#its a livestream of some live stages but you have to pay to watch it

[ioniansunsets]

i discovered your blog today and i have a scenario in mind that i have to share with you!

could you write a Heartsteel!Kayn request with K/DA!reader? — headcanons, fic or even the two of them talking on discord; it could be anything! — if you want to ignore it, i will understand, dear.

✖ Heartsteel!Kayn with K/DA!Reader ✖

✖ Word Count: 1.1k

✖ Tags: Established R/S

✖ A/N: I'm also going with headcanon of the idol thing where they try not to get caught in public together to avoid gossip but people somehow ship you guys and speculate anyway teehee ITS CUTE!!!!! I'm also pretending you guys got together after he joined Heartsteel so its after he got removed from his old band.also PARANOIA DROP IN 10 HOURS LETS GO TEAM!!!!!!!! I LOVE HEARTSTEEL!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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xxxx On Tour xxxx

-  It sucked so bad! It was touring season and the both of you guys were busy. All your time together were quick video calls over Discord and sporadic updates via message. It wasn't a secret to your bandmates at least so your respective bands did try their best to give you space. Quiet moments in dressing rooms to call each other were now your small moments of peace between practice sets and live shows.

- Somehow still finding ways to love each other apart. Kayn getting Akali to buy you some chocolates from him. You pleading Alune to help you send Kayn some flowers after his show. (She's a sucker for romance so she lovingly helps you.) Or the way he would spend money getting someone to deliver dinner to you after a long show.

- If only one of you guys are touring, the other totally pays and watches all the livestreams and tries to pop by to shows! You're performing 3h from him? He's begging your manager to let him drop by. Waiting for you backstage to congratulate you on your hard work.

- If you're the one waiting for Kayn backstage he always visibly lights up. He tries to look cool and badass on stage but when its after a good show, seeing you wave at him in the halls, his heart soars! He runs over, pulling you in for a tight hug. " Did you hear me! I was good today wasn't I!" He'd smile proud, giving you a kiss as he fishes for compliments. There is no approval he craves more than your own.

- The other boys are surprisingly nice about it, no one really makes fun of Kayn for being so excited to see you (other than Ezreal). They treat you as one of the band, giving you VIP passes to pop by their shows. And you do the same for them! When possible you slip their manager some VIP tickets to your show for them to sneak in. A mutual understanding from both groups to protect you and Kayn from media.

- Pre-debut Heartsteel, Kayn has also went to almost all your shows, front row every time and surprisingly he always tries to match you hair color for the tour. You have bright blue for tour? So does he. Its blonde now? He's the same. Kayn just thinks its kinda cute to safely match with you in someway shape or form, it is just a small thing that paparazzi wouldn't pick up on so easily since so many other fans do it too.

xxxx Off Stage xxxx

- A supportive power couple, you two help each other out with band activities off stage. You aid him when he practices singing. Kayn giving you tips on how to get keep a good rhythm in your verses, and is also a personal cheerleader for dance practices. You'd help him get connections to other companies that K/DA has collabed with, trying to help Heartsteel succeed! Kayn helps out in his own ways too, sometimes playing tunes in his room for you to sing to. It is all really sweet.

- When he drops by your studio its adorable, it was before Heartsteel's debut and shortly after the peak of KD/A's release. Kayn trying to hide from paparazzi for your sake as he sneaks in through the back. Always in a different cap and sunglasses that he stole from Ezreal, he would wait in the practice room, sitting in a corner and cheering whenever you successfully get a dance move down. The other members don't seem to mind him much, he's now a common presence in the studio. The other girls seem fond of him, happy that you have someone so supportive by your side.

- You try to do the same between your busy training schedule too. Dropping by Kayn's place during band practice evenings, Yone always being the one to let you in since Kayn always sleeps in late. You'd bring snacks and a discerning ear. Your feedback being super useful as you're one of the few people Kayn actually listens to. What Aphelios or Sett say would take multiple attempts and a lot of effort to get through to Kayn, as such, the rest of the gang keep trying to get you to push him to not try to squeeze a "totally sick line" into the rap bridge.

- He doesn't show it off but Kayn has all your merch, you offer to give it to him but he refuses, something about manly pride and supporting his partner, he will spend his own money and time fighting with other fans to buy your merch. A lightstick by his bed, your album on his shelf. A limited edition photocard safely stacked in a top loader on his table (he doesn't have a wallet or else he would totally bring it around.)

- You do the same for him, as one of Heartsteel's first fans you own some of their original merch, simple tees with just their logo, a average blank CD with " Paranoia KAYN MIX" scrawled on in messy marker, they are all your treasured possessions. Kayn even let you keep some of his guitar picks, you have one with a hole punched in as a necklace that you wear when apart from him. Your one secret? You have CDs from when he was in his old band, only the album that he was included in of course, but you don't bring up how you were secretly a fan from his early career. - Sometimes you guys try to go out on dates, risky but fun! 3am walks at the beach, alone together as he plays the acoustic guitar for you by the waves as you sing. Expensive private room dinners at secluded restaurants, walking in, both of you with your hair temporarily dyed black with hair spray dye to try and avoid attention. Small things. Fun things. - It was a little embarrassing when rumors first circulated. Fans somehow finding it cute that Heartsteel can be seen at your shows or how sometimes K/DA gets spotted backstage at Heartsteel concerts. They started to ship members together and when a photo of Kayn looking at you with a soft loving smile was snapped, the internet went wild! *Isn't it cute how they can get Kayn to smile that way!* *Ah! It should be me I want to be them so bad!!!!* Kayn would never admit it to you but he likes all the TikTok video edits of the two of you together, he thinks its really cute unironically.

#THIS TOOK A WHILE I WAS SO BRAIN EMPTY #i only knew i wanted them to wait backstage for each other #IM GLAD I GOT SOME HEADCANONS OUT #its really cute tbh #Anon Answer #WHY ARE ALL MY ASKS KAYN HEARTSTEEL LMAO YALL #Kayn x Reader #Shieda Kayn #KaynLeague #Heartsteel!Kayn #Kayn League #Kayn LoL #HEADCANONS #League of Legends Headcanons #K/DA Reader

[jjongkim]

In case anyone isn’t caught up, here’s a rundown of what has happened with the SHINee Fanmeet fiasco:

SM announced the fanmeet would be held in Kintex, a notoriously bad venue about 1.5 hours from most places in Seoul. Fans complained, but hoped the layout would make it work out, although many considered just watching the beyond live since they knew the views might not be very good (edit to add clarification: Kintex is like exhibition halls with walls that can be removed to make the rooms bigger and the freedom to build the seating/stage layout differently for each event since it’s essentially just a very long empty room)

SM originally made the Korean ticketing announcement with a line included stating that there would be a beyond live, but shawols noticed at some point that this line was removed, bringing doubt that there would actually be a live stream

Shortly after that was noticed, SM dropped the seating layout and it was terrible. It would take place in one long, flat room with no elevated seating and a pillar in the middle of it. If you were about halfway back, you wouldn’t be able to see anything past the heads in front of you or the pillar. Additionally, this wasn’t a venue made for music events, so even the audio wouldn’t be good near the back

With the line about the beyond live removed from the announcement and the seating chart being worse than we imagined, it added to the upset as it felt as though SM knew the venue/views would be terrible and fans would prefer to watch a livestream, so they removed that option, making fans feel like they had no choice but to pay ~$100 for a ticket where they couldn’t see or even hear the boys. Also, SM dropped the seating chart right before a sort of half-holiday weekend in Korea (Labor Day) so it seemed even more sketch, like they knew fans would complain so they made the announcement at a time when they wouldn’t have to deal with it over the extended weekend.

