"THE ROOTS KEEP ON GROWING..."
LIVESTREAMERS ARE THE NEW ROCKSTARS
In a world startved for authenticity, the best and most authentic entertainment in the world is at your fingertips. Why would you ever go out?
JAN 25, 2023
WRITTEN BY
Livestreamers are the new rockstars.
Livestreams are the new “live music” venue.
Livestreaming is the new version of, “playing a show.”
Podcasts are the new, “albums.”
…and t-shirt sales are still good old-fashioned-t-shirt sales…
Livestreamers are the new rockstars. Period.
All things considered; where is the lie? Livestreamers cultivate an audience by “performing,” but instead of only playing songs (some do), they put their personalities and character on full-display. People come out to see what they have to offer.
Most musicians I’ve met in my time don’t offer much, except for maybe, “wanting to get ahead,” by playing a game of association-dissociation based on if you are valuable to them at that point in their career or not. It’s fake. People are over fake. People who spend actual money on creatives are over fake.
The world is starved for authenticity…
The spirit of authenticity provided by livestreaming is what persons who used to crave “live music” look for in entertainment. Additionally, the livestream itself acts as a barometer for authenticity. You can not fake your personality or character on a livestream a few-times-a-week for over an hour; at some point you will reveal your true self and your audience will notice. Livestreaming presents an authentic version of the person on-screen to the audience. When a video is pre-recorded, someone can go in, edit it, and remove anything which may reveal something about the person you don’t want to be reveal. For example: if they are playing a character and do something that character wouldn’t actually do in reality, someone is going to notice and those alarm-bells are going to go off. When that starts, if it isn’t addressed, it could mean daggers for this streamer depending on what exactly happened.
Real examples of this have happened throughout the vast livestreamer ecosystem. This is why I believe so many live streamers are more authentic, and much more supported, than other forms of entertainment in this day and age. If you believe in something you are more likely to support it. You can believe in someone who is being authentic and speaking to your, but more importantly their, values. I can’t believe in someone who preaches one thing then tweets in support of the opposite standpoint a day later because they think it’ll be good for their career. This is blaringly prevalent with main-stream musicians and content-creator-personalities these days.
Livestreamers have been able to thrive in an environment where everything else is seemingly wilting. You can turn a camera on from your living room and have 35 people tuning in fairly easily. When was the last time you saw 35 people in a music venue to watch the band at 10pm on a Tuesday? Stop. You can’t remember. I was on a stream last night that had a peak of ~50 viewers and 140 views in total when the stream ended, and that was just on YouTube. When was the last time 140 people walked through a bar while some people were sitting around talking on a Tuesday night?
“…But but but Mr. Author: then no one is out supporting the venue and then the business dies.” This is a point worth noting, and it is discussed in another article through this publication which I will link here (if I remember once it’s published). The point is essentially: entertainment is being used by the industry and getting paid too little to justify them doing it for the venue from a strictly business standpoint. In the event of that live stream, if only 10% of the people who viewed it donated something, the money that would have otherwise gone to overpriced beer and microwaved food is going directly into the hands of the content creators.
Musicians are told to have enough content available to their audience that their profile acts “sticky” and keeps people there. Most times, however, you get a couple videos and some songs on a streaming platform nobody wants to pay a monthly-fee for. Livestreamers, on the other hand, have an archive or material that is vast. If a streamer has a schedule of streaming twice a week for 2-hours for 6-months, that is almost 100 hours of content. You can dig into that content for weeks and not get through it all. If the content is compelling you’ll want to consume it all-the-while that streamer will keep making new content you’ll need to catch up on. These livestreamers are clydesdales… big ole work horses.
Livestreamers are able to capitalize on their audience’s engagement through donations and affiliate purchases. This step alone puts them in a position which is much more accessible than most musicians. Most musicians won’t even host a website where they can accept donations to their craft or sell their music directly.
Most musicians will beg you to go sign up for a large corporate streaming entity like Spotify or apple music. Once you are there, those platforms will algorithmically direct your patronage towards an artist which has had their management “grease their wheels” or an artist which they, the streaming platforms, have produced and own the revenue-of. These same artists will also ALWAYS take virtuous stances on social media against some elite-corporatist and then follow that post with a link to their album hosted on a platform which is owned by the parent company which that elite-corporatist directly owns. Who said comedy was dead? These musicians have hopes that these Spotify-streams will amount to a livable monthly wage for them. Livestreamers post their content to these platforms full-well knowing they’ll never see a dime. They realize these are promotional tools only.
The spirit of the livesteamer is that of the original rockstar. A pirate who is able to do whatever they want, whenever they want, however they want, and they make money doing it. Sure: eventually if they make enough noise, some big corporate entity may approach them and give them an opportunity to sell their soul, just like Robert Johnson at the crossroads, but it will be up to them to decide if they want the money or the freedom. Same story, different pile.
“Well what about musicians? There are still popular musicians.” Yep. The most popular musicians livestream to their audience, and also provide music as something they create to their audience. They livestream… and also… Notice how “music” came after the “and also” there? That’s because the connection is being made with the audience through the livestream. They are opening themselves up to their audience in a way that their music used to. Most of that music now doesn’t say much of anything. It says, “hi I signal to this particular costume,” but it doesn’t show you why they feel like they do. A livestreamer who is also a musician is able to connect with their audience and inform them about upcoming releases. Instead of submitting releases to magazines like this, they are creating their own magazine… how novel? haha… please don't stop. You guys are fantastic ♥
Livestreaming provides an authentic look into who the person really might be. Even if they are playing a character, if you are on screen for 2 hours your true self is going to poke through the smokescreens. The audience that has dollars in their pockets are tired of inauthentic representations of days-gone-by-value systems. The people who want to spend money on content creation do not care what label you’re on if you can’t string a decent idea together which they can relate to.
Livestreamers attract the same kind of dramatic nonsense that famous rockstars used to. I’d wager you’ve heard more about scandals related to podcasters than musicians as of late. This is because the same obsession which once plagued the fan-girls of Beatle mania is now deeply engrained in the rotting-minds of avid social media users. These degenerated NPC people see something; they bind to it; it is part of their identity. They obsess over these livestreamers like a teenage girl over a boy-band.
So at the end of the day, I ask myself a few simple questions: do I want to be in some stanky bar with a bunch of people I don’t know, don’t trust, probably suck, and don’t need to ever get to know just for the chance to see someone on stage play a rousing rendition of “Mustang Sally” followed by “Friends In Low Places?”, only to return home smelling of urinal pucks, other-people’s cigarette smoke, and whatever highly toxic and noxious cleaning product was used to clean the power-drugs off the table shortly before I arrived? Or do I want to sit at home, find a topic I enjoy listening to, and participate directly with the content creator through the chat while drinking whatever beer/tea/wing/unfloridated-water I want, whenever I want, mere meters from where I will sleep in my own bed that night? I choose option 2.
I choose option 2, so I can go out the next night and hang out with people who deserve my time and presence, and I have earned the honor of having theirs as well.
If you are a musician I implore you to not give up. I only ask that you take a legitimate look at your situation and do what is best for you to continue making that which you are called to. Adapt to our changing world, or die an aging relic propping up a system that would be better in the dirt anyways.
I have love for you, but it’s time grow up son. The world isn’t getting any kinder and those crowds of yours are getting smaller. You can do this. I believe in you.
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