From: Greg Thomas, Jazz Channel Producer, TheStage.tv
Re: Launch of Jazz Channel and Invitation to Participate
When: The Jazz Channel at TheStage.tv will officially launch in November 2010. You are invited to preview the Jazz Channel here.
Since launching in January 2010, TheStage.tv Main Channel has had over 23,000 performances by 1000+ performers, and 2500 YouTube subscribers as well. It represents a new and exciting direction in live web-based entertainment (see below for more information).
Preview of Jazz Channel:
Please visit http://www.thestage.tv/Jazz to see an early preview of the channel, which has performances by:
- Young vibraphone master Warren Wolf playing “I'll Remember April"
- Alto saxophonist Jon Gordon blowing a fierce solo with a trio on Thelonious Monk's “Evidence"
- A Brooklyn guitarist who does a tender vocal rendition of “All the Things You Are"
- An Argentinean saxophonist playing a soulful blues on Sonny Rollins' “Tenor Madness"
- An amazing young fusion/rock/funk guitarist from Singapore
- A black American bassist/pianist playing along with the famous recording of John Coltrane's “Giant Steps" on both bass and keyboard at the same time
Opportunity for Jazz Musicians:
- Perform live from the comfort of your own home or studio
- Expand your audience reach by establishing or growing your online presence, voice, and brand as a jazz musician
- Link to a global audience of fans hungry for jazz content. Think of the people who adore jazz worldwide. Now think of how many of them are connected to the Internet. The Jazz Channel of TheStage.tv will be a new and innovative way you can reach them.
- Become a top performer at TheStage.tv Jazz Channel, place on the Top 10 Leaderboard, and get paid cash every two weeks. Placement on the Leaderboard is determined by frequency of performances and audience feedback.
- Sell your music (iTunes and Amazon)
- Gain YouTube subscribers
- Promote your events/tours and websites
- Automatically upload your performances to YouTube, and, if enabled, create MP3s
- Play the solos of your musical heroes, and share a crucial part of the apprenticeship and education of jazz musicians that thus far has been hidden in private practice rooms and jazz lore
- Eventually, a premium service supported by monthly subscribers who will pay to hear top jazz musicians on a regular basis, and those top musicians being paid to perform regularly online
Opportunity for Jazz Fans:
- From the intimacy of your own home, connect and communicate with jazz musicians playing live for you
- Gain exposure to talented musicians you didn't know about, and to musicians you'd like to hear more of, time and time again
- Share the excitement of jazz performance and improvisation in real time with family, neighbors, colleagues and friends
- Give feedback (via cheers and chat) to the performers; let them hear your digital claps. Such expressions of support and affirmation co-sign the musicians' efforts, and may even spur them to even greater heights of spontaneous creativity
- Subscribe to the You Tube channels of your favorite performers
- Download favorite Jazz Channel performances via MP3
- Get email alerts when your favorite performers go live!
- Once the Jazz Channel reaches a tipping point where many regular performers reach a large audience of viewers, support the Premium Jazz Channel
Background:
The Jazz Channel is of special importance to TheStage.tv co-founder and Communications Director Lisa Hull: “We founded TheStage.tv as the web's first 'open mic' format live streaming video service so musicians and performers everywhere can reach a global audience. We are big jazz fans, and we are thrilled to unite live Jazz performers and audiences in a valuable and unique way."
TheStage.tv Jazz Channel represents the first time ever that jazz performers, worldwide, will be able to perform via webcam for a live global audience in real time. The Open Mic format allows musicians to get in the queue, then perform for up to 5 minutes, and then line-up again, and so on. As mentioned above, the live audience can give feedback through cheers and chat.
The Stage.tv is licensed by BMI, ASCAP, and SESAC for live performances of copyrighted material, and with the Harry Fox Agency for digital versions of past performances.
Call to Action:
If you're interested in performing or being contacted about the launch of TheStage.tv Jazz Channel, please email me at [email protected] and I'll put you on our priority list.
For performers, because of the expected demand, we need to know ahead of time you're interested in participating, and if your system and network are of sufficient quality for the service. Keep in mind that backing tracks are permitted, so you can play and improvise over existing recordings if desired.
To try out the system for yourself, go to the Jazz Channel and click PERFORM NOW (upper left), and then click on the CAMERA TESTER link to see if your network is fast enough (minimum 250Kbps upload speed), and to check your sound quality and verify that your basic setup is operational. You will also need a YouTube account as the service is tightly integrated with YouTube.
Feel free to perform on the Jazz (or Main) channel ahead of time but the big splash and large audiences for the Jazz Channel won't occur until November. By performing on the Jazz Channel, you are automatically eligible for inclusion on the overall Leaderboard and can receive payment as described on the site.
Make sure to visit http://www.thestage.tv/Jazz to see the preview page of the TheStage.tv Jazz Channel. And please pass this message along to others you think would be interested in joining this live online jazz performance movement!
