Are you thinking of hosting a live concert from your living room? Check out this handy guide with some great ideas from Hands Up For Trad.

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So with everything going on at the moment how can we get our music out there and earn some money? We’ve all heard of Skype lessons so if you find your teaching is being cancelled why not check this out. They aren’t difficult. The technology is free and you can accept fees through the likes of PayPal.

Another answer is to make a concert in your living room. This is not so straight ahead but very possible. There are different bits of software out there including the free Open Broadcasting Software (OBS Studio) that will let you stream to Twitter, YouTube, Facebook – where ever your audience is. I think you can stream to Twitter and YouTube at the same time (using OBS) but Facebook will only let you stream to their platform and no-one else.

Things to think about when making a live broadcast is first your sound. You’ll get away with not so good visuals if people can hear you properly. You could use a webcam and a mic into your computer via a usb soundcard. Remember and listen back to the sound in advance so you levels are high enough.

If this technology worries you can always use your phone or tablet! All of the above services will let you broadcast live from their apps. Try and make sure where you are going to perform has lots of light. Don’t perform in the dark!!

Finally – how do you get paid? Well if you use YouTube you can have a broadcast with a secret link that you can send to people who pay for it using PayPal or other provider. If you are broadcasting on Facebook, Twitter or Twitch you can accept donations or tips.

The key here is just to try it! Please share your experiences with others (and me) and let’s make it better for everyone!

A tip for a live broadcast from my experience is to record it first then broadcast it as live. Reduces stress and let’s you answer an question’s coming in!