SM also included a little notice saying that some seats would have limited views but there would be no refunds if that were the case, so choose your seat wisely. Except they didn’t even confirm where the restricted view seats were, leaving the responsibility entirely up to the fans with no offer to refund

On top of it all, shawols have felt for years that shinee gets treated badly by their company, and shawols by extension. There are many instances of shinee goods being more expensive or not as good of quality, and a lot of shawols felt walked all over because it was like the company knew we would just pay for anything they gave us without complaint, like bad merch or an awful venue. But not this time, this was the last straw.

Kwols immediately rallied together to protest the seating layout and venue choice. By the same night, a list of demands were made (apology from SM directly, direct confirmation of beyond live, venue change or at least a seating change layout). An anonymous shawol even donated $1000 for the rental of protest trucks to be placed outside of the SM building. If the demands were not met, most shawols agreed to boycott the live performance

SM released a statement confirming there would be a beyond live, but they weren’t going to change anything about the live performance. They claimed that they originally had a venue that could hold 5000 people (which was insulting on its own) but that reservation fell through, so they went with kintex. They said there would be a screen on the back of the pillar, so fans in the back would be watching the entire thing on a screen since it would be impossible to see the stage from any point beyond the pillar, and the members would go around in carts for people in the back to see them (which, keep in mind, usually only happens for one or two songs out of the entire event). And they’d look into potentially making inclined seating, but no guarantee. Keep in mind, it is possible in this venue to design the stage/seating layout in any way the organizer wants, but they kept the bad layout they originally made.

This only made fans angrier. It felt like they were using the members as an excuse (citing the members schedules even though we know the members cleared most of their schedules specifically for the anniversary) and underestimating shawols by going for a 5k capacity venue at first, and then refusing to make any kind of change that would actually better the situation, not even a seating layout change, nor lowered prices for those in the back. Plus, fans themselves found other venues that are available for the same day. It gave the impression that SM didn’t have a plan B in case their first choice failed, so they just went with the quickest, easiest, and cheapest option. Even though they could have started planning this months ago since the anniversary is a fixed date :/

Fans doubled down on the boycott. This time, if SM didn’t change the venue entirely, shawols agreed to not only boycott ticketing for the in-person event, but also the beyond live and the merch. Hearing from the kwol side of things, there were a few that didn’t want to boycott, but the overwhelming majority would boycott. Plus oversees shawols agreeing to boycott the beyond live meant this would be a global boycott that would mean major revenue losses for SM.

This even reached major news outlets and multiple articles were made. The members didn’t say anything about it, but on ticketing day around noon, Onew responded to a comment on his Instagram post acknowledging the situation and stating that he and the members were talking to the company to find the best possible solution.

Finally, only 4 hours before the fanclub pre-sale was supposed to begin, SM announced that ticketing would be postponed while they look for a new venue. We did it!

There’s more information, but that’s the gist. I hope everyone understands, no one really wanted to boycott. Of course we all wanted to see SHINee and support them for their anniversary, but shawols didn’t want to give SM the impression that this kind of organization or treatment of SHINee or the fans was okay. If we all just bit our tongues and bought tickets, what would stop SM from doing something just as bad for the next SHINee event? Or even another group? We made our voices heard and it worked! Now we’re just waiting for the new ticketing date/venue to be announced. Happy SHINee month!

#shinee #shinee world #shawol #샤이니 #sm entertainment

[truthshield]

All eyes on Bonnaroos attendance as the festival makes its comeback

With major questions swirling about its current popularity, the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival returns to Manchester on Thursday after a two-year hiatus. The 2020 festival was canceled. Last year’s event was delayed by the pandemic and then canceled at the eleventh hour due to flooding. Why it matters: Bonnaroo has become a massive music industry success story and one of the nation’s premier festival experiences. The 2019 event was declared a sellout. Yes, but: Four-day passes for this year’s comeback remained on sale Thursday morning. The last two cancellations didn’t help, and there’s now way more competition within the festival business. Summer music festivals have proliferated across the country in recent years, giving fans who were willing to sojourn to rural Tennessee less-expensive alternatives. Between the lines: Considering those factors, stakeholders will be scrutinizing the size of the crowds to gauge the popularity of this year’s event. Bonnaroo, which is primarily owned by the corporate concert giant Live Nation, doesn’t disclose its actual attendance. However, public records kept by the Coffee County budget office revealed how many fans purchased tickets in previous years. The intrigue: It’s also been a tumultuous few years for Bonnaroo organizers dealing with the local government. Bonnaroo pays for the emergency responders, trash collection and other festival-related expenses incurred by Coffee County and Manchester governments. After Bonnaroo was unable to reach an agreement with the Coffee County government for road improvements around the venue, organizers struck a deal with the city of Manchester to annex the farm. That agreement means Manchester will get the tax revenue generated by the event rather than the county. Coffee County responded by working with state lawmakers to pass a law that will allow it to impose a new fee on each ticket sold for future concerts on the farm. Bonnaroo booked Stevie Nicks, Tool and J. Cole as headliners for this year’s festival, which boasts its typically deep and genre-diverse lineup. The Chicks, 21 Savage and Machine Gun Kelly will also play prime time slots. But forecasts show high temperatures will take center stage. This year’s festival will be defined largely by how fans and organizers manage the heat. What we’re watching: The vast majority of fans camp on the festival grounds, where there is precious little shade. Our thought bubble: The Axios Nashville team is too reliant on central air to attend. But Adam’s brother, Luke, who is a diehard Bonnaroovian, offered this take on how to make the most of the festival. “For a quick blast of chilly relief, give your bandana a quick dip in the bottom of your cooler,” Luke says. “Fold it up with a few ice cubes, and soothe your sweltering forehead with an ice-cold, fashionable headpiece.” And: “Go to a show solo. Bonnaroovians are a peaceful, welcoming bunch. Going to a show without your crew can open you up to some wonderful, or downright weird, interactions.” For the casuals: If you don’t have tickets and prefer to avoid the heat, you can catch Bonnaroo from the air-conditioned comfort of your living room. Hulu will livestream performances throughout Bonnaroo. A Hulu subscription is required, and a lineup of which artists’ sets will be streamed was not released as of Thursday morning. The complete Bonnaroo lineup. https://ift.tt/dW8gMcs https://ift.tt/JnzHR03

