Video streaming is a word that you have probably heard of by now or at least you should have. YouTube is a video streaming service; also, there are services that will host a video to stream to your website, say, a short infomercial or product demonstration, for a fee of course. What makes a stream so applicable is that the end user does not have to download the full video onto their computer; instead the video is hosted on a server and “streamed” to the end user through a variety of media players. Today, I want to discuss live video streams.

Home Entertainment, Big Screens, Surround Sound

Now that most households have big screen T.V’s and sharp surround sound stereo systems the idea of having a concert broadcast in your living room becomes a viable new attractive form of entertainment. Combine this with the leaps and bounds in video streaming capabilities and you see why even major corporations such as AT&T and Microsoft are investing and interpreting the video stream technology.

I was live at Bonaroo music festival in Tennessee thanks to AT&T’s Blueroom, I was live at Langeradoo music festival in Florida thanks to the Iclips Network, and continually see up and coming bands like “Your Mama’s big fat booty Band” perform live on a site called Synclive, without even leaving my garden in Montreal.

Be Live at Bonaroo From Portland, Oregon

Live video streaming is a future of music media. If you’re favorite band is not coming to your town, you don’t have to travel a jillion miles to check them out in concert. As more music aficionados are not able to travel around the country taking in their favorite concerts, now they can “do the tour” from their internet connected yurt. (Wink) Not able to find a sitter, or don’t like the crowds, whatever the reason, throw a party at your house and get down live knowing that you are experiencing the music in the moment.

Now, any band can stream their show onto the web using a site called Synclive, no matter who you are or what kind of music you make, (although the site only seems to have somewhat quality music-I am not sure of their filtration process) you can broadcast your show live around the globe. New Years Eve parties will forever be more exciting with concerts from all over the world being streamed into Anywhere, USA.

AT&T Blueroom

AT&T is one of the largest corporations investing in live video stream of music concerts and festivals with their AT&T Blueroom. They were live at Bonaroo in Tennessee and the Coachella music festival in California; although, it was painfully obvious they are concentrating on the technicalities and the technologies and not the production itself. The downtime in between music acts was a painful awkward silence showing silent video of people standing around, not to cool. It was a real waste of live video space where they could have had a live VJ entertaining people while hyping up the festival and the live broadcast. It’s free, so I won’t complain, but I have to ask “Where was Pauly Shore?!!!!”

IClips Network

“IClIps Network” made me a fan by broadcasting live at Langeradoo music festival in May; Langeradoo was the early summer show held in Florida that hosted a lineup of seemingly every good band out there. Iclips has good entertainment that they keep archived on their site so when they are not live you can check out a previously recorded concert or interview. Also, Iclip’s as well as Synclive offer real time commenting while the show is taking place allowing for fans to communicate about the experience like being at the real show live. They also seem to still be hammering out how to produce the shows they are broadcasting live from, but their full screen presentation of the venues and great camera work offer an entertaining presentation of the musicians and events. (Their on stage camera presence can distract or hype of musicians)

Synclive

Synclive is a unique live video feed site that allows anyone with a video camera, laptop, and internet access to broadcast a show live to the entire world. Their user interface is friendly and offers a real time chat to those who sign in enabling you to talk with other fans like being at the real thing. This site will surely present some of the up and comers to the world with it’s “do it yourself” appeal and relying on the up loader for quality content. They also offer their archived shows; I watched Public Enemy from NYC before watching a live performance of “Your Mamas Big Fat Booty Band” from a club in Atlanta, Georgia. The only down on Synclive is that they do not offer a true full screen, but how could they when they get their live feed from any video camera used by a roadie? I highly recommend this site for all you up and comers, D.J.’s, promoters, producers, the party goers and the party throwers.

Get It While The Getting Is Good

Have a party at your house in Oregon and project a band playing live at a club in Miami, cool party! It’s a fabulous live world at your finger tips. I suggest you take advantage of it while it’s free, because, I’m betting this type of technology and access will soon cost you at least the price of admission.

Right now, as I type, I am also watching and listening to the band Panjea broadcast live from the 10,000 Lakes music festival in Minnesota via Iclips. There is something cool about having a live feed of a festival happening hundreds of miles away to placate a rainy day here in Montreal.

Mark Stegman

http://www.iclips.net/
http://app.synclive.com/
http://www.attblueroom.com
YMBFBB= Your Mamas Big Fat Booty Band