Virtual tip jars and tours: digital-age music outreach and fan support

July 9, 2014 6:23 AM

There are numerous ways that bands reach out to potential and current fans, and you can add a few more to the list with Noisetrade, Stageit and Concert Window. Noisetrade allows artists and bands to give away music, like a few tracks and covers from Dr. Dog and Saint Rich, to the whole First Album Live from They Might Be Giants, and now e/audio books, too, in trade for an email address and zip code. If you prefer live music, Stageit and Concert Window allow fans to watch unrecorded, streaming shows from bands anywhere in the world, for whatever price fans see fit.

For more insight into NoiseTrade, here's an interview with its founder, musician Derek Webb and a review of the site and its services, while NPR profiles Concert Window and Stageit.

posted by filthy light thief (4 comments total)

TMBG: First Album Live, previously
posted by filthy light thief at 6:51 AM on July 9, 2014

I've seen a few shows through Stageit and I think the concept is out-of-this-world awesome. Sometimes there's a little technical difficulty, but it's always taken care of within 5-10 minutes or so, which is about the same as it is when you're in a club and the PA keeps cutting out or whatever. You can make requests, chat with your fellow fans, and throw a few more bucks at the artist whenever you feel like it -- all without interrupting anything or anyone, all in the comfort of your own home. Drinks and food are free.

Nothing beats being in the audience for an in-person performance, but for low-profile artists who can't afford to tour very often, medium-profile artists who are testing out new material, and fans who can't get out to see shows, this new wave of live performance sites is an awesome opportunity. I can't wait to see Jenny Owen Youngs next week.

Thanks for the post!
posted by divined by radio at 7:04 AM on July 9, 2014 [2 favorites]

TMBG have been doing stuff like this for a long time. Long Tall Weekend came out 15 years ago this month, and it's the first album I remember having online promos, and buying online. Ah, clearing off enough space on an office computer illicitly to burn it to a CD-R with the huge old external Kodak CD writer ...
posted by scruss at 7:07 AM on July 9, 2014 [2 favorites]

Stageit shows, if you haven't tried them, are more intimate- and live- seeming than you'd think. There's a chat attached, as well, where the artist can see both your comments, and what you put in the tip jar.
posted by tyllwin at 1:29 PM on July 9, 2014