#Saas #softwaresystems #productdevelopment #software #practice #optimization #accuracy #efficiency #productivity #softwareprojects #cracksthecode

[wickymicky]

i want an ot7 halloween costume version of scream as a special stage on a big show like mcountdown, or possibly the zombie boca but ot7, but theyre definitely waiting to give us the updated choreos until the online concert huh :(

#im not gonna ''go to'' the concert though cause i dont think i would enjoy the experience of streaming it... #idk if my internet is good enough... it would feel weird that its live and i couldnt pause or rewind without missing other stuff... #it's just not really comparable to an actual live concert at all #its a livestream of some live stages but you have to pay to watch it #shrug #i love dc but my hesitation about the concept has really nothing to do with the group in question #i hope they post dance practices or special performance videos of the choreo later #not performances from the concert necessarily... i just mean stuff like the zombie boca #or the special scream video with moves and outfits from past comebacks #stuff like that #tbh tho what i want most is just a proper stationary-camera dance practice lol #i just wanna see it #and THEN i want the fancy cinematic stuff lol #i think its super duper possible that dystopia part 3 will be released in nov or dec which would be pretty soon after part 2 but like.... #handong returning and the group having already been so close to their first win several times this year changes things #and the fact that they cant tour rn #and if they do have a third comeback this year then i bet theyll do some sort of ot7 boca or scream or red sun or black or white as well #probably not endless night though lol #unless theres a korean version of that song on the dystopia part 3 album

[twh-news]

Deadline’s Tony Award Picks & Predictions 2021: ‘Jagged Little Pill’ Or ‘Moulin Rouge’? Hiddleston Or Gyllenhaal? Choices For A Most Unusual Year

[Speculations on the 74th Tony Awards. Remember to take with a pinch of salt]

I'm glad I took notes. Looking at the roster of nominees for this year’s too-long-delayed Tony Awards is all the reminder anyone could need of just how interminable Broadway’s Covid pandemic shutdown has seemed. Productions and performances from the 2019-20 season, many reviewed nearly two years ago, are calling out – some more forcefully than others – to be remembered and honored. As I said, I’m glad I took notes.

This Sunday, the Tony Awards ceremony will be livestreamed on Paramount+, then immediately followed by the two-hour CBS concert special Broadway’s Back!, a celebration of Broadway’s recent reopening after the shutdown of 16-months (or 17 or 18 depending on which shows you decide were the official comebacks). Pre-pandemic, the Tonys originally were scheduled for June 2020, but March of that year brought the sickness and an abrupt shutdown of the industry that would leave a mere 18 productions eligible for the awards, down from 34 the previous year. The awards were postponed twice, most recently – thought it certainly doesn’t feel recent – a year ago when the nominations were announced.

As many as 16 shows scheduled for spring 2020 fell out of the Broadway schedule (and Tony competition). Some – including Six, which was supposed to open the very night of the shutdown, and Girl From The North Country, which like the revival of West Side Story had opened but had not yet fulfilled its Tony voter requirements – would certainly have made at least the Best Musical race a healthier contest.

So the Tony organizers – the Broadway League, the American Theatre Wing, CBS – had some big decisions to make, even after the year-long postponement that seems, in retrospect and at least to me, wrong-headed. First up was how to get the network to continue its broadcast tradition for an annually low-rated event that this year would, quite literally, be a mere fraction of its former self.

The answer – and we’ll know Sunday whether it was a good one or not – was to essentially split the difference. A few big awards – Best Play, Best Musical and Best Revival of a Musical – will be announced live during the CBS special (and also streamed on Paramount+) but the bulk of awards are set for livestream only, a move that seems at odds with Broadway’s recent endeavors to position itself as something not just for wealthy New Yorkers and spend-happy tourists. Paramount+ does, in fact, offer a free trial period, so Broadway fans who don’t want to pay for a streaming service can watch the show without spending a penny – just make sure to cancel before the trial ends – but still. The visuals, as they say, aren’t great.

Certainly in some ways, this split decision – the livestream-broadcast hybrid – makes sense. The abbreviated roster of nominees and the year-long delay was always going to be a tough sell to CBS, and just as certainly Broadway fans want to see how even some of the less ballyhooed competitions play out. What will Moulin Rouge‘s Aaron Tveit – the sole nominee in the Lead Actor/Musical category – say when he takes the stage? And which of the nominees for Best Original Score will prove literally memorable? That category includes no musicals – repeat, no musicals – since each of the Best Musical nominees were of the golden-oldie jukebox variety. That left the plays to handle the Original Score burden – and left Tony voters trying very, very hard to mentally summon just what, exactly, the incidental music of The Rose Tattoo actually sounded like.

As a commercial move to promote the reopening of Broadway (and boost much-needed ticket sales for Broadway’s current line-up, even if it includes only a few of this year’s Tony nominees), both the postponement of the ceremony and the expansive concert special seems justifiable. The Tonys have always been as much an advertisement for sales as a recognition of achievement. But as a way to celebrate the productions and performers who hit the stages prior to the March 2020 shutdown, the decision feels less defendable. Even without CBS, a livestream or digital Tonys last fall would certainly have felt more immediate (and, in a way, hopeful), with nominees still fresh in minds and everyone – including, I suspect, more than a few in competition – still feeling fully invested.

So. After racking my brain, checking my gut and deciphering scribbles in old notebooks, my picks and predictions in selected Tony categories are as follows. Of course, the only sure bet is Tveit – though even that one-nominee category could, theoretically, see an upset: Tony voters could choose not to give that award at all. Won’t happen, but after the last year and a half, is anyone still capable of being surprised?

--

BEST REVIVAL OF A PLAY

Betrayal, Harold Pinter; Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune, Terrence McNally; A Soldier’s Play, Charles Fuller

Will Win: A Soldier’s Play | Should Win: Betrayal

The beautifully performed and directed Betrayal was a revelation – a Pinter play as downright entertaining as it was thought-provoking, but Fuller’s long-in-coming arrival on Broadway with his modern classic A Soldier’s Play all but demands a win. Of course, Broadway could choose to honor McNally, the beloved stage icon who passed away from Covid last year, and whose Frankie and Johnny remains an essential part of the American canon. Still, for me, Betrayal is the production that stands out.

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BEST PERFORMANCE, LEAD ACTOR/PLAY

Ian Barford, Linda Vista; Andrew Burnap, The Inheritance; Jake Gyllenhaal, Sea Wall/A Life; Tom Hiddleston, Betrayal; Tom Sturridge, Sea Wall/A Life; Blair Underwood, A Soldier’s Play

Will Win: Hiddleston | Should Win: Sturridge

Hiddleston was terrific in Betrayal, and has every right to the trophy, but for me Sturridge in A Life gave the most powerful performance in the category as the grieving father whose family was destroyed by a single instance of atrocious happenstance. Other devotees of Sea Wall/A Life might choose first-time nominee Gyllenhaal (and I’d have no serious complaint there), and Underwood is certainly a popular and enjoyable actor (though saddled with the least interesting plot-device character in A Soldier’s Play). Barford and Burnap are extreme long-shots, leaving a four-man race with Hiddleston the likely winner if only by a slight edge.

