Bkstg Connects Artists Directly With Fans

There are many direct-to-fan platforms available for artists these days, but that doesn't prevent new ones from launching. Bkstg is a new app that lets artists own the entire experience of connecting with fans in one place. This includes posting videos and photos to selling tickets to selling merch.

In many cases, 5 to 10% of an artist's fan base drives 80% of the revenue, but the artist usually has no direct way to identify and directly connect with those fans, especially when using most social platforms like Instagram and Twitter.

The Bkstg platform allows an artist to see exactly who's buying tickets, engaging with content. and consuming exclusive content so they can be further targeted.

The platform also utilizes geo-fencing so that an artist on tour can send out a message about ticket or merch specials just to those fans attending the show.

Bkstg is starting with some heavyweight artists like Aerosmith, Justin Bieber, Usher and Maroon 5, and the app is free to use for both artists and users.

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Get More People To Watch Your Live Video Streaming

Live video streaming is pretty hot these days, and most of the major social platforms allow you to do it. The problem is that you only get a small portion of your available fans when streaming in just one place.

While it's possible to embed your player on a number of websites, that's a pretty time consuming process, and that's where StreamSpread comes in.

StreamSpread is a new network that finds compatible websites for you (called "publishers") so you can get your live stream out to more people. You have to pay for this service (you're an "advertiser") at a rate of either $5 per 1000 views or $0.03 per hour viewed, but you can quickly and easily expand your audience.

The service works with a stream you create from Ustream, Livestream or Twitch, and provides analytics such as number of viewers, time watched, viewer geolocation, concurrent views, and viewer's browser and device type.

You can also filter the categories of the websites that will serve up your stream to make sure that you target the exact audience for your message or music.

Here's a brief video below that explains the service.

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Your Music Won't Be Played In China Anytime Soon

China is one of the most populated countries in the world with over 1.3 billion people, 75% of which listen to music regularly.

That said, the revenue generated by music is stunningly small (see the chart composed of data from the IFPI) and it looks like it's not going to increase anytime soon, at least for Western artists.

Only 10% of the population currently listens to non-Chinese music and that's going to drop, thanks to the government's recent declaration that any kind of content from foreign media companies will be blocked starting March 10th.

Companies like Apple and the New York Times who have invested millions in China just may be out of luck, and if your music or content was aimed that way, so will you. The big windfall that China promised may never take place after all, thanks to the protectionist policies of the Chinese government.

Then again, if the video below is what they consider hip, then maybe we're not missing anything anyway. It's a communist corruption rap featuring president Xi JinPing.

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YouTube Now Lets You Selectively Blur The Screen

YouTube videos are so incredibly powerful that every artist and band has to do them in order to both engage their current fan base and also to expand it as well. That said, many artists shoot randomly and never think of the consequences of not getting releases from people and places in the video.

There are times that people and venues want money for using their name and likeness. That used to require a reshoot, which wasn't always possible, until now. YouTube now gives you the tools to selectively blur any part of your video for maximum anonymity.

Way back in 2012 YouTube launched a face blurring tool, but the current update allows other things to be blurred out in the video like license plates, phone numbers, wardrobe malfunctions, disturbing imagery, etc.

You draw a box on top of the part of the video that you wish to blur, and then the feature will track the object as it moves throughout the video. You can also choose when the blurring begins and ends.

This update is only available on the desktop version of YouTube at the moment, but they promise that the mobile version update will follow soon.

Here's a video that shows how to do it.

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Volvo Adds Phone-Free Spotify

Almost all new cars are blue-tooth enabled so you can stream music from your smartphone, but any driver who's tried this knows how clunky it can be while driving, let alone dangerous.

Volvo is making music streaming a lot easier by integrating Spotify directly into its new XC 90 SUB, S90 sedan and V90 wagon this spring.

All you need is a Spotify premium account to get going, and as the video below explains, it's pretty easy to use and doesn't require a smartphone to use. Is this the way of the future for car audio?

Read more about it here.

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7 Tips For Publishing Facebook Videos

Facebook is becoming more and more a force when it comes to online videos, so it's important that you optimize your videos for the platform in order to get the most out of them.

Here are 7 tips from Facebook video product manager Anaid Gomez-Ortigoza for get the most out of your post.

1. Schedule your videos so the most fans see it and the content stays fresh.

2. Set expiration dates to help with any licensing restrictions.

3. Add captions to tell your story without sound, since many viewers watch the video with the audio turned off.

4. Edit and manage your videos with Facebook's video library tools.

5. Take advantage of Facebook's embedded video player to be able to embed them on other platforms.

6. Utilize secret videos that must be accessed through a dedicated URL so they're only available to fans.

7. Track your metrics, especially your top videos, engagement and retention graphs.

Facebook videos allow you to reach more of your audience without have to pay for the privilege, so they're a powerful way in extending your brand and growing your audience.

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