5 Things We’ve Learned About Streaming: We Banjo 3
We Banjo Three have been doing live streams semi-regularly since mid-March. Since two of the four members live in the US and two in Ireland (That’s not a typo. In this case, two + two does = three.) they’ve had to get particularly creative with the content they present.
Like fellow indie artists The Accidentals and Murielle Kraft, We Banjo Three is happy to share what they’ve learned.
1. It’s tough but worth it.
There are lots of technical barriers, it can feel cold without the normal real audience feedback loops, but it’s amazing to see fan reactions and how much they are looking forward to each broadcast. It highlights that it’s in times such as these we need art to help us transcend.
2. Gear is important particularly the moderation of it!
Having decent gear helps the broadcast enormously- A decent tripod with phone clamp and an external mic helps give a much better chance of good sound quality and ease of use. However, there is an upper bound we’ve found. We’ve tried adding more tech: additional screens, 3rd party software, mixing consoles, greenscreen backgrounds. Doing so created so much stress it took away from the human aspect of the broadcast and in our opinion made us more distracted and less present. A simple robust system is best.
3. Read the comments and interact.
Make it a conversation. Fan engagement is so critical. We’ve taken song requests and answered questions on a range of topics. It makes the broadcast fun for fans and the band alike.
4. Non-musical hobbies are appealing.
This is a unique time for fans to learn about what makes us tick. They love learning about gardening, beer-brewing, coffee making, poetry, what we are reading, what we are watching. It’s fun and creates a deeper connection.
5. Quality over quantity.
Keeping the broadcast to an hour or under allows for great variety and the ability to dive into some things, without it becoming a marathon. We’ve observed a steep drop-off in numbers once the broadcast goes over an hour in length.
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