#Betrayal #Tom Hiddleston #Tony Awards #Deadline #Article #Speculations #long post

[dailyniallnews]

Niall Horan on the livestream victory for his touring crew

On November 7 Niall Horan performed a livestream gig to an empty Royal Albert Hall to raise funds for his touring crew and the We Need Crew fund. But across the globe fans from 151 countries tuned in to watch the Nice To Meet Ya singer perform his No.1 album Heartbreak Weather live for the first time.

This week, Driift revealed that the event sold more than 125,000 tickets, surpassing the capacity of London’s biggest gig venues the O2 and Wembley Stadium.

Speaking to Music Week on the success, Modest! Management partner, Will Bloomfield said: “We are obviously elated, not only for that endorsement of so many people wanting to see Niall, but for the money made for this cause." Modest! Management are hopeful that this will bring light to the issue and encourage others to do the same, "We all need more artists to bang the drum louder," said Bloomfield.

Horan caught up with Music Week to reflect on the worldwide success of the event, as well as securing a No.1 album during the music biz’s most tumultuous year.

How does it feel to know you have helped your touring crew and the We Need Crew fund with this event?

Niall Horan: "Oh it's absolutely mad. When I put the idea together I didn't think that we were going to get that many people, but it turns out that it's 125,000 tickets but they reckon its between two and three people per ticket, which is a joke, right? There'll be 400,000 people there before you know it. It was just amazing. It was good to know that obviously the bigger the number the more money it means we’ve raised, and we can pay our crew and pay the We Need Crew fund. There was a glint in everyone's eye the other night and it was it was nice to see."

Have your crew spoken to you about how this will help them?

"People were more talking about the mental [health] side of it and how they were just happy to be back at work and how bored they'd been. I don't think people want to talk about [money], I mean obviously people are not going to start mentioning money. It's not one of those things that you talk about on a daily basis but it was more of the idea of like, ‘Jesus its good to be back doing what we actually do.'"

What was it like to perform to an empty Royal Albert Hall but know that so many people were watching?

"Oh, yeah, it was a joke! [laughs] We'd spent a couple of days in there rehearsing for it and honestly there wasn't one time I walked out into the main room, and didn't think, ‘Jesus Christ this looks unbelievable.’ Luckily we had one of the best directors in the world and some of the best camera crew around. But we could have shot it on an iPhone and made that room look unbelievable. It's just the most beautiful room, and Emma Bull who did all the lighting and Paul Dugdale who did all the directing made it look even better than it normally does. It was just really cool. As far as virtual gigs go I don't think it can get too much better than the Royal Albert Hall as your backdrop. We rehearsed there and didn't think anything of it. And then it was kind of like that red light thing, where the red lights go on, on the camera, and you know you're live. The nerves hit after one or two songs and I started freezing up a little bit [laughs] because you can nearly see the faces of 120,000 people in front of the camera. It was quite scary for a few songs. But it was all good and we all really enjoyed it in the end."

What do you hope the government will do to help the live industry going forward?

"Last year, live music in this country was a 4.5 billion industry, if not more. I just don't understand how you can be the engine room, but literally the people who throw the coals in are being left behind. Even when I was just about to pick the Royal Albert Hall, they were saying the Royal Albert Hall is on its knees, and lots of people work there. When a government minister wants to go to the theatre next time, he might have a think about the person that opened the door for him, or put the lights on the stage, or whatever it may be. You don't mind taking their tax money next year, but they don't have any interest in paying them this year. I think that they need to step up now because at the end of the day, they can keep borrowing money its not like it's affecting them. The country is still going to be in debt. Rishi Sunak was doing a great job until he opened his mouth about the arts! Everyone loved Rishi and then he started talking about what arts people should do."

Do you have any advice for other touring crews or artists that are struggling right now?

"Well, I mean, everyone's different. So I’m not going to start giving a mental health speech. But, the other night I went through the numbers afterwards and based on a certain amount of tickets sold – because obviously there was there was more coming in – we can get what we need to get We Need Crew off to a good start and we got our crew paid. Thanks to all the people that watched, we have raised a lot of money and the kick we need. We Need Crew is going to become effectively a charity now. I'm glad that we can get it off to a good start and I urge other artists to help with that as well. We all have touring crew, we won't be able to stick the show on without them. In terms of advice, because we don't know how long this is going to go on for you know, you can't really tell someone who's sitting at home out of our pocket to relax and hold tight because its not as simple as that, but where possible We Need Crew will try and help get funds to you and help in some shape or form."

Your album Heartbreak Weather came out in March right before lockdown. How has your experience as an artist been in 2020? "Yeah, I released an album on the worst week in music history! So I wouldn't say it was the greatest launch of an album of all time [laughs]. But once I got my head around that, and realised that I wasn't going to be touring, it actually wasn't too bad. I started getting into a bit of a routine, working out and cooking. Luckily living in the city, you can get out and have a walk and a cycle. I started doing a bit of writing in the last sort of eight weeks or so and I didn't want to force that at the start. It was alright once I had my head wrapped around the fact that I wasn't touring and the album was released on that particular time. I just realised, right we're going to be in this for the long haul and kind of enjoyed the time at home. I haven't been home for this long probably since 2010! It was good. It was nice to not have to pack a suitcase all the time. I nearly forgot how to pack one [laughs]."

What’s next for you? Can we expect new music?

"I'd like to release stuff next year, I doubt it would be this year, and just kind of writing some bits getting in the studio when I can here. I went through a stage of writing absolute, toxic, toxic stuff. I’m looking forward to kind of getting into the room with some people and recording some stuff. Hopefully I'll have something next year at some point. I would like to come back with a bang. I don’t know if I’d like to just throw a song out in the middle of this. I like the idea of getting around the planet and I've learned that the hard way this year! So I would like the world to be at a point where I can get out about and do the promo."

#article #niall horan #13nov20 #rah live stream promo

[liam-93-productions]

Note: This article is paid content on Billboard, but due to its relevance in promoting Liam’s work with The LP Shows we decided to share it. 

Liam Payne and his manager Steve Finan O’Connor from Kin Partners knew they needed to stay connected with fans when COVID-19 shut down the touring business, but how? There were dozens of different paths to follow with social media tools, video-conferencing technologies and paid streaming platforms available, but it was all uncharted territory. After surveying his options the former One Direction singer and his manager settled on an unconventional, but ultimately successful strategy. 

“We just decided to give it all a go and see where it led us”, jokes Finan O’Connor. Payne built his strategy around Twitter, YouTube and Instagram - where he has more than 100 million combined followers - but he has also turned to video-conferencing platform Zoom at the beginning of the pandemic to host small online get togethers with fans who contributed to his preferred charities. 

