The pandemic catapulted livestreaming from niche medium to essential resource. Viewers of all ages and backgrounds found an exciting new resource for entertainment and information. Talented creators leaped into a new way to engage fans and keep doing the things they love, from teaching meditation to spinning records. However, the majority of consumers have difficulty discovering livestream programming.

Livestreaming has seen meteoric growth in the first half of 2020. Twitch, the longstanding livestreaming hub with significant market share, shattered total hours watched records in Q2 of 2020, growing by 83% YoY and totaling up more than 5 billion hours watched since the beginning of 2018. The platform boasted more than 7.7 million unique active channels in August 2020. Other established livestreaming options such as Facebook and YouTube reported similarly skyrocketing watch hours. This boost impacted livestreams of all kinds, including in categories like food & drink and music. As concert livestreams become more frequent, the appetite for paying for a livestreamed event is also growing: Bandsintown’s August 2020 survey of several thousand live music fans indicated 80% of them were willing to pay for a show by their favorite artist, up from a mere 10% in April 2020. 

Amid all this promise, however, the livestreaming ecosystem remains fragmented, scattered across social media and livestreaming-specific platforms, and hard to navigate for creators and fans alike. There is no single system for categorizing this fast-evolving medium. Consumer research revealed that only 12% of streaming video viewers found it easy to discover the kind of content that interested them on streaming platforms.

As livestreaming catches on among creators and viewers, it needs this important groundwork now, rather than a patchwork system that stakeholders are forced to fix later. The lack of livestream metadata standards will impede market growth by contributing to further fragmentation and undermining discoverability.

OnNow.tv is proposing new livestream metadata standards that will make data about livestreams more consistent, distributable, useful, and valuable to fans and creators. Metadata, the descriptive information included with audiovisual files, include basics, such as the creator name and title of a livestream, as well as broadcast details and tags and categories. Metadata standards allow media to be presented to more people across more online destinations with greater efficiency. As monetization of livestreams expands, metadata may play a crucial role in protecting creators’ rights and increasing revenue opportunities.

For creators, clear metadata standards would reduce time spent describing and classifying their content. Simple, easy to understand fields would replace the repetitive platform-specific data entry they are currently required to complete. This simplicity will help media move across platforms as needed or desired, and potential viewers will have an easier time finding and supporting creators’ efforts.

For the livestream industry, metadata can increase efficiency and reduce friction in data distribution. As data becomes more widely available and easily interpretable, platforms and services will find everything from ad sales to viewer growth initiatives scale far more easily with accurate, universal metadata. Like the barcode did for retail, warehousing, and logistics, metadata standards can transform livestream businesses and benefit all stakeholders.

A Call for Industry Collaboration

OnNow.tv is establishing a consortium to refine and implement new and evolving livestreaming metadata standards. These standards would apply to all simultaneously broadcast video and audio streams.

To start the process, OnNow.tv has drawn up a first version for a metadata standard to build a better livestream ecosystem. OnNow.tv’s team has laid out some of the basics below. The goal: To develop an agreed-upon standard and corresponding style guide.

StageIt and Tixr are joining OnNow.tv as initial partners in this effort. All other stakeholders in the livestreaming world are invited to join the consortium and contribute to the development of a better infrastructure for the industry by emailing metadata@onnow.tv to become part of the upcoming consortium.

In addition, the OnNow.tv team thinks developers have an important role to play in improving and using livestream metadata. OnNow.tv encourages the community to contribute to this project and will be hosting their standard on Github (https://github.com/OnNow-tv/livestream-metadata) to track changes and gather feedback from the developer community as they proceed towards the official release of the standard.

“We are not a streaming platform or service, but an online guide to help viewers find and tune into livestreams that matter to them,” explains Matthew Adell, CEO and co-founder of OnNow.tv. “Because of the nature of our work we have had to untangle the varied metadata definitions and we see how improving metadata as an industry will benefit everyone. We see firsthand how a metadata standard, one that looks ahead to the thriving future of this medium, will increase the business value and creative energy of livestreaming across the board.”

“The phenomenal growth of digital music in a machine-readable world was accelerated by the adoption of metadata standards, in other words who created what song,” notes Vickie Nauman, founder of CrossBorderWorks and expert in rights/metadata. “Our new livestreaming market also needs consistency in how we identify events and I thoroughly support OnNow.tv as it leads the way with their proposed livestreaming metadata standards.”

“As popular as livestreaming is, one of the biggest challenges for creators is promoting their stream beyond their followers. Music streamers in particular are experimenting across many platforms at once, which makes having a centralized listing of upcoming streams like OnNow.tv a treasured resource,” say Karen Allen, the author of Twitch for Musicians and recognized livestreaming expert. “OnNow.tv was an early mover in this space and they are once again ahead of the pack with establishing universal metadata so all players in livestreaming can work collaboratively on growing the industry as a whole.”
 
