Nils interviewed by Victor Allen at PaxStereoTV

Much has been said about the tumult in the music industry. CD stores are almost a memory of the past. CD sales have been declining, and even downloads are giving way to streaming, which pays the artist and the record label next to nothing. The old model of the music industry has been shattered.

But dear fellow musician, do not despair. I’ve seen the future, and I am telling you the future looks bright. The internet and digital file sharing might have killed the old way of doing business, but it opened a whole new avenue for us performers.
For one, Internet radio is slowly, but surely becoming the driving force in presenting our music to the audience. Now with new cars models offering wifi access, you can listen in your car, the office and at home to your favorite music mix. And I must say the selection is way more exciting than traditional radio, covering a wider variety of artists and fresh sounds.

Last weekend I did a TV taping at PAX Stereo TV an internet TV channel, run by Mario Hemsley and Victor Allen. My main reason for going was to create some new content to promote my new CD ALLEY CAT. As I mentioned in my previous blog “smooth jazz artist as content creator “, this is a new central part of my job as an independent artist. I have been seeing them a few times before, when there were maybe 15 viewers. This time we did some basic publicity on social media and had 500 – 1000 tuned in who then re-broadcasted the show to another 500 or more of their friends and followers. Internet TV and live streaming is still in its infancy, but the pioneers at Pax Stereo TV showed me what is possible.

The whole thing was very low key. I brought Clydene Jackson, keyboardist and singer extraordinaire and we literally picked up a drummer off the street who happened to walk in. Turned out this was Marvin Smitty Smith, drummer of the Tonight show band for 15 years. That’s just one of the perks about living in LA. We had a relaxed hang, talked about the new CD and played live a few of the new songs. We got a great response and questions came in from Hawaii to Australia. I immediately understood the potential.
With adding pay-per view into the mix, we could organize a party and invite fans all over the world to tune in at our house concert. The business model is simple: everybody could tune in to a free preshow. Then they would have to pay a modest fee to stream the actual concert live into their living room. The after show would be free again advertising a paid download of the concert for those who missed it.
The tools are available, the technology works. There are several platforms available and right now most of them offer their service with a free trial for you to check it out.

Nils Interviewed by Meko streamed through iPhone

Another great aspect of this technology is, that it is interactive. We had 4 live streams going, using cameras and cell phones. The viewer can switch different angles and follow interviews done by online personalities like Meko Williams or Victor Allen. Take it a step further and the paying viewer could place a camera into their living room and I would be able to see their party on a monitor and interact with them in real time. Anybody ready to have us perform at New Years eve in their living room?

I see only exciting possibilities, like cliniques, Q & A sessions or join our rehearsal.  Just let you imagination flow. And its all in the hand of the artist. Indeed I think the future is bright I gotta wear shades.

Here are some resources for you to explore

Streaming apps for smartphones:
Periscope
Meerkat
ANGL

Links to streaming services:

http://paxstereo.tv

http://www.numubu.com
http://www.dacast.com