At the recommendation of business manager Alan McEvoy, Payne selected Veeps, the streaming platform launched by brothers Benji Madden and Joel Madden from the multi-platinum punk and rock group Good Charlotte. 

Benji tells Billboard he had seen artists on the platform use social media to drive traffic to their shows, but had never seen a team experiment with different platforms in real time and so quickly hone in on converting fans into online ticket  buyers. For Payne, this meant identifying his most committed fans on platforms like YouTube and Instagram Live and then using tech like Twitter and Zoom to create pathways into the ticket buying queue and eventually into the show. 

“They’re doing fan engagement that I just haven’t seen anyone do”, Benji says. “They really listened to the fans and watched what people reacted to. Liam is not just showing up and doing the live show. He’s spending weeks talking to fans, building out his own livestream world and tapping into all the modern ways that we see people communicate and interact and put content into the world”.

Yesterday Payne announced his third live stream event on Veeps, a Halloween party and show with tickets strating at $10. Finan O’Connor said much of the work Payne did building his online audience during the pandemic has focused on maximizing human connection while finding ways to deliver meaningful and direct experiences. Betweens his first and second show, Payne quadrupled the number of tickets sold and broke the record for most tickets sold to a single show on Veeps platform. Below, Finan O’Connor talks about what he and Payne learned as they developed their pandemic strategy in real time. 

Help Fans Find You in Unexpected Locations

"Social media is like an onion -- there's millions of people on the outside layers and you've got to peel away those layers before you have something you can cook," explains Finan O'Connor. That meant focusing resources on finding, engaging and communicating with individuals willing to spend a few hours with the U.K. singer "without bothering the other people who don't really want to hear you right now."

Early on, they noticed that thousands of fans were queueing up early for Payne's Roundup Show on YouTube, where he checks in with fans and talks about the different projects he is working on.

"There were 60,000 to 70,000 people sitting in a waiting room for half an hour before we premiered an episode, just between themselves talking about Liam, One Direction or whatever else," Finan O'Connor says. "So Liam went and sat the queue with them and started talking with his fans and answering their questions."

Fans started getting excited to have Payne in the queue but, others wanted proof it was really Payne and not a member of his team. So the "Midnight" singer hopped on Instagram Live and began streaming himself answering fan questions on YouTube.

"He was able to talk directly to people in the moment that actually really wanted to be part of it," Finan O'Connor says, growing his numbers both on YouTube and Instagram. To build off the momentum,  Payne now starts an Instagram Live stream prior to shows, telling his audience there ("160,000 to 200,000 fans," says Finan O'Connor) that the concert is about to begin in Veeps, then turns off that Instagram feed and starts the show, first with support acts and then his main performance.

"When we finish, we go backstage and we don't stop the show -- we carry it on for at least an hour [on Veeps]," Finan O'Connor says. "He'll chat with fans and do contests through Twitter to receive free tickets for the next show. Fans will vote for their favorite fans and Liam will announce the winner live on Veeps."

Include the Crowd in the Show

Performing in an empty room while fans watch at home can be a challenge for artists used to feeding off their fans' energy, but after watching a soccer game with cheering artificially added to the game, Finan O'Connor had an idea: add in sound recorded from previous live shows to make Payne's concerts on Veeps feel more realistic.

"They're shouting his name and five to 10 minutes in, you forget that these noises are not happening in real time," Finan O'Connor says. To mimic fans being brought on stage during a concert. Liam would feature people who had been filmed prior to the concert talking about how the pandemic was affecting their lives.

"Fans would say, 'We're struggling. We love this. You're giving us more and going out of your way,' and that's when it really hit Liam -- hit him big time -- because he able to give fans something they really needed," Finan O'Connor says.

Knowing many fans were struggling financially, Payne also sold tickets on a "pay what you want" basis, starting at $10, with a portion of ticket sales going towards the Trussell Trust Charity, which fights poverty and hunger issues in the U.K.

"It was important for him to make the shows about something bigger," Finan O'Connor says. "He wanted fans to feel like we were all in this together."

Build Momentum

When Payne first started thinking about how to approach the online concert series, he met with Benji Madden to get some ideas and inspiration for what had worked for other artists, like Brandi Carlile and LP, on the Veeps platform.

"Benji told him that he wouldn’t be doing just one show. It would be regular shows, building a deeper connection with his fan base in the same way an artist does when they tour in the early stages of their career," Finan O'Connor recalls. "Unlike a live tour where you repeat the same show in each city, his tour has a brand new show each time. Benji was right. The fans have loved the interaction."

Because Payne has fans all over the world, he's also tried to accommodate different time zones. But since it can take weeks and sometimes months to plan a show, Finan O'Connor came up with an easy work-around -- watch rebroadcasts of his shows live with his fans. "We watched along with the crowd, kind of like a director's cut, and he discussed how the songs were written and being played and he was laughing and having a good time," he says. "We went on for an hour and 45 minutes and it was almost like a radio show."

The strategy helped quadruple ticket sales from the first performance called LP Act 1 on July 17 to his LP Act 2 show on Aug. 29. During the rebroadcasts Payne would be "watching the comments and memes videos on Twitter, stop the show, press pause, and showing what someone says there or what someone posts here," he says. "When you're playing a concert, you can't just stop in the middle of the show and chat with people, but with the rebroadcasts, we can stop and bring in two fans via Zoom and ask question and interact and make the fans feel like they're really engaged in the concert. It's just taking the power of live-streaming into an entirely different dimension."

#liam payne #press mention #billboard #the lp show #steve finan #05.10.2020

[aangelinakii]

title : loona when their idol partner performs one of their songs

note : yall finally the weekend bruh , I TOOK TOO LONG AND NOW ITS NOT THE WEEKENED CRYING BYE

song : sweater weather , the neighbourhood

loona would be backstage, waiting to perform, when heejin spots your group emerge onto the stage through the screen in the greenroom. your group would be performing a cover of butterfly. how did she not know about this ?? the whole time, she would be focusing on you as best she can. when you come out of the performance she engulfs you in a hug and repeatedly tells you how proud she is of you

during one of your group's concerts, hyunjin would've visited to support you and your members. an interval had just passed over and fog steamed over the stage as your group's members were elevated from under it. suddenly, the beginning of favourite began to play, and her face absolutely lit up

for the whole day you'd been telling haseul that you would be doing a livestream on vlive and she just *had* to join. so it had finally reached the time for your stream and she joined almost immediately. for the first ten, twenty minutes or so,, you just communicated with your fans as you searched something up on your computer. and the reason you were searching something up on your computer was so you could do some singing. first you would sing a song of your choice , let me in , and then you'd take requests. after the stream, she would text you being like OMGOGMG THAT WAS SO COOL OMG I LOVE YOU SO MUCH OMG ILY

for a special stage on a music show, you , along with members of other groups ( yuna of itzy, beomgyu of txt, chenle of nct , and yena of izone to be precise ) , were set to perform voice. yeojin sat backstage, getting her hair and makeup done. there was a tv in the dressing room, and she could hear the intro and then you start off the song with heejin's part. immediately her head would whip around to watch you dance around with the other idols. after the performance she'd meet you to congratulate you !

