My summary of Sessions before using it? I expect a platform where I can share live content, for others to engage with — similar to Clubhouse or lu.ma.
How does Sessions explain itself in the first minute? When I go to https://sessionslive.com/ I see at a glance that this site sells tickets, for different acts. Can’t tell whether these are tickets for live events or for prerecorded concerts.
How does Sessions work? I can see how users can get tickets for live streams of artists sessions. Not sure how the different social aspects — “crew” — and gamification elements — “crew rank” and “leaderboard” — work. I guess I’ll have to sign up to Sessions in order to find out.
It doesn’t become immediately apparent how Sessions works; for the artists that want to use the platform for live streaming or for the people who want to watch a live session. However, after joining the crew of an artist called “Forrest”, I receive an email outlining the benefits of joining Forrest’s crew.
I can imagine that there’s a monetary element linked to an artist’s position on the Sessions’ leaderboard, and that Sessions sets out to help artists grow their fanbase. When the current COVID-19 pandemic eventually eases, it will be interesting to see how Sessions’ proposition and product will continue to develop; will it help artists grow their exposure and their income?
Main learning point: Sessions is — and feels like it’s — in its early stages and I feel that parts of the user interface can be improved, particularly with respect to communicating Sessions’ value for both artists and music fans. Once live gigs are allowed again, will artists use Sessions for special live streams in conjunction with in person performances?
Related links for further learning:
- https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/pandora-founder-launches-sessions-the-dedicated-music-platform-enabling-artists-to-play-more-and-earn-more-through-live-streaming-301050297.html
- https://bandzoogle.com/blog/new-live-streaming-platform-for-musicians-sessions
- https://musically.com/2020/09/16/tim-westergren-talks-sessions-artists-need-to-recover-their-audience/
- https://www.stitcher.com/show/recode-media-with-peter-kafka/episode/pandora-founder-tim-westergren-on-the-future-of-streaming-81741397
- https://lu.ma/stories
