Singer-songwriter Dominique Fils-Aimé launched her new album on Bandcamp Live, so we asked her to tell us about how it felt and what she discovered about her fans as a community.
“We did our live stream at the studio where I recorded the album. Being able to invite people into the environment where I created it was very special, so that was our way to use that opportunity to show something or to share something that we cannot normally do. I think there’s always a way to find the silver lining in a different format.”
Dominique recorded a trilogy of albums at Les Studios Opus in Québec, and Three Little Words is the final installment. She and her band performed music from all three albums, which were available on the merch table in different formats. As the pre-recorded show played, Dominique participated in the chat with fans from the comfort of her sofa at home, then hopped onscreen for a 15 minute live Q&A at the end of the show.
Artists like Dominique have found that live streaming offers an opportunity to do things they can’t do in person: create intimate live experiences that connect people all over the world simultaneously.
“Being able to be present at the live show and also share, see the comments, and interact was a very special experience. It’s as if for the first time I got to watch my show with people. So that was a very special and lovely moment, to feel like I could take a back seat and really enjoy it with the community. To me, they’re such different ways to perform that I wouldn’t say there’s advantages, it’s just a different reality, and we can find ways to enjoy both for what they are.”
Fans in the chat showed their support by buying the record, discussing their pre-show excitement, how much they loved the new album, and how grateful they were that Dominique spoke in both French and English. Meanwhile, Dominique’s friend acted as moderator for technical questions, such as how to watch the replay.
“I was reminded by the chat of how sometimes we’re scared of how people will react, because there’s a lot of trolling online, but the reality is that the people who follow us love us already and if they came to discover you, they came with an open heart, wanting to love the same way [as] when they come to a show. So it was very heartwarming.”
Dominique was one of the first artists to try Bandcamp Live, so we asked her what she learned from the experience, and what advice she had for other artists considering streaming on Bandcamp:
“To other artists thinking about doing a live stream…take your time in the preparing process and allow yourself to push the boundaries of what a show is supposed to be. Using a new medium, allow yourself to not only create musically, but create perhaps visually the atmosphere that you’re looking for, or deconstruct the concept of a show and rebuild it to your image.”
To find out more or schedule a live stream click here.