this was the week leading up to your group's first anniversary, and for each day leading up to it, there would be a cover of a song to pay homage to some of the members' favourite groups. as you were secretly dating vivi, you chose loona , and decided you'd all learn hi high ! after filming for the mv was done and it was uploaded, you'd message her and tell her to watch it. judging by her reply you could just tell how happy she was

you'd be visiting a variety show in order to promote your group's most recent comeback, and you would be asked by one of the hosts to show off your dance skills. when you get up to dance, eclipse would start playing. you just knew when kim lip would watch this episode she'd freak out and would never stop talking about it,,, like ever lol

for mama this year, your group would do a medley of multiple different iconic songs , similar to what ateez did in 2019 !! one song transitioned to another and you were performing so what, starting from the bridge to transform into your group's take on the chorus. loona wouldn't be attending that year, but jinsoul would definitely be watching at home. as soon as their song came on she literally shrieked. when the awards were over, she called you up congratulating you and telling you over and over again how proud she was of you

your company wanted you to visit a variety show in order to get your group some more recognition, so that's where you found yourself, alongside other members from groups with not a huge fanbase in korea. one of those idols was your girlfriend, choerry ! no one else knew, of course, but when you had to complete a karaoke challenge and had to choose a ballad by one of the visiting groups, you just had to choose 365 to see her reaction. as expected, she jumped up and down in excitement

in your group, you were the main dancer, and your company wanted you to participate in a show to promote your latest comeback. for your audition into the show, you performed new, knowing yves was one of the dancers who'd already auditioned. as you went through with the moves, you could see her in the seats with a huge smile on her face. it wasn't until after the show that she could actually express how happy she was during that moment

one saturday night, some of your members , along with yourself , were rather bored and unsure what to do. so what better time than now to do a vlive ??? whilst doing karaoke ??? after your members went, it was finally your turn. without telling the viewers what song you were singing, you looked it up on the computer. the other members knew about you and chuu's hidden relationship, and squealed when they realised you were putting on heart attack. she was definitely watching, somewhere alongst your fans, because as soon as the stream ended, you found she had spammed your messages with keyboard smashes

being a soloist was sometimes boring, only because you lived in a house with no one to be silly there with you, however you did have gowon , but due to her being an idol in a group, you had differing schedules. but this year, you'd been working probably the hardest you've ever worked in order for the end-of-year concert to come out all right. millions would be there to see you and other groups , and loona would be attending to. in order to remind your girlfriend how much you mean to her, you decided to perform a mashup of various loona songs ; such as why not, colours, one & only etc etc ,,, sitting back stage, waiting for loona to perform , wonnie was a bit bored. but then she heard that you were going on and cheered up a bit...... but then she heard her songs and she was absolutely ecstatic

the majority of your group were orbits, and they were even more so when they found out you were secretly dating olivia hye. when visiting kcon, your group was set to cover multiple different songs by multiple different artists, but you were bound to sneak in a loona song here and there. or maybe a full six-minute long mashup cover of all the loona solos. loona was just backstage, running through choreography and whatnot, but then they became distracted by the fact some of their songs were being sang onstage. olivia would do some searching for a tv to see who was performing ,,, and when she saw it was you and your group, a huge smile made its way to her face

#loona #loona reactions #jeon heejin #kim hyunjin #jo haseul #wong kahei #im yeojin #kim jungeun #jung jinsoul #choi yerim #ha sooyoung #kim jiwoo #park chaewon #son hyejoo

[shiningliive]

Irresponsible speculation time: So I'm watching the (second) PV for Maji Love Kingdom and I happened to notice that in the name of the "stage" they put "Maji Love LIVE Kingdom". THIS coupled with the fact that in the PVs they say "LIVE START!" makes me wonder something and that is that there might have been orders from Broccoli to put that in the title to make the DVD have to be some kind of special order. For those that don't know whenever there is a "Maji Love Live" you have to (1)

(2) Special order the DVDs through say...CDJ (My site of choice) and also usually they won't be licensed out to Sentai (whom gets the rights for the series almost immediately. My question is this: Do you think its POSSIBLE for Broccoli to have made A-1 put that in to prevent Sentai from trying to license it (Because no MLL concerts HAVE BEEN as of yet) or do you think there is a possibility that there could be a licensing agreement in the future but a year or so down the line at this point?

I don’t think they’d consider Sentai like that no. Generally, as far as I know, Lives just arent liscensed outside Japan because there isn’t as high of a market for them as there is for the anime. Paying to liscense and sub around 4-5 hours of content with the newer ones (live + backstage + extras) just doesn’t sound phesable for Sentai considering I’m sure that would cost a lot of money, and Utapri is a pretty small international fandom, the amount of people that would spend over 100 dollars on a live bluray is even smaller. I would of course love to see them liscensed though.

It does seem pretty unlike they would license lives, but it would be nice to see them livestreamed in theatres here like they have done with Love Live Lives in the past. I did email Sentai about that, but they said they had no plans to at the moment that they could disclose to the public.

I have however seen some speculation (and perhaps even badly worded google translationg) that imply that most if not all of the movie will be entirely a concert. I’m not sure how I’d feel about this, but soncsidering all we’ve seen form the PVs is cgi live it’s a bit worrying. I’m hoping we’ll see more actual animation and maybe have confirmaiton that it wont be entirely a concert movie in the next PV. I wouldn’t hate a 100% cgi live movie, but I would prefer an actual movie with a plot especially since they have the VR live experiance at the moment as well. 

#ask #kind of all over the place answer but you get me #not shining live #utapri #maji love kingdom #amisbro

[halloweeniseveryday-blog1]

She has bathed in beetroot

She has bathed in beetroot, set her nipple on fire and has spent 16 hours at a time on camera. Domino wakes up at 8 am every morning and performs booked shows for clients paying between $US90 and $US120 an hour. That's about sixteen times her state minimum wage, and she doesn't have to leave her bedroom. If a client wants to book through MyFreeCams rather than sending money directly, Domino charges double. There's not a cent lost to a middle man. It seems like a pretty swell setup: "I love my job," Domino gushes. "I can work when I want to, as much as I want to, [and] nobody can tell me how to do my job." She's right. At her strip club, she was required to come in four to five days a week, spinning on a pole. Now, she can work all day. Or not at all. The last time we spoke, she was working on an ebook project, spending her time as she pleased.For the unfamiliar, camming is where clients pay to either watch a livestream of or have an individual video chat with a sex worker. It can’t be pirated and watched for free because the whole point of it is that it’s intimate and personal—you’re actually interacting with the person behind the screen.Model, producer and co-creator of YouTube channel ComeCurious, Reed is essentially the physical embodiment of sex positivity, which she defines as trying to make people feel like what they’re doing and what they’re into isn’t wrong, it’s normal and it’s absolutely fine.” She’s a huge advocate for removing stigma and taboos around sex, and we caught up with her to learn more about webcamming, a line of sex work that is seldom talked about.

