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The latest update to Switcher Studio has arrived! Everything in this release is designed to make your experience with Switcher more streamlined. For instance, you can now upload creative assets to Switcher Cloud in batches rather than one by one. Genius, right? And you can turn audio monitoring on and off right inside the app. Bye bye, echo. You can even run Video Chat entirely from Switcher itself. Plus, everyone’s getting more Video Chat hours! It’s an update so big that it merits a whole new number (or if you wanna get nerdy, which we always do, a new whole number): Switcher Studio 5.0.

When COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization on March 11 and the ramifications of social distancing started hitting industry after industry, there were, rightly so, moments of panic in many a boardroom and conference call. 

Though states have been slowly reopening after weeks of closure due to COVID-19, conferences are a different story. Many conferences and events continue to be canceled, postponed, or moved online to prevent opportunities for the virus to spread — even events scheduled for 2021. For thought leaders and other experts who supplement their income through speaking engagements and conference slots, cancellations due to the coronavirus have no doubt halted revenue streams and slowed business growth. If that includes you, here are a few ways to continue to monetize your expertise, even while social distancing.

When YouTube started in 2005, it took its slogan, “Broadcast Yourself” to heart. Since then, it’s become the largest video-sharing platform in the world, competing with traditional viewing platforms like film and television. And one of the main ways it competes with movie and TV experiences is through YouTube Premiere.

Whether you’re diving into YouTube for the first time or are a seasoned pro, here’s everything you need to know about using YouTube Premiere.

What is YouTube Premiere?

In a nutshell, YouTube Premiere lets viewers watch new videos together — YouTube likens it to a TV or movie premiere, and for good reason. 

With YouTube Premiere, you can upload prerecorded videos and schedule them to air at scheduled dates and times. This allows you to promote the video content before it premieres, and interact with viewers in real time during the premiere in the comments or in the live chat. (After a YouTube Premiere, the video remains available like a regular video.)

Television news plays a crucial role in keeping the public informed — and that’s particularly true during a pandemic as information changes by the hour. But how are news shows getting produced in these days of social distancing? After all, dozens of people typically work together to get a broadcast to air, which means the TV news industry, like many other industries, has been forced to find ways for workers to collaborate from a distance. 

Today our developers are rolling out yet another update — Switcher Studio 4.5. Doesn’t it feel like they just released 4.4 like two days ago? Or was it two weeks ago? Is time still a thing? Here’s a look at what they were able to build from their basements while we’ve all been social distancing. The update includes more flexible multiviews, a new color picker, customizable donation overlays, easier ways to screenshare, Video Chat upgrades, and more. Are you thinking what I’m thinking? Let’s never let them out of their basements.  

COVID-19 has dramatically altered how we all go about our daily lives, and rightly so. As social distancing protocols limit our ability to travel and interact with people in person — and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future — finding alternative ways to connect with friends, co-workers, and family has never been more important. 

One free, easy-to-access tool in just about everyone’s arsenal? Facebook Watch Party, i.e., Facebook’s built-in coviewing feature. 

Editor's note: Today on the blog we're covering five ways you can monetize your live videos — tips straight from the experts over at Uscreen, a video monetization platform you can stream to from Switcher Studio using custom RTMP.

Live video is booming. It’s become the entertainment choice of people between the ages of 18 and 34 years in the U.S. It has also been chosen above text-based content according to research showing that 80% of people would rather watch a live video than read a blog post.

And that’s not all.

On social media, livestreaming has taken off. Facebook reports that people spend 3x more time watching live video than prerecorded video. And Twitter has also already streamed over 96 million hours of live video.

But what’s driving this live video phenomenon and how can you monetize live video?

To help those in our hometown stay connected from a distance, we’re giving three free months of our livestreaming software, Switcher Studio, to metro Louisville area nonprofits, news organizations, and small businesses (fewer than 50 employees). Apply for your free account here.

Since the onset of social distancing, we’ve heard from tons of organizations that are looking for ways to take their work online. There are conference planners trying to salvage sessions, journalists trying to report from home, local government departments trying to reach their people, churches trying to hold remote worship services. We’ve seen livestreaming used in all of these circumstances, and we think it can work for your organization too.

Editor's note: Today on the blog we're running the firsthand account of a new Switcher user. As more people participate in social distancing to help stop the spread of COVID-19, we've seen an influx of interest in livestreaming — and inspiring new ways for livestreaming to be used. This is one such story. 

The day the (live) music died

My musical journey started a decade ago. I was active duty in the U.S. Air Force with a passion for music. In my spare time I would play piano at home and sing a lot of karaoke. When I was confident enough, I booked my first paying gig performing for two hours at a local dive, just me and my piano. Fast forward from 2010 to 2016 and I was a changed musician. My eight-year service in the military was ending, and I had just enough bookings that I was able to transition to a full-time entertainer without the inconvenience of a day job. I finally made the move to Music City in 2018 both to further my performing career and to start my songwriting career. Just before my two-year mark in Nashville, I had made quite a resume and name for myself as a performer, piano player, and songwriter. Not only did I have my own band and weekly residencies at the famous downtown Nashville honky-tonks, but I had also been hired to play piano for J Edwards and Jesse Keith Whitley. On March 3, 2020, I was officially hired to play piano and sing harmonies for 2019’s Indie Music Channel Awards “Best Contemporary Country Artist,” Ryan Daniel.

But on March 15, 2020, my plans changed. We had just finished a weekend rehearsal with Ryan for our upcoming tour when I was informed that the bars in Nashville were being officially shut down to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Absolutely devastating news for a musician who performs five to ten shows in those venues every week and relies on that work to pay bills. Not only did these venues close, but the tour we were supposed to start with Ryan was also postponed until further notice. In an instant, I went from being barely able to pay my bills to wondering how I was going to eat.