>Tip: live, laugh, livestream
❯ The freeware story doesn’t start and end in the studio. For the realm of the stage, there’s a similar deluge of free downloads that might just make the difference between a clunky performance and a night that your audience will never forget. While we’re going to take it as read that you’re working around a computer-based setup, this guide offers up a delectable platter of free software (and free platform) gems. From swift, flexible beat making, to instantaneous vocal-tuning and even a featurepacked, show-ready DAW, our list is aimed squarely at those questing to tighten up their live sound.
YouTube isn’t the only free way to stream your live music. Facebook, Instagram and Twitter also sport livestreaming facilities, though choosing which to broadcast on might be a bit of a headscratcher. The solution may lie in signing up to a multistreaming platform such as Restream. For no cost (aside from an email sign-up) your streams will be livedistributed to all selected platforms simultaneously. You can pre-record your shows and schedule them to stream at a certain point, and analyse the data across the platforms after, too. If you want to get more pro and monetise your live performances, StageIt offers a cost-free way to host (and charge!) for your shows, via its bespoke monetisation system. The only downside is that you’ll need to persuade others to sign up to watch. It’s also worth mentioning Twitch. Starting out as a gamingoriented streaming platform, Twitch has grown into a densely packed hotbed of content creators, including live music performers. It’s also got a fairly generous affiliate program to help monetise your streams.