It is true that when I am up on stage I feel powerful. In my 7-inch heels and latex leotards and frilly skirts, my body feels beautiful in a way that I don’t see it in everyday life, and I feel confident and empowered. When the music comes on, I go with it, when I dance it is natural and it’s fun. The money is ultimately what I am here for, but this isn’t just something I do just to pay the rent. This is my art, and whilst I am making myself sexually desirable, nobody can objectify me, as I hold that power. I am in control, because I objectify myself, if you like.She started in the German porn game at 17, and moved on to cam modelling years later in Bangkok. Two years ago she was the number one rated model on MyFreeCams — meaning her link was at the very top of the site's barren layout — bringing in around $US37,000 per month. These days, girls in those top slots can earn up to an insane $US75,000 per month. The competition is cutthroat. The MFC ratings battle is ruthless, as tips beget more tips: if you're being paid well, you move up the totem pole, ensuring a snowball effect of even more attention and money.Eventually I got a bit more adventurous. I hula­-hooped in my underwear while listening to the Arctic Monkeys. I also did yoga, live­painting with my back to the webcam in only a thong. I racked up a couple hundred bucks over a few days and cashed the cheque sent the next month. By this time I’d masturbated on camera for a few guys, but I was starting to get a little bit paranoid about my face appearing in an advert on another website somewhere and someone I knew seeing it. I have nothing against sex work, having worked in the industry three times now, but I don’t like the idea of say my boyfriend's brother or housemate or one of my own family members opening a webpage to a moving image of my face mid-­orgasm purely because well, I don’t think my family would support that decision."There's a lot of burnout in this industry," Domino tells me over the phone from one of the three houses she owns in Wisconsin — one of them a lakefront property outside of Madison. She says it with a serious voice that sounds a little tired.

Even so, it’s clear that Ona Artist really likes her job. People get into sex work for various reasons, but I think that what’s left out of the conversation around sex work a lot of the time is that some girls get into sex work autonomously because they want to, because they enjoy it, and because the money is good. Ona Artist got into camming because a photo of her butt went viral and she realized she could capitalize off of it.Studio 20 is the largest studio webcam franchise in the world. It has nine branches in Romania, including one employing "cam-boys" who service the gay market. Its other branches are in the Colombian city of Cali, Budapest and Los Angeles. "Not your average female. I'm the fabled nerdy, intelligent woman who plays video games, loves all types of movies and music, books, and other women. I'm hyper, I have a dry, dark, sarcastic sense of humour, and I quote movies. A lot. Imagine Wednesday Addams, Daria, Liz Lemon and Darlene Connor having an orgy. I'm the result.""Mostly they're nice guys, not crazy men," she says. "There are a lot of members looking for love. They want the connection. Some members want you to call their name. Or to talk to them while you dance and strip. I'm very honest with them - they know I have a boyfriend, and they know we are not going to have sex in real life." CONTINUED BELOW...

[dimples-of-discontent]

JIB recording policy: my thoughts and feels

So this feels like a really awful moment to be an SPN fan. I’m crushed that “Wayward” didn’t get picked up and honestly that deserves its own post and other eloquent folks on here will no doubt be chiming in soon. Before that, though, I was already alternating between seething and feeling on the verge of tears about the “no recordings” policy for JIB. Because, honestly, I was relying on it as a hugely positive experience to lift me out of the daily struggle I’m in right now. Where the show can and will hurt me all the time (hopefully with a narrative purpose!) as I expect it to in the finale, Jibcon never does anything except make me laugh and smile (and post too many gifs). And without the prospect of seeing the panels, especially Misha and Jensen’s, I genuinely feel...bereft. It’s not that I feel like I lost what I was entitled to, but that I’ve been deprived of something positive and beautiful for no good reason.

If you think that’s silly or that I should get over it or whatever please do me a favor and stop reading. These are my personal thoughts and feelings about something personal to me and you don’t have to agree. But since I think many of you do I’m going to write about it. I’m also going to reflect on the positive impact that sharing panel videos has on the fandom and what we lose without them. (And I recognize that this policy has existed before and that we have gotten around it and that we do not yet know how strictly it will be enforced. But I have these feelings anyway so I wrote about them.)

ETA: I hear from some folks there that you can record but not livestream, like usual. I’m going to go ahead and leave this up though, whatever the outcome, because it makes other points that are prompted by the policy but not strictly about it.

In a previous post I used the phrase “hostile to the fandom” to describe the policy and I stand by that. If it were merely about money or legality why would they not do something like sell tickets to a livestream and/or digital downloads or recordings? (If you are in the industry and have insider information on this I’d be super interested in your perspective and happy to post it with or without attribution.) I know that they may not have the infrastructure to accomplish this. It takes a lot of servers to livestream to that many people. It takes a certain standard of recording equipment to make something professional. But this is the 9th year running. They know there is enough interest to justify sinking some capital into that infrastructure and I’m surprised they haven’t.

I am absolutely willing to pay for content. Paleyfest panels are livestreamed and available to buy afterwards (months after, but that’s ok). I have bought a copy of all the Paleyfest panels from my favorite shows. I am not objecting to paying for content at all. Give J2M a cut! Give the JIB staff a cut! Shut up and take my money! There needs to be a price point between “flying to Europe and paying hundreds or thousands of dollars” and “peering at illegal phone video on YouTube.” Legal recordings that generate profit seem like a great option.

You know who they would be good for in the fandom? Everyone.

People without the money to travel and attend cons.

People who might have the money but who have difficulty traveling or being in a group of people because of physical disabilities, social anxiety, mental health issues, illness, etc.

People who are caregivers and cannot easily find someone to take their duties or who cannot be away at all.

People who work multiple jobs with inflexible schedules.

I could go on at greater length but I think you all get the point. We talk about the SPN Family and have our fandom-driven efforts to better the lives of people involved and show them that “you are not alone” and “family don’t end in blood” and “always keep fighting.” And that is AWESOME. It’s special. It’s so unlike other fandoms I have been in. But the thing that keeps a lot of people going is seeing videos from cons and feeling like a part of that community by sharing those experiences. For some people, maybe just the show is enough. But there’s a substantial population that relies on the social aspect of fandom and on the (perceived) closeness or accessibility of its figureheads, J2M.

Taking away the means to do that and acting as though we have done something wrong in asking for it, in wanting it, seems antithetical to the community-building we rely on. (I could do another post about campaign fatigue, which hit me pretty badly back in the fall, but right now it’s not on my mind.) Why not record it and either monetize it or even (radical idea!) don’t and just release it? Forbidding recording and distributing panels creates elitism and alienates many of the people who rely most on that sense of connection.

