Wednesday, December 02, 2009

An open call to other venue owners in Canada...

I have been talking about this for a while.
A collaboration.
But there are physical barriers.
So I'm using this to reach you...venue owners!
Especially those who fell into the CBC Radio 3 Searchlight contest for their special attention to live music hosting.

Here I am, on a Wednesday night, in the winter, with nothing booked.
That means it's usually quiet in the early evening, picking up in the last half-hour.
But I know something's going on somewhere else in the country tonight.

I would LOVE to start showing LIVE broadcasts of bands playing in other venues, cities, provinces. Phog has been live-streaming shows, on and off, for a good while now. We just need an internet connection, a camera of some kind that will connect to your computer (I use a FireWire to a Sony Handycam circa. 1995). Then you need an external microphone with a USB connection to your computer. Ustream.com and other streaming sites make it pretty easy to set-up the video and audio...and then once you've got your settings...you keep them the same and simply adjust audio for volume.

I wish, wish, wish that another venue was willing to broadcast some stuff, so that I could PROJECT it onto our big screen on the nights when we don't have something booked.
I'd actually put it in the listing as something people could come and watch LIVE.
Touring bands could hit two audiences at once.

Is this a pipe dream, or is there someone out there willing to get the ball rolling by trying it out with one show?

If you're reading this and you have contact with a venue owner who might be open to this, send them to this post, or have them e-mail me at phoglounge@gmail.com.

It'd be killer to catch Said The Whale or Joel Plaskett or Jill Barber playing some other venue in Canada, knowing that they were playing to two audiences.

What do you think of this idea?

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10 Comments:

At December 02, 2009 7:20 p.m. , Anonymous moe said...

i think you're on to something...

your live streaming has been discussed by more than one patron on the east coast. venues here have yet to pick up on this idea, unfortunately.

 
At December 02, 2009 7:28 p.m. , Anonymous Matte in Halifax said...

Awesome idea -- and I'd buy in as a patron. That said -- its one thing to broadcast what you have in your venue to those who can't participate, that will watch on your computer. Its quite another thing to broadcast, and present on a large screen to a separate venue (using the limited, but 100% functional technology that you are leveraging).

To make it a viable, entertaining, and hi-fi experience for those viewing from other venues you will definitely need to invest in more soundboard->broadcast hardware/software. Probably invest in a decent sound tech to get the mix & levels properly.

I'm not dismissing this idea, only offering the suggestion that to present the best experience for all, some more $ and effort need to go into your broadcast.

Cheers!

 
At December 02, 2009 7:35 p.m. , Blogger Phog Blog said...

I genuinely think that people (especially venue owners) make things sound harder than they actually are, so they can talk themselves out of things.

I've done it. A LOT.

But this does NOT cost a lot if you already have a digital projector, which we have...and I assume most venues have by now for video nights and movie nights.

My Zoom H4 recorder is not expensive. Especially if you went online to get a used version. It is designed to record a live room of music. You set it up, turn on the auto-gain, and it sounds amazing. Anyone who's ever watched/listened to one of our broadcasts can tell you that they're shocked by how good the sound is.

The only thing you need to monitor is the level on the computer, which is in the user-interface on ustream.com (specifically).

Video quality is not paramount for this experience to work. People are watching more and more degraded video online than ever...and the patrons, I'm SURE, will understand why the quality is internet grade...and FREE! I'm not going to charge people to watch this...it's about CONNECTING to other places, bands, etc.

This won't be a live concert filming, with three cameras and cinematography. A fixed camera ona tripod is all I use.

Then it's plug and play. You just use the same set-up every time.

It's much easier than people think.
MUCH!

 
At December 02, 2009 7:37 p.m. , Blogger Phog Blog said...

Moe!

Do you have any persuasive properties that you can use to encourage any east coast venue owners to contribute?

 
At December 02, 2009 7:51 p.m. , Blogger jared said...

i am going to mention this to a couple of the cats running venues in winnipeg, great idea that is certainly worth pursuing.

 
At December 02, 2009 7:54 p.m. , Blogger Phog Blog said...

Yellow Wood front-man, Adam Rideout-Arkell just messaged me to see if we want to project their show (that they're live streaming).

THIS is the key that can be done BEFORE the venues contribute. Bands have TONS of computers and tech gadgets on the road.

I think if more bands (like Windsor's own Michou and Yellow Wood) take it upon themselves to broadcast...places like ours can redistribute the live show!
Yes. I like this.

 
At December 02, 2009 8:24 p.m. , Anonymous moe said...

mayhaps!

there have been a few discussions here that were sparked by things you've been doing. nothing laid out or implementable yet, just ideas discussed around the camp fire.

maybe some prodding is in order. i'll let you know if anything comes of it.

 
At December 02, 2009 8:50 p.m. , Blogger Scotty Hughes said...

GREAT IDEA Tom!!!! Check out the NEWEST addition to the ZOOM line... this will make it easier for everyone to join in on brodcasting audio/video - AND it is modern technology, so low light levels are handled better - the new ZOOM Q3 Audio/Video recorder: http://www.zoom.co.jp/english/products/q3/

 
At December 02, 2009 9:02 p.m. , Blogger Scotty Hughes said...

GREAT IDEA Tom!!!! Check out the NEWEST addition to the ZOOM line... this will make it easier for everyone to join in on brodcasting audio/video - AND it is modern technology, so low light levels are handled better - the new ZOOM Q3 Audio/Video recorder: http://www.zoom.co.jp/english/products/q3/

 
At December 16, 2009 4:14 p.m. , Blogger boders said...

This sounds like a great idea. If there was a venue doing this in Vancouver on a night that they normally wouldn't have music playing I would go. I'm not certain which venues this would apply to but await more news on this forsure.

 

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