Stage It

Well over the last month I have been trying out a new to me kind of setup. I have been doing a few live webcast shows. basically I used a site that lets you stream live and text chat in real time. It was very exciting at first and the thoughts we endless on how it could go and be a big help to artists and bands that can not get to all the place fans would like them to come to.

I used a web site called www.stageit.com they have a great set up to get you going quickly. A very easy layout lets you see upcoming shows, artist information, who's been online and the likes. There are tips and tricks for the artists and bands to read through if you need some help and ideas. You can set show prices, get tips, offer rewards for tips.
Lots of easy to use features through out the artist side, like quick links to promote your shows directly to Twitter and Facebook. They also provide a page of reports for each show that you play.
They run each show based on tokens. These tokens are credits you buy so that you can get a ticket to a show and use for leaving tips. Each token is worth $0.10, so 10 tokens would be a whole Dollar. The artists and bands can set ticket prices for each show they do. You can have as low as pay what you want to say 100 tokens for a ticket. This is where the site helps the artist and themselves going.

There is a split on the tokens/ credits at the end of each show with the artist getting the bigger share. They use part of what they make from your show to pay for the credit card fees and the paypal fees they incur for transaction on the site.

They help you get rolling in about 5 to 10 minutes. You build you band profile, add a photo or 2, store links, web site links, they even ask you for your YouTube link. And the great idea to use your YouTube for a quick promo video to help push your shows.

This could be a very powerful tool in between your regular shows to help keep connected to fans.

I had a great time trying it out. All I needed was a webcam hooked up to my computer. No fancy anything. I did put up a background to help the overall look while I was playing.

Over all I think it is a very good site and tool for any performing act.

The only thing i had problems with was getting people to come and watch. That is not the fault of www.stageit.com , more me not being pushy enough through my online networks.

Give it a shot. Let me know what you think and how it has worked for you.

Or have you tried a similar site to www.stageit.com?