Lesezeit 6 min

NEUE WEGE: LIVE-STREAMING KONZERTE

Dieses Jahr ist anders. In vielen Bereichen unseres Lebens haben sich durch die globalen Entwicklungen schlagartig Abläufe und Routinen geändert. Für unterschiedliche Personen- und Berufsgruppen bzw. ganze Branchen war und ist diese Zeit oft nicht einfach gewesen. Eine dieser Gruppen sind die Künstler, denen es dieses Jahr schier unmöglich ist, live aufzutreten und ihre Fans zu entertainen.

Viele Musiker stehen vor existenziellen Fragen, denn oft sind es Live-Konzerte, die Künstler finanziell am Leben halten. Doch wir haben in den letzten Monaten auch immer häufiger gesehen, dass viele Künstler nach alternativen Wegen Ausschau halten, um zu musizieren und Konzerte zu geben. So konnte man sehen, dass nach und nach immer mehr online Live-Streaming Gigs veranstaltet und auch von den Fans dankbar angenommen wurden.

Wir haben den Singer/Songwriter Andi Pomato gefragt, wie er die letzten Monate verbracht hat und welche Projekte er in den letzten Monaten online umgesetzt hat. Er erzählt uns, wie er Live-Streaming Konzerte empfindet und welche Tools er nutzt, um diese erfolgreich zu veranstalten.

Bitte beachte: Das Interview wurde auf Englisch geführt und kann im Folgenden im Original gelesen werden.

beyerdynamic: In 2019, you toured the world with us and of course with our USB Microphone FOX – three continents, 20 countries and 30 cities. With the hashtag #foxwashere fans had the chance to follow you around the globe. We trust, this was truly an exciting year for you. How has this experience changed your life?

Andi: 2019 was definitely one of the greatest years of my life. Visiting so many countries with my guitar, having the opportunity to meet musicians all over this planet was so inspiring… I made many new friends. Of course, visiting countries I have ever dreamt about like India, Japan, South Korea, was really special. The first day we were walking around Tokyo, I was so happy… I remember asking Paula to take a photo of me in a typically crowded street, and I couldn’t hide my joy, of having the idea of doing this big project, and have the support of beyerdynamic, and finally being in those streets I have only seen in films, or read in books, before.

I remember the day this tour ended, I wrote on my notebook (where I have scripts, new ideas, and projects): “This is who I am…. I am this guy travelling the world, doing collaborations with other musicians, trying to understand their story, their culture…”. And I think that’s a good summary about what I feel about this trip.

This journey defined me as a person; showed me my mission on this planet. It’s my nature being social, meet new people, talk about music, talk about social situations, how they impact songwriting, take photos, film, explore, try different food. Sharing, that’s all. That’s who I am.

beyerdynamic: Great, we are happy to hear that this project was such an inspiring and unique time for you (and us).

The last couple of months have demanded a lot from everyone. Amongst others, artists have struggled a lot as they have not been able to pursue their profession as usual. How are you experiencing these challenging times right now and how has your daily life changed over the last couple of months?

Andi: Well, I’m in Buenos Aires right now. I was taking a flight back to London the day the lockdown started here, so I stayed. That morning I realized my European tour 2020, with more than 20 gigs confirmed, was not going to happen. The flights, the merchandising, the trains, everything was gone. To be honest, the first weeks were very strange… I am an independent musician, and I need the concerts to keep this thing working. The second week I started doing some evening conversations with friends all over the world, many of them from the #FoxWasHere tour. Then I said, ok it’s time to stop for a while. I realised I’ve been travelling, touring, and playing for the last 5 years in a row, from summer to summer, from Europe to South America, back and forth.

In May I opened my Patreon page, so I started doing online concerts via zoom. The idea is doing one concert every month, people buy tickets, and enter to this virtual venue, where they all can see each other, ask for songs, applaud, sing…

I repeated it in June and July and all of them were sold out. I am so happy about that, because I created my own stage, and everyone loved it. I am also working on a Spotify playlist for a platform, I have 10 people subscribed on a webinar about vocal coaching and songwriting, and now I am preparing a workshop about being an independent musician in 2020. And again, everything is about sharing. That’s who I am.

beyerdynamic: This sounds great! Can you tell us more about your streaming concerts? What requirements need to be met and what equpiment do you use for them?

Andi: I have already held three online concerts via Zoom. Originally it was an idea for my Patreon followers (I have 30 now paying every month). As Zoom let you create room for 100 people, I decided to sell the other 70 tickets. They were sold out. I use my MacBook Pro, my beyerdynamic microphones (M 88 and MCE 85 PV), beyerdynamic headphones DT 770 PRO, my Universal Audio Apollo Audio interface, and Paula is filming with her professional camera Canon 5D. I use my mailing list and Instagram stories to promote these concerts, and people can buy the tickets via a web page called mercadopago.com that lets you sell whatever you want. I have always had the support of a friend, who is in charge of Zoom, and he is all the time checking if the connection to wifi is ok, and the audio and video is streaming correctly.

beyerdynamic: How is this new approach generally accepted by your fans?

Andi: I am super happy about these concerts and how the fans are engaging. I know it is something super weird but I think having this every month, let’s anyone create a plan. In Argentina we’ve been in quarantine for 5 months now. Every last Sunday of the month I’m giving this concert. They are sponsored by the Irish brand of whiskey Jameson, so I make a raffle between everyone who bought tickets. That’s a good thing I made to increase the sales. Next concert will be on August 30th at 10 PM German time… you are invited now!

beyerdynamic: Will you continue giving such concerts/gigs after life will be back to „normal“ again?

Andi: Honestly I don’t really know. I’m doing plans every month. I don’t think concerts will be back soon, so I think having a platform where I can keep singing my songs is essential now. Not only because my incomes were from live gigs, also because music is the way I found to say things I can’t say otherwise. It’s how I express my feelings, my thoughts. How I can tell the world my message. I think all this streaming thing will stay in the future. For sure. I don’t think it will be “normal” as “normal” used to be.

beyerdynamic: What are your plans for the future? Any projects coming up?

Andi: Now I am recording a new album at my home studio, and I am planning to release it in October. I have been producing music from friends, and that’s exciting because it is my first time working for other people music. I have been learning a lot about recording, mixing and mastering.

Then I am also writing a few projects. I want to do a workshop for independent musicians, and I would like to continue travelling the world, doing some documentaries about how different cultures and social contexts affect songwriting.