Quick Introduction to the Livestream Metadata Standards

The livestream metadata standards includes specifically defined fields for basic information about the livestream (date, language, title) and the creators, performers, and/or hosts. There are also fields related to event type (if the livestream is also a physical event), ticketing, broadcast type, and cadence (if the livestream is part of a series or recurring stream). These data fields will guide creators and help viewers discover livestreams. They will help platforms organize and present livestreams in a more broadly readable format. 

For a full list of fields included in V1 of the livestream metadata standard, please see this table. 

OnNow.tv is announcing its latest integration: The digital guide to everything livestreaming is teaming up with pioneering livestreaming platform, StageIt. Now, StageIt’s performances and workshops--more than 700 a week on average--will be listed on OnNow.tv, making it easier for new viewers to find, track, and enjoy StageIt’s diverse offerings. From buzzworthy (Waxahatchee) to charting stars (Band of Horses) to legacy icons (Joan Jett), StageIt has helped artists of all kinds, at all stages of their career, bring their music to more fans.

“Integrating a major platform like StageIt, with its huge range of performers and events, is a big step forward for OnNow.tv, as we aim to be the go-to place to discover livestreaming entertainment and instruction,” explains co-founder and CEO Matthew Adell. Fans can now add all StageIt streams to their Watch List and to their online calendar of choice, making it simple to catch that must-watch artist’s backyard show.

With 25,000 artists and counting, StageIt powers hundreds of intimate, monetized performances a week. StageIt has built a community of artists and users over the last 11 years that proved perfectly positioned to support performers in this challenging time. StageIt livestreams are live only, making the events not to be missed. StageIt’s monetization tools allow viewers to support artists and venues directly, allowing them to earn significant revenue for what might otherwise be a free stream. 

“StageIt provides a stage for every artist and a front row seat for every fan,” says StageIt CEO Stephen White. “Partnering with OnNow.tv is a meaningful next step in boosting these livestreamers’ ability to reach new audiences.”

About OnNow.tv

OnNow.tv was co-founded by serial entertainment tech entrepreneur Matthew Adell and a group of touring musicians and tech veterans to make the world of livestreaming a lot less fragmented. Creators are challenged to reach new fans who may not already be regular users of their particular platform. Fans have no way to know where and when their favorite creators will be livestreaming. OnNow.tv is dedicated to solving these problems so creators can focus on creating and fans can enjoy more of what they love.

OnNow.tv is not another livestreaming platform, but is built to serve the entire livestreaming ecosystem. Twitch, StageIt, Facebook, Instagram, Zoom and more will continue to thrive and grow. OnNow.tv is the middle layer that removes friction and fragmentation. Ratings, engagement metrics, and reviews will be made available to creators and brands alike to create new revenue streams for creators and placement opportunities for brands.

About StageIt

StageIt is a web-based platform created for artists by artists that empowers them to deliver and monetize interactive live experiences directly from their laptop. Offering intimacy and direct interaction with fans, StageIt gives artists the opportunity to offer unique online fan experiences that will not be archived or duplicated for distribution. StageIt was launched in March 2011 by CEO and music industry veteran Evan Lowenstein, who enjoys nearly 20 years of experience as a recording artist, award-winning writer and executive. Artists who have used StageIt include Jimmy Buffett, Jake Owen, Collbie Calliat, Jason Mraz, Lisa Loeb, Plain White T’s, Kate Voegel, Crosby Stills & Nash and KORN.

Digital livestreaming guide OnNow.tv and dance music label Dirtybird are pleased to announce the winner of their recent collaborative Couchout DJ competition. From more than 140 strong contenders, thanks to the participation of more than 12k fans and supporters, three DJs were chosen. 

RODNEY LIEF: (Artist Tile) Slightly left of techno beat chemist. (Instagram here) 
FRIDA K: (Artist Tile) Seattle-based tech house DJ and producer. (Instagram here)
DJ Seek-One: (Artist Tile) Cali-based DJ, producer, and self-proclaimed spaceman. (Instagram here)

“We were thrilled by the amazing entries we got,” enthused Henry Strange, who has used his long career in music as an artist and touring professional to guide curating the content at OnNow.tv. “The response to this contest was overwhelming and positive. We’re really psyched to see these DJs recognized during an event like the Dirtybird Couchout.” 

Aspiring Couchout DJs uploaded their 30- to 60-minute sets, then encouraged fans to vote. The finalists who reached the top 10 were reviewed by electronic artist and Dirtybird co-founder Claude VonStroke, who chose his favorites to be part of this year’s Couchout, the label’s 2020 answer to its annual Campout event. The winner and two runners up will each get two tickets to the next IRL Campout, a Dirtybird merch pack, and their set front and center at OnNow.tv as a Featured Livestream Creator. “This is a tradition for Dirtybird to include our fans in everything we do”, said Aundy Crenshaw, COO/CMO of Dirtybird, “our fans are very talented and we’re very excited with the quality of submissions.” 

Second place winner Frida K. will be played Wednesday at 4pm PT. First place winner Rodney Lief will be played Thursday at 8PM PT. Viewers can check out the full Couchout schedule here.

