A Live Audience For Every Stage
Get an LED Sign for your podcast.
While Cruising NAMM we found a lot of very CoolToys for podcasters and live streamers. One essential item was these LED Signs from American Recorder. Every podcaster and live streamer has someone that interrupts them and now you can turn on your cool sign and hopefully they can read or at least get a clue. These signs are low voltage LED and easy to install.
At the end of January one of the biggest shows for the business side of the business is happening. Just across the street from Disneyland at the Anaheim convention center will be the NAMM show. We will be there, will you?
While we built Fan2Stage to work with just about any type of live streaming or podcasting setup, we’ve learned that some like Twitch have big delays that just don’t really work if you want a truly live response from your audience. We are going to NAMM to see if there is any new gear there and connect with the companies that make the gear we use in the Fan2Stage and CoolToys TV Studios.
While building the Fan2Stage system and the F2s.Live servers we want to be able to run the entire process on mobile devices, and the good news is you can. As with all things in the entertainment business there can also be a better way. Currently we use several systems in our studios because we are always testing. The minimum system for the OnStage performer we recommend is a good Android Tablet or iPad. From there, OBS, Black Magic, Roku, Stream Deck and Canon Cameras are all over our studios.
Everything we do at Fan2Stage is focused on making the show better. Just because fans have to stay home or you want to host a live show from the beach in Bali, it doesn’t mean you can’t connect. The whole idea of Fan2Stage is to keep the fans and performers connected. Without the human connection, what is the point. Aren’t you just talking to a camera? When the fans are more engaged you are more engaged.
Fan2Stage, a simple solution so that there is A Live Audience for Any Stage.
When we started trying to solve the problem of bringing a live audience to live streaming, we realized there is more. What we were really doing was building a pathway of Live Fans For Every Stage.
One of the great truths of human performance is that it is elevated by fan energy. It doesn’t matter if you are a comedian, musician or athlete. The roar of the crowd as Foreigner called it in their hit “Juke Box Hero” is something every performer dreams of. Now they can have it on every stage.
Late night talk show host Steven Colbert lamented how he “missed the laughter of the fans” during is lockdown at home shows. The interesting part is that the fans missed the laughter too. Laughing alone at home and not hearing others laugh isn’t nearly as fun or therapeutic. We all need a good therapeutic laugh, isn’t that why we watch comedy?
Sitting alone at home cheering on your favorite sports team isn’t as fun as cheering them on with friends. Fan2Stage lets you see and hear the reactions of other fans no matter where they are or where the game is. Just like live fans can elevate the performance of the show or the game, live fans also elevate each other.
With Fan2Stage you can watch an event on a train and cheer quietly without disturbing others or you can host a game party and everyone can cheer on the team.
If you are going to be at NAMM this year, our founder will be wandering the aisles once again. For the first time he won’t be there working for another company. If you see him wearing a Fan2Stage Jacket, stop him and say hello. He’ll have free Fan2Stage Stickers to hand out and maybe some other goodies. NAMM runs Jan 25-28th 2024.
For the past 24 months we have been working hard on the latest version of Fan2Stage, Fan2Stage 2.0
Fan2Stage 2.0 is a complete revamp of the main website and the user apps. As of now we only have an app for fans, LiveFan and it will be available on the app stores shortly. For everyone, logging into Fan2Stage.com will be the same.
Our new servers are faster which reduces latency delay for your shows. Less delay keeps the show more real and most importantly more live. One of the biggest challenges we had with our former servers was that the delay was up to 4 seconds, added to the delay of video streaming services and for comics and other non musical performers it was honestly buzzkill.
As we noted last year, the introduction of CMAF was a huge step in live stream video. Since everyone agreed on a single streaming video solution, the delay times of streaming services dropped from a high of 90 seconds (Facebook) to almost zero on many services.
Last year we tested the speed of video services to see which service worked best for our artists and performers. We will be revisiting those tests in the coming weeks and creating a new list so you know how to keep your show truly live.
Over the New Years Holiday weekend we are migrating to the new servers and on January 1st 2024 only the Fan2Stage Version 2.0 servers will be available. All existing artist accounts will be migrated over the weekend. New event registration will be unavailable during that time.
While you are waiting for the new live fan mobile app, all of the features of the new versions will be available on the web app starting January 1st 2024. The back end of Fan2Field is now also complete so look for that to launch in the spring just in time for your kids little league games.
We look forward to seeing you at the show with Fan2Stage 2.0.
Live Music is something that brings us all together. After a visit to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland Ohio, I realized how much of an impact live music has on our lives. With the introduction of high speed internet and video live streaming, live music can happen anywhere any time. The problem is that live-streaming a show, isn’t the same as a live show. Now you can be a part of the show and support live music even from home.
An artist or performer can use a meeting program and see a bunch of tiny faces on the screen and get distracted by the chat boxes, hand raising or funny emoji’s or you can get Fan2Stage. Fan2Stage supports live music because the performers hear real cheering from real fans without distracting little screens. How does it work? Simple. After building a profile and posting a link to your show on your socials, your fans start the connection. All you need is an android or apple mobile device with an audio out connector. Basically a headphone jack or adapter.
