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A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to see one of my favorite newcomer bands, Still Standing (check them out HERE), in a pretty unique way. I've known about these guys for a couple of years now, seen them play a few times, and really, I can't say enough good things about them. Trouble is, they're in that position that's probably the most frustrating, both for an unsigned band and their fans alike: they're "almost" ready to set the world on fire... but not quite. Which means touring for them is still pretty localized at the moment, or damned-near impossible. That's great for all the people out in Los Angeles, where they re-located in order to pursue their career as a band, but considering that I'm on the other side of the country, it makes me jealous! Hey, move back to Philly, guys!
So of course I was glad to be able to see Still Standing perform again when I did. They played a headlining set, unveiling a lot of new material from their upcoming, highly-anticipated new album. Songs I'd never heard before. Didn't cost me a fortune in airfare, either. Even better, I had the most awesome views of the entire band and didn't have to stand on my toes, or be constantly trying to peek around some 6-foot-tall kid who got in front of my little 5-foot-self all set long. I got to see everything from the "best seat in the house," and I got to see a pre-show interview, too, which was an added bonus. I watched them play from my living room, on my 20" high-res flat-screen monitor, while chatting with a friend (who was also watching them; someone who I had told about the band and convinced to watch along with me - one more fan added to the fanpool).
We weren't watching any pre-recorded DVD or YouTube video. Nor were we watching a cheap recording done on someone's cellphone or digital camera, the sound muffled and the frame bouncing all over the place. It was Still Standing in the flesh, from Hollywood's Key Club, one of Tinseltown's coolest music venues, and it really was like being right there. That pre-show interview was a nice outreach to fans, too; a personal touch that otherwise wouldn't be as possible "live" live, since we all know what it's like when everyone and their third cousin who wasn't at the show in the first place hangs around afterward, asking things like, "Dude, you guys were amaaaaazing! Where'd you get your awesome wallet chain?!" No, this was much better than that. You know. Other than not being able to ask lead guitarist Johnny where he did get his uh... yeah.
Alright, so. How, you ask? I knew you would. It was all through the magic of something called Webcastia.
What's the deal with Webcastia, exactly? It's one of those great ideas that's so simple, yet so ingenious, you'll probably assume I'm joking in thinking this is particularly newsworthy. Quite simply, it's pay-per-view concert broadcasting. Yep. Just like watching a sporting event, only Webcastia's main interest is music broadcasting.
I initially thought the idea was kind of gimmicky, and I almost discounted it. But then, the more I thought about it, well... hey! They were going to be broadcasting one of my favorite new bands live, one to which I had no access otherwise. So it didn't take that much consideration for me to decide it was worth the mere eight bucks to buy the subscription for that night's performance and give this Webcastia thing a whirl. Even under the best circumstances, if the band was playing here in Philadelphia, it would still involve, oh... gas, parking, the required Wawa pit-stops for coffee and snacks on the way there and back (if you don't know what a Wawa is, you haven't been listening to enough Bloodhound Gang.) In other words, it would have cost a hell of a lot more than just $8.
After seeing the show (which included one other band performing before Still Standing), I really got interested in the premise behind Webcastia, so I contacted Charles Bowen, the proprietor of the site, and asked for a little more information. Now that I know more about it, I think it's a pretty cool idea, both from the fan perspective and from the band's perspective, too.
In talking with Chuck, I got the 411 on what, exactly, Webcastia does, and how, and who they're targeting. Bands and band managers: if you're reading, you might want to bookmark this page because the ideas here are pretty grand, if you ask me.
Currently, Webcastia has been used to broadcast some concerts here and there as they've worked on perfecting their broadcasting technique, which is actually pretty in-depth. It begins with Chuck and his crew 'scoping out' a venue and checking the in-house internet equipment, the ability to clear signal, etc. If necessary, they bring in their own equipment to ensure a flawless transmission. They even have the capacity to temporarily install a satellite dish at the venue, if that's what it's going to take, or to bring in internet service direct from the local ISP at the speeds they require to transmit.
