Twitch for Musicians Second Edition. Karen Allen
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Foreward
Here we are, March 2020, six months after releasing the first edition of Twitch for Musicians and I’m already writing the second edition. Not everything has changed, but enough has that it’s worth updating. Here’s what’s new:
Twitch released Twitch Studio, their own livestream production software that you can use instead of OBS
Twitch now allows Affiliates to earn advertising revenue
StreamerSonglist lets you create an overlay for your queue right from their Settings (no more copy-pasting code from Github)
Lots of user interface (UI) updates across most of the livestream software and services
I said it before and I’ll say it again, it is inevitable that as soon as I publish this book, some of the information in it will change.
Read the book anyway.
This book will teach you what livestreaming is all about, including what to do on a stream, how to build an audience, and how to use the most common tools to produce a channel. Once you understand that and have seen all the technical tutorials, you’ll be able to quickly figure out things that I didn’t teach you. In fact, you’ll probably come up with your own discoveries along the way. We’re still early in the livestreaming phenomenon and there’s no telling what else will be built or what methods will arise to help creators connect with viewers.
If you use livestream platforms besides Twitch, a lot of this book can be applied to them. Either way, it will make those platforms easier to use since you’ll fundamentally understand how and why livestreaming works. The chapters on Understanding Livestreaming & Twitch and Strategies for Success in particular apply to livestreaming as a whole.
All the advice I give in this book should be considered a guideline for your own experience livestreaming. I’ve included what I’ve seen work for others and what’s worked for me. Every streamer is unique and will have their own levels of success with the various methods and strategies. Start with the basics I lay out in this book, listen to your viewers and to your gut, and make decisions for your stream that are right for you.
For more information:
Visit www.twitchformusicians.com for:
Links to blogs I’ve written and podcasts I’ve done on this topic.
Join my email list for updates.
Check out my online course which teaches you everything in the book with video tutorials and Q&A sections with me.
Twitter: @twitchformusic I'm very active on Twitter and talk about new developments in streaming and Twitch.
Instagram: @twitchformusic
Facebook: Facebook.com/twitchformusicians
Discord: Invitation to the TFM server on Discord is https://discord.gg/tktJ5cY. Meet other streamers and ask me questions.
Disclaimers Although the author and publisher have made every effort to ensure that the information in this book was correct at press time, the author and publisher do not assume and hereby disclaim any liability to any party for any loss, damage, or disruption caused by errors or omissions, whether such errors or omissions result from negligence, accident, or any other cause. All the products, services, and methods mentioned in this book are based on the author's personal experiences. Readers should use their own judgment and make their own decisions on how to proceed. The author and publisher are not liable for any outcomes as a result of reading this book.
Twitch Interactive, Inc. and its affiliates are not affiliated or associated with this work, have not sponsored or endorsed this work, have not authorized use of any third party content, and do not approve, sponsor or endorse any third party products and services described in this work. They didn’t hire me to write this book and they haven’t reviewed it. This book is entirely written from my experience and observations from using Twitch and other livestream services.
Chapter 1: Understanding Livestreaming and Twitch
WHAT IS LIVESTREAMING?
Most video watched on the internet is recorded by a creator, uploaded to a viewing platform like Facebook or YouTube, and watched by the viewer when the viewer clicks “play.” This is called “on-demand video” and often referred to as VOD (video on-demand).
Livestreams, by contrast, are videos that are created and viewed live. The key components to livestreaming are that the video the creator appears in is being streamed in real time to the viewer, kind of like a Facetime call, and that there is interactivity happening between the creator and the viewer, usually through a chat window that the creator reads and verbally responds to as viewers post to it.
Technically, major concerts like Coachella are livestreamed on YouTube because the concert is happening as the viewers are watching it. For the sake of this conversation, we’ll refer to those as live broadcasts since there is often no interactivity from the audience.
WHAT IS TWITCH?
Gamers on Twitch
Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv) is a website and mobile app (collectively called a “platform”) where gamers can create their own livestream channels to play video games live. Viewers watch the channels and comment on the game play in the channel’s chat room.
Livestream game channels on Twitch
Why would anyone watch someone else play a game? Because when you like a game, you want to watch someone who is good at it so you can learn strategy and technique. Because you’re not just watching that person play a game, you’re chatting with a bunch of other people who also like that game, and it’s fun to talk with people who have common interests. Because sometimes the gamer will play against the viewers.
Mostly, because it’s fun.
Why would anyone bother to livestream their gaming? Because they love video games and want to play them for (and sometimes with) other people who love them. Because they are really good and have strategies and techniques to share. Because they are just OK but have a great personality that makes you want to watch. Because it’s fun to share and talk about what you like to do with people who also like it.
Mostly, because it’s fun.
You may have picked up that what’s really happening here is community. It’s not just the game being played, it’s all the conversation around the game that makes people come back. It’s the interactivity between the gamer and the viewers and between the viewers themselves that makes the viewers feel included.
The twist is that Twitch has gamified community. Much like games have virtual currency you pay real money for and virtual goods you can buy in-game with that currency, so does the Twitch platform. On Twitch, virtual currency is called Bits. You can spend Bits on virtual gifts for the streamer or donate Bits directly to the streamer as a sort of tip. The money the viewer spends is shared by Twitch with the gamer the viewer spent it on. Viewers can also pay with a credit card to subscribe to the streamer’s channel, and they get perks and recognition on the stream for doing so.
Buying anything during a livestream is optional, but because the viewers are having fun and want to see the gamer play regularly, they will often pay for subscriptions and virtual goods because it supports