Local Band Late Night Union

Fan2Stage Expands Reach Of Local Bands

It has been a while since anyone saw a live show with a great local band like Late Night Union, Dead Poets Society or even bigger names. Late Night Union Lead singer Christian Eric is a fan of the new Fan2Stage virtual audience system. Before the covid shutdown, the band would open for larger bands or play small local gigs. In both cases, making money is tough. All musicians know that selling albums for a living doesn’t work any more. The key is to bring in fans, and most importantly paying fans. Many of the small local gigs depended on tips that many times wouldn’t cover a couple of beverages at the establishment.

“When the Covid-19 lockdowns hit, local music was decimated. With Fan2Stage, I could play in my home studio and still reach out to fans.” says Christian. “As a live performer, the audience energy is critical” he adds.

Scott Bourquin, the creator of Fan2Stage and host of CoolToys felt much the same way, and when live fans were not allowed in the studio he created Fan2Stage. The live audience element is critical for hosts and comedians to maintain the timing of the show. Using Question and Answer chat boxes or trying to look at 30 little tiny faces was just too distracting for the hosts of CoolToys TV. The idea for the Fan2Stage virtual audience system was a result of trying to use chat boxes and two way video systems for fans. He realized that Fan2Stage could also be a tool for live shows with local bands but the servers would be too expensive. For them he created a cloud based version.

Realizing that the key elements for any on stage presenter is the audience energy. People on stage presenting like comedians, musicians, religious leaders and talk show hosts all depend on that instant feedback from the audience. After several months of testing a beta version of the app, the musicians were the first to ask how they could use the virtual audience system to make money. Working with Stripe payments, Fan2Stage was able to set up a system within the software so that the hosts of the event could either charge admission or receive tips. For the upcoming House of Worship version it will of course be called “giving” instead of “tipping”.

As the economy begins to open up and restrictions are reduced, the number of people allowed to watch a live show is still restricted. Fan2Stage creates an opportunity to expand the reach of the show by including a virtual audience with a live show. Even after the economy returns to normal, a small gig can suddenly become a nationwide or even world wide event with Fan2Stage.

Anyone who gets on stage will appreciate the virtual audience system by Fan2Stage. Cloud based plans start at the price of a fancy latte.