How can you use Twitch to live stream your music performances?

3 Planning your stream

Before you go live, you need to plan what kind of music performance you want to do, and how long you want to stream for. You can choose to perform your original songs, covers, remixes, or improvise on the spot. You can also decide if you want to stream solo or with other musicians, and if you want to collaborate with other streamers. You should also schedule your stream in advance, and announce it on your social media and channel. You can use the Twitch dashboard to set a title, a category, and some tags for your stream, and choose a thumbnail that attracts viewers.

4 Engaging with your viewers

One of the main benefits of streaming on Twitch is that you can interact with your viewers in real time, and build a loyal and supportive community. You can use the chat feature to read and respond to comments, questions, and feedback from your viewers. You can also use the alerts and notifications feature to thank and acknowledge your followers, subscribers, and donors. You can also use the polls, predictions, and extensions features to create more engagement and fun for your viewers. For example, you can let them vote on what song you should play next, or challenge them to guess what chord you are playing.

5 Monetizing your stream

Streaming on Twitch offers musicians the opportunity to supplement their income as they can earn money from their music performances. There are several ways to monetize your stream on Twitch, such as receiving donations or tips from viewers, joining the Twitch Affiliate or Partner program, selling merchandise, and getting sponsorships or endorsements. Donations can be made through platforms like PayPal, Venmo, or Streamlabs. With the Affiliate or Partner program, you get a share of the revenue from ads, subscriptions, and bits (virtual currency that viewers can use to cheer for you). You can also sell merchandise like t-shirts, hats, stickers, or albums through platforms like Teespring, StreamElements, or Merch by Amazon. Finally, you can get sponsorships or endorsements from brands or companies that are relevant to your music niche or audience.

6 Growing your audience

The last step to using Twitch to live stream your music performances is to grow your audience and reach more potential fans. To do this, you should stream frequently and consistently, sticking to a schedule that works for both your time zone and target audience. Networking and collaborating with other streamers, especially those with similar or complementary music genres or styles, can be beneficial. Additionally, create and share highlights, clips, or VODs of your streams on social media, website, or YouTube channel and invite people to watch your live streams. Finally, be authentic and passionate about your music, showing your personality and value to viewers.