This week’s Dot Live Experience podcast features a discussion on a couple of interesting news topics about Spotify and Pinterest rolling out livestreaming to their users. But first, the hosts Alex and Rachel offer us a sneak peak into who they are. We’re kicking off a new segment entitled “Getting to Know the Hosts”.
Getting to Know the (Podcast) Hosts
To start off, Rachel tells us about a new French Bulldog she and her family brought home the other day. Her name is Wren and she is just 8 weeks old and barely 6 pounds. As Rachel points out, having Wren is much like having a newborn baby so sleep is extra hard to come by these days!
Alex then tells us about a very cool, fun fact about his family - his grandfather was a famous TV and Movie Star named Don DeFore. Don appeared in about 30+ films, including Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo, Ozzie and Harriet the TV show, among others. While Alex didn’t personally get to meet any famous people growing up, his mom got to meet the Beatles! Don has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and he was nominated for a Primetime Emmy, as well as an Emmy for being President of the TV Academy for several years. Alex notes how exciting it was hearing about his mom growing up in Brentwood, California surrounded by Hollywood celebrities.
Shopify and Driift Livestreaming Partnership
We have discussed how important livestreaming has been for musicians and event venues over the course of the COVID19 pandemic. We’ve also talked about the hybrid model that is emerging as we transition back again to in-person events. Now, Spotify is making the move to offer livestreams to their community as well.
They’re being called "Virtual Concert Experiences" and include pre-recorded livestreams (not available on archives for later) from some big name artists, including The Black Keys, Rag n’ Bone Man, Bleachers, Leon Bridges, and Girl in Red. Tickets cost $15 and the event is running from May 27 - June 24 on spotify.live. Sets will be 40-75 minutes and are being made possible by Spotify’s partnership with British firm Driift.
Pinterest Tests Livestreamed Events
Pinterest is also expanding to offer live events with the launch of Pinterest Creators Connect. Sort of.
From what we can gather, they are being non committal about how frequent or long term these types of events will be. They tried out class communities last year and it seems like this is being tested similarly. Except, unlike those, this 3-day virtual event was held directly inside the Pinterest mobile app.
From May 24-26th, it was made available to their more than 475 million global users. Participants included big name creators such as Jonathan Van Ness and Rebecca Minkoff. Shopping functionality was made available which allowed creators to tag products with product pins for selling.
What Does the Future Hold for Pinterest Livestreams?
Pinterest is unique in the sense that it’s hard to know exactly the best route for them to take the functionality of livestreaming. While it’s pretty obvious for Spotify to give musicians and fans the ability to connect through livestreaming, it’s not quite so straightforward when it comes to Pinterest. Why? Because they are a collection of ideas and inspiration boards rather than strictly a music platform. We’re just going to have to keep an eye out to see what they decide is best for their users.