Webcastia also makes use of 4 professional-caliber video cameras, a video display and mixing system, an audio mixer and delay, their own microphones, a communications system, 2 laptop computers, and cable bundles for all the cameras. The crew needed to work all this equipment, and create a webcast, consists of an audio-visual control tech, up to 4 camera operators, someone to handle all the cabling, a director, and a host (if needed), all depending on the specifics of the event being broadcast.
After a band is booked and the venue is planned out, a script is written for the entire broadcast. "Its a live show, so every minute needs to be accounted for. We interview the bands between sets, or go out and shoot them before the show for exclusive interview content," Chuck explained. Doing interviews or creating other band content is a real hook to generate interest. It also serves a practical purpose, taking up time while bands go through equipment changes or other breaks in the schedule. Even better for the band, there's no way this content is going to end up on YouTube, posted a thousand times, unless they make it available themselves. Broadcasts are copyright-protected so that only subscribed viewers can watch, and you can't even save a screen capture (yes, I tried, to see just how tight the system was).
Broadcasts are viewed by purchasing a subscription to a particular event, which is done through an automated shopping cart on the Webcastia site. The transaction was quick and painless, completed using a credit card to make the purchase through a system with the standard security precautions present. There is also a timer on the site, so a subscriber can know when the broadcast is about to go live. Then, after a viewer types in the individual subscriber password they receive via email, post-payment, they can log on to the live feed once it's going. I did have a bit of an issue connecting at first (which turned out to be caused by old media player licenses on my computer, in need of updating.) For anyone trying out the service for the first time, I definitely recommend starting to get yourself set up about a half-hour before a broadcast is slated to begin. Once my media player licenses had been updated however, I was able to connect to the broadcast without a hitch, and enjoyed the rest of the show. Thankfully I managed to get it taken care of before Still Standing's intermission interview!
The broadcast itself was beautiful, with excellent video quality, much better than what I was expecting. Best of all was the ability to see from so many different angles. It was pretty obvious to me that Chuck and his crew definitely know what they are doing with this, and have the right equipment to do it. Sure, there's no real way to replace actually being there, but this was about as close as you could come to sharing elbow room with the crowd gathered at the Key Club that night. I'm not sure, but I think the inside of my monitor might even have caught a bit of drummer Alex's sweat.
As far as Webcastia's current and future services, Chuck mentioned a couple of really interesting ideas. Of course, they are already available to be contracted by a band/venue, with a 65/35 split of ticket sales, 35% going to Webcastia. "We cover all expenses related to the webcast: credit card charges, bandwidth, film crew, etc. There are no up-front costs to the band," said Chuck. Sounds convenient and easy. Building on what they already offer, Webcastia is also gearing up to provide a few other types of broadcast services and incentives. The company is looking ahead to eventually start purchasing major acts on their own for broadcasting, as well as beginning to broadcast large fund-raising concert events. Past performances will remain available on Webcastia's net servers for on-demand viewing (once content distribution agreements are reached with record labels.) When all of the service options have been unveiled, there are plans to make the service available in other locations besides Los Angeles (this had been one of my initial questions about Webcastia.) And for something really interesting to those looking to help spread the word about broadcasts, and make a few bucks doing it, Webcastia currently offers an affiliate program where radio broadcasters, websites, and the like can earn a percentage based on the ticket sales they generate.
All in all, Webcastia seems to be a neat business venture, and it definitely fills what was a gaping hole in our increasingly digital age. With the ever-changing landscape of the music industry today, and the need for new business models, we're seeing new and intriguing ideas on music content delivery and band publicity sprouting up every day. Many will fail, or simply not reach their full potential, but that's business in general. And now, as most bands' major source of income is live performance rather than CD sales, maybe Chuck really has something here with his concert broadcast site. If Webcastia catches on, the Still Standing concert might be part of the beginning of something really revolutionary. If the service grows, and perhaps adds a few more business plans that reach out to include newer bands like Still Standing (who have a smaller fan-base starting out), this could really change the future of concert attendance and music publicity for years to come.
To get the scoop on Webcastia, visit www.webcastia.com, where you'll find information about watching concerts, booking concerts, and becoming a sales affiliate.