OnNow.tv, the comprehensive digital guide to livestreams, has partnered with ticketing and livestreaming platform Tixr to integrate its livestreamed offerings. These offerings include stand up and improv sketch comedy, quirky advice and talk shows, festivals, and concerts by top artists that span genres.

The OnNow.tv integration promises to make Tixr livestreams easier to discover by more people. Fans can now search OnNow.tv for their favorite entertainers who work with Tixr, put that entertainer’s event on their Watch List, and never miss another cool livestream again. From top pop culture brand L.A. Comic Con to leading K-Pop artists at the (virtual) Overpass Music Festival, from rising hip hop star Polo G to iconic sketch comedy The Second City’s Happy Hour weekly live stream at the new innovative InCrowd live streaming venue (the live zoom wall is insane!), Tixr is supporting a wide range of top entertainment and creativity.

“Tixr has empowered an entire community of creators to launch livestreams that span genre and styles, and by linking it to our already strong ticketing platform, we’ve enabled performers who can’t tour to earn much needed income. To support these efforts, we’re always looking for new partners who can help them find bigger audiences and new devoted fans,” says Robert Davari, Tixr’s CEO. “OnNow.tv was built to help fans discover and schedule their favorite upcoming live streaming events and it complements our efforts to expand livestreaming with our clients.”

Founded in 2013, Tixr set out to improve ticketing and live music experiences for artists and their teams and for fans and attendees. As live music pressed pause due to the pandemic, the company launched Tixr Play, a fully customizable, monetized VOD and livestreaming platform that allows every moment of the virtual event to be tailored to an artist’s creative vision and their viewers’ needs. Tixr quickly assisted its current clients and has attracted new artist management companies, festivals, lifestyle brands, comedy groups, and others looking to craft the perfect online version of their live events and performances.

“Tixr has leaped into livestreaming, much as we jumped into creating a unified place for livestream discovery,” notes OnNow.tv co-founder and CEO Matthew Adell. “Because of their deep relationships pre-pandemic, the media and experiences Tixr and its creators provide are high-caliber and eclectic, just the kind of livestreams OnNow.tv users are looking for. We’re excited to help Tixr and its creators make their events even more successful by enabling viewers to find livestreams and get timely reminders about them.”

Select Upcoming Tixr Livestreams Featured on OnNow.tv:
September 25th: Dr. Phil* Live! W/ Dana Carvey & Adam Carolla
September 26th: Overpass Virtual Music Festival 
October 1st: LIVE Happy Hour, The Second City, Chicago, IL
October 17th: Polo G

About OnNow.tv

OnNow.tv was co-founded by serial entertainment tech entrepreneur Matthew Adell and a group of touring musicians and tech veterans to make the world of livestreaming a lot less fragmented. Creators are challenged to reach new fans who may not already be regular users of their particular platform. Fans have no way to know where and when their favorite creators will be livestreaming. OnNow.tv is dedicated to solving these problems so creators can focus on creating and fans can enjoy more of what they love.

OnNow.tv is not another livestreaming platform, but is built to serve the entire livestreaming ecosystem. Twitch, Stageit, Facebook, Instagram, Zoom and more will continue to thrive and grow. OnNow.tv is the middle layer that removes friction and fragmentation. Ratings, engagement metrics, and reviews will be made available to creators and brands alike to create new revenue streams for creators and placement opportunities for brands.

About Tixr

Tixr has served as a focal point for evolving the ticketing space and beyond, redefining what it means to plan and attend an event at any scale. Started by fans for fans, we were founded with the mission to upgrade the world of ticketing by delivering an unparalleled experience for event creators and fans.  As an experiential commerce partner to some of the world's top clubs, festivals, conventions, and more, we operate at the intersection of software and service, providing comprehensive solutions through powerful platform features, digital sales tools, and on-premise support.

OnNow.tv and Dirtybird are teaming up to feature an emerging DJ as part of the upcoming Couchout, the 2020 answer to the Dirtybird’s beloved Campout festival. With help from judge Claude VonStroke and fans, the winning DJ set will stream as part of Couchout’s international lineup.

DJs can submit their sets by going to OnNow.tv and registering. Once they upload one 30-60 set by September 25, they can follow OnNow.tv and Dirtybird on Instagram and then rally their fans to vote for their set starting September 26. The top ten finalists will be reviewed by VonStroke and the best chosen to be part of Couchout. In addition to this honor, the winner and two runners up will each get two tickets to the next IRL Campout, a Dirtybird merch pack, plus a week front and center at OnNow.tv as a Featured Livestream Creator. The winner will be announced October 2.

This competition reflects how Dirtybird and OnNow.tv see livestreaming: As a way to enjoy music no matter where you find yourself, to discover new and exciting experiences and sounds, and to spark real participation by music fans and aspiring creators. OnNow.tv wants to be the go-to hub for finding great livestreams of all kinds and for turning livestreaming into an expressive art form with its own talented batch of creative performers.