The headphone jack plugs into your soundboard, speakers or however you want to hear the fans and voila, you have a live audience in the room with you.
The fans at the other end watching your show on a smart TV, computer or even a tablet simply use the Fan2Stage® Live Fan® app to connect to the show. With the app they have six reactions, clap, cheer, boo, whistle, aww and laugh. As they press the buttons faster and harder your live audience sounds grow exactly the same way they would if the fans were in the room with you. No tiny faces on the screens and no chat boxes to try and read that distract you from the show. Just real fan feedback that you need to be your best.
If you live stream, don’t do it without Fan2Stage. Sign up for free and make your show truly alive! If you are a fan and want to support live music, download the LiveFan App and let your favorite live-streaming performers know you want them to hear you cheer!
Has live-streaming left you feeling lonely? Are you hungry to hear from the audience? Did you try a conference system and end up just getting distracted by chat boxes and little faces on the screen? Fan2Stage might just be what you are looking for.
The reality is simple. Live shows are better than recorded. TV studios figured that out forty years ago and build bleacher seats for sitcoms and talk shows. When the pandemic hit and the audience was sent home, the shows changed. As an actor that has been in the audience and on stage, I can tell you that having a live audience changes everything. Some of the best actors build their chops on stage in live theater. Building emotional skills means getting feedback from other people.
My first experience with a live audience was working a specialized background job on a nickelodeon set. The rehearsals all went well and one would expect. We had a lot of fun with the gag and the actors were ready. When we came back after dinner to find the room filled with almost a hundred people everything changed. All of the actors including me changed the game. One of the biggest changes was an actor playing the owner of a shoe store. You might recognize him as a teacher from Young Sheldon.
When the pandemic first hit people tried anything to Live-Stream and stay connected. The reality is that no good tools existed. The NFL fined teams for piping in audience roars. Even the NFL realized they needed an audience to get the players to get to another level. The fact of life is that as humans, we love attention. Without that cheering from the audience we have no attention.
Using the tools most of the Live-Streaming platforms simply become a distraction. Those little chat boxes give you something to look at and think about right in the middle of a show. While you are reading the chat box, you are losing the rest of the audience. When you see the little faces or the chat box texts flying by, you are just distracted.
As Fan2Stage evolves and gets faster we are looking for more artists to test out the system. We are rebuilding the system from the ground up after the feedback we received from the first versions. The original is alive and well here at Fan2Stage.com and you can get it free too. We’d love to hear how Fan2Stage elevates your game, grab the app and cheer me on next time we have a CoolToys live too!
If you think your show is ready to go live, stop waiting!
Talk shows, stand up comedy and live music are just a few of the shows that you can host live from your home or studio regardless of where the audience is. A virtual audience is key to success in todays world. Times have changed and the show must go on.
–
If you have an idea for a live show or stopped performing for some reason, get Fan2Stage and get going. Fan2Stage® connects you and your audience no matter where they are. The patent pending technology allows fans to react to your show. Better you can hear and see the reactions live and in real time.
If you just have a small audience, try our cloud based version, F2S. At Fan2Stage we know that now everyone can fill a stadium or can sell tickets to every show. Get back to the job and get your show going today!
If the headline was Talk Show Hosts Tests Positive, what do you think today?
The talk show host is critical to the show. Testing positive for anything is bad, and today the obvious thought is Covid-19. No matter which side you believe, Covid-19 is in our conscience for good. At least the next couple of years. So how does a talk show have an audience in a socially distanced and distant world? What will you do the next time fans can’t sit in the studio for any reason?
The safest way to have an audience with live feedback is a virtual audience system. You can be ready for now and the future with a Fan2Stage syste. Fan2Stage is the only virtual audience system. With it’s patent pending technology fans can be 6 feet apart or 5 miles apart. Unlike F2S, the cloud based version, Fan2Stage is fully customizable to fit your show. Need to group the audience, we can do it.
With the ability to add multiple sound cards, your audience can be divided into zones. Zones allow your host to have challenges and real fan interaction that a Q&A session won’t allow in a little computer screen chat box. Our patent pending technology addresses both host and fan safety in a way no other system can.
There are other features too. This isn’t an engineer pressing the “applause” button. This is real fans clapping, booing and laughing along with the show virtually. The Fan2Stage system uses live feedback from real fans to give your host a true sense of how the fans feel and are reacting. Don’t fake it with the applause button.
Obviously keeping your talk show host separate from the fans is a big step for host and fan safety too. There are other benefits to a virtual audience as well. The biggest benefit is to bring in fans from anywhere in the world to participate in the show. Don’t make them drive to Culver City, Atlanta or Manhattan where parking is already at a premium and then run them through security when they can simply join the show via the Fan2Stage app and be a part of the show.
The show must go on, so why not expand your reach safely with a Fan2Stage Virtual Audience System? Call for a quote today!