ChatWithTheBand Facebook Video App Now Available for Musicians’ Pages
We recently offered early admission to artists who wanted to try out ChatWithTheBand, a Facebook app that powers live video chat and listening sessions, and the app is now available for all artists to add to their Facebook pages. It's still under development with more features to come but the basic functionality seems solid and offers a nice way to deepen your presence and connect with your fans on Facebook.
ChatWithTheBand Artist Control Panel
I spoke with Dan Peachey about his newest project ChatWithTheBand which musicians can now add to their Facebook pages via the ChatWithTheBand website. You can see a demo video on our previous post announcing the service.
Mr. Peachey has a rich background in music tech including being Director of Engineering for Peter Gabriel's project The Filter. He "conceived, designed and built" ChatWithTheBand.
I interviewed Mr. Peachey via ChatWithTheBand in the role of artist. It's a fairly simple interface and each of the links you can see in the above screenshot leads to basically one action though the actual broadcasting has a couple of options.
ChatWithTheBand gives you, the artist, the ability to broadcast live via webcam, to chat with one fan while other viewers check it out and to play tracks to which all viewers can listen. Currently you're viewable while the music is playing but the option to have a privacy screen will soon be available.
Eventually you'll also be able to record broadcasts and, if you wish, publish them in archival form so fans can come back and check things out. This also means that fans that chat with you can relive the delightful experience!
Currently fans can click through and buy tracks played during listening parties using a link you provide. Upcoming features will include the option to organize a charity event with a donate button, more advanced options for ecommerce and tools for moderation including options to block troublemakers.
Long term Mr. Peachey said that, in addition to improving the Facebook app, they intend to develop these capabilities on their website with additional options like profiles, more ecommerce possibilities and premium services.
If you have an active Facebook presence or want to get your audience more involved via Facebook chats and listening sessions, ChatWithTheBand strikes me as a great option for so doing. It is also clearly a project to follow as they improve the app and develop the website.
Hypebot contributor Clyde Smith is a freelance writer and blogger. He maintains a business writing hub at Flux Research and also blogs at This Business of Blogging. To suggest music services and related topics for review at Hypebot, please contact: clyde(at)fluxresearch(dot)com.
