Listings and ticketing giant Ents 24 is among the operators to have expanded into livestreaming as Covid-19 keeps live events audiences at home.
The Bristol-based live entertainment guide and ticket retailer has added digital events to its listings. It now allows users to browse livestreams and they will be notified if an artist they follow on the site is participating in an online event.
Head of Ents24 Backstage, Graham MacLean said: “The world has changed; almost overnight the impact of COVID19 shut down the live entertainment industry as we knew it and streamed online content was cast into the limelight. Ents24 have responded by doing what we do best: delivering fans information on live entertainment, however that looks now.”
Ents24 head of marketing, Adele Fox believes livestreaming is here to stay, and noted that the platform allows users to search and filter live streams by genre.
Fox added: “We’re working tirelessly so music and comedy fans can easily discover live streamed events and solidify our position as the most comprehensive guide to live entertainment. We’re built for fans and right now, providing a guide to live streamed events is what the fans have been asking for.”
Sofar Sounds, which stages “secret gigs and intimate concerts” featuring emerging artists for an invited, engaged audience, has launched its new daily Listening Room.
The livestreams will aid independent artists as viewers can donate directly to the artists or to the Sofar Global Artist Fund.
Sofar Sounds, which staged more than 10,000 concerts last year in North American and Europe, said 100% of the money donated will be distributed to artists. Last week, the company announced plans to pay advances to artists for cancelled shows.
Upcoming livestreams on the platform include Deal Casino from New York, Jake Wesley Rogers from Nashville and Lily Moore from London.
Elsewhere, a new ‘streaming-as-a-service’ platform LiveFrom Events has been launched, with the company also stating that “livestreaming is here to stay.”
The company provides all the software and bandwidth needed to broadcast shows, whether free or paid, on a single channel or as a multi-‘stage’ festival.
LiveFrom also has the capability for private fan-club events, merchandise sales, sponsor presentations and more.
The company said, according to IQ Mag: “Right now it’s proving to be a vital lifeline, and creating a whole new ecosystem for the live music and events industries.
“Our vision is for artists, DJs, venues, clubs, producers and festivals to easily use the power of HD livestreams to put their performance and events in the hands of fans wherever they are globally.
“All you need is a laptop and internet and you could be livestreaming right now. And if you already have a video and audio set-up ready to go, even better.”
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