Your fans may be curious about your song lyrics or ask you when you plan to tour again. Use this opportunity to tell them about your experience with lockdowns and inform them of plans.
It’s easier to grab people’s interest when everyone is at home. This could be the perfect time to build relationships with your fans and colleagues.
Masterclasses are a great way to teach.
A music production masterclass is one of the most popular content types on Twitch today. If you are a DIY home recording artist, engineer, or producer, you can show off your gear and share your screen with viewers.
But don’t stop at production! You can take this idea further and host a masterclass on any aspect of your music-making, such as songwriting or lyric creation, composition, instrument practice, or even teaching audiences how to perform one of your songs. Share your expertise with the world.
Twitch offers a lot of interactive community chat, the ability to split screen and display a video, image, overlays, and backgrounds, as well as an actual live feed and the ability to show a stream, a video, or both.
This could be an opportunity to not only engage fans but also generate new clients for music lessons.
Jam sessions, practice sessions, and broadcast rehearsals
The process can be just as important as the result. You should broadcast your band practice sessions and jam sessions live to the world.
The remaining 60% of music is a mixture of all the other genres (folk, rock, country, jazz, experimental ambient, etc.). There’s also a huge market for guitars, drums, and acoustic music!
Like a masterclass or studio tour, a session with a live rehearsal can be a great way to explain your creative process to your fans. Audiences can feel as if they are right there with you and part of your next big hit.
Behind the scenes
All of the options that we have suggested previously share one commonality: they all provide access to “behind-the-scenes.” Twitch is a great tool for building relationships with fans.
You can provide access in many ways. Open up your mixing session to show fans the process of recording a song. Or, give them a sneak peek at a brand-new track that is just beginning. Show people what you eat when working, or show off your record collection.
You can make your fans feel closer to you by providing more behind-the-scenes footage. They’ll also feel like they are part of your journey, similar to a crowdfunding campaign.
You can crowdfund merchandise and tickets, collect pledges and donations focrowdfundingng, and create subscription crowdfunding monthly fans from your website. All of this is done without any commission. Bandzoogle offers a free 30-day trial to create a website and sell tickets for live-streaming events.
New social media platforms
Twitch may at first appear to be just another stage for performances. Still, it is more useful to consider it as a social media platform that allows you to build an audience and interact with your larger community. It’s not only for concerts.
You can bring viewers from other websites to the platform, just as you can with Facebook. When you are broadcasting, Twitch feels more like a hangout than anything else.
It’s important to present a genuine experience. Personality and imperfections are celebrated here. The public doesn’t expect perfectly polished or curated content. Large companies and artists have not used Twitch until recently.
Just be yourself and interact with your fans, just as you would at the merchandise table after a concert.
Final Thoughts
It’s a difficult time for many of us, especially musicians. It’s a good opportunity to engage with others online, as many people are looking to improve or stay entertained at home.
Twitch, for example, is a platform that more and more musicians are using every day. You can add value to the community while staying true to your artistic brand. There’s something for everyone.