This is where I get to the point about hostility. Because I can’t see this new policy (or new decision to strictly enforce the policy) as unconnected to Daniela’s Facebook rant. I can’t. I wrote about it at the time and agreed with other folks who said that, though offensively expressed, it was fundamentally anti-antis and anti-entitlement rather than anti- any particular ship. I wanted to give the benefit of the doubt and allow her to just be a frustrated human being who had a bad time at work and complained. But now I feel like it was a message about how we need to back off of Jibcon because we in some way don’t deserve it. 

And, perhaps wrongly since no pairing was singled out in the Facebook post, I feel like it’s about Jensen and Misha. Because by raw YouTube views alone those are the panels people want to watch recordings of. They are chaotic and hilarious and sweet and a just A Hot Mess, so it makes sense that we want to see them together and beam at our computer screens. There’s a reason it’s always the closing panel, that it’s so expensive, that it sells out so quickly.  And just like with Creation’s weird refusal to offer that as an option (except at Honcon) it seems like banning recordings has to do with some unarticulated prohibition on how fans view those two specifically. Like it’s untoward.

But...if that’s the case, if Jensen and Misha are so bothered by it, why haven’t they done something like sue for libel or send out cease and desist letters to the Cockles blogs? They...don’t care. They actively know what we think about them (they’re grossly in love! they’re secretly a couple!) and they play with it in their stage personae and, I assume, just gloss over it in their everyday lives because they’ve developed a strong and healthy sense of “who the fuck cares?”. I guess it could be something their publicists are clamping down on, being like NO MORE HELLA GAY GIFSETS AND KEEP YOUR DAMN CLOTHES ON, or whatever, but my impression is that the policy is coming from JIB staff.

There is no need to generate more antagonism anywhere in this fandom. There is too much of it already. Alienating the fans who aren’t able to attend JIB from the JIB organizers seems pointless. If it’s an attempt somehow to shut down the shipping wars, well, that’s ass backwards since I’m just waiting for someone to yell about how the whole policy is because of Destiel/Cockles people and their inappropriate questions and theories or whatever because obviously we are the reason Jensen flashed his underwear onstage last year. It’s going to alienate us from each other too, as I already now feel way more envious of people who will get the privileged experience of seeing the panels. 

It seems like such a harmless thing, to let people post videos of panels they can’t see but desperately want to. Like it’s basically just a force for good in the fandom. I suspect that people will find a way to record and share anyway, as we have before in face of the same policy. But, because of where I am personally and how much I have been looking forward to JIB, I have been thinking about the difference it (and other cons but especially this one) make in people’s lives I wanted to say something. Perhaps I’m wrong about the motivations--I admit to making all kinds of assumptions--but I don’t think I’m wrong about what it indicates about how the staff are viewing the fans. And that hurts. Because it’s not about objectification and shipping at all for most of us, even if it’s fun to talk about. Many of us just want a delightful thing in an otherwise painful time.

#sads #fandom life #personal #jibcon 2018 #wank adjacent #spn family #can't we all just get along? #negativity for ts #j2m #cockles #mental health #depression #anxiety #my thoughts

[bravevulnerability]

A/N: Insert for Trading Heartbeats (in which Beckett is the writer and Castle is the detective), set during chapter 10 while Beckett is away in LA. 

Inspired by the screenshot tweet above that was sent to me by @obsessivevirtualtrash and @trilbychild. Thank you so much for sharing this idea with me and I hope you enjoy the outcome. :)

-

In chapter 10 of Trading Heartbeats:

After the Candela’s case had been closed, Beckett had worked a few more cases alongside him and the boys before informing him that she had to fly out to Los Angeles the following week for a round of publicity gatherings and an important meeting with the head of Black Pawn. The book was in its final stages, the story nearly complete from what Kate’s told him, but he knows her agent, Jonathan, had been hounding her recently, complaining about her lack of time in the papers and on TV screens.

“I’ll be back in a week,” she had sighed the night of her flight, standing with him in the break room with the door only partially open and the blinds drawn. “Call me if any interesting cases pop up?”

“Sure thing, Beckett,” he had chuckled. “Call me if Jonathan drives you to commit a murder of your own?”

“Of course, no one I would trust more to help me hide the body,” she had quipped, wriggling her eyebrows at him. “Though, we should probably bring Lanie along.”

“Smart thinking,” Castle had praised, knowing he was making her late, but not wanting her to go and hating himself for it. It was one thing to tolerate having her around, but another to want her there, to loathe the idea of her leaving for seven short days. “Call me when you land too?”

The smirk had curled along the corners of her mouth, so enticing and maddening all at once. “Awful sweet of you wanting me to check in with you at one in the morning, Detective.”

“Shut up and go catch your flight, Kate.”

She had chuckled and swayed towards him, her eyes darting towards the cracked doorway before pressing a kiss to his cheek. “See you in a week, Castle.”

Calling him at night, after she had completed her responsibilities for the day, had become a habit he had grown to look forward to, answering her from his desk when the bullpen had cleared or from his bedroom while he slid beneath the cold sheets at the end of a long night. Discussing murder one moment and the absurdities of her job in the next, laughing over the boys’ antics or one of her run-ins with a fan, talking with her about everything and nothing late into the night had become far too important to him. It crossed lines and boundaries he himself had drawn, but he couldn’t help it.

Kate Beckett made him too damn happy.

-

Castle checks over his shoulder as he eases the door to the break room shut. It’s late in the morning, Ryan and and Esposito are out dumpster diving for evidence, something he should be helping with, but Kate’s supposed to be on this morning show at seven-thirty LA time and, like an idiot, he promised he would be tuning in. 

Rick shuffles to the farthest corner of the room, taking a seat at the table with his back to the wall and the screen of his phone hidden from any prying eyes. 

He follows the link to the livestream she sent him last night, teasing him about how she knew he wouldn’t tune in, but just in case he did…

The screen buffers before coming to life on a pretty blonde (a host named Christina? Candace maybe? Something with a C…) with a smile that’s a little too nauseatingly happy for his taste. The woman is already talking so he turns his volume up, just high enough for him to hear, too low for anyone outside the room to catch.

“And here to talk with us today is the author of the well-known Collette Stryker series. Hopefully, she’ll give us some insight into why she chose to end such a successful series and what she’s up to next. Please welcome, Katherine Beckett.”

His heart flutters at the sight of her striding out from behind the stage and he almost wants to press his hand to his chest, smother it in punishment. She looks good, always looks good, her hair in loose curls and her body long and lean in dark jeans and a tan blazer, a leopard print scarf around her neck and ridiculously high heels adorning her feet. 

The host - he’s going with Candace - stands from the couch in the middle of the stage to embrace Kate, pecking her on both cheeks before laughing at something Beckett must have said. Probably some charming (or wry) remark that the host is obligated to smile for. 

After they take their seats and Beckett waves to the crowd, winking at the camera on her face like she knows he’s watching. Does she know? Does she already have him so figured out that she predicted he would succumb to the internal urge to see her after four days of her absence?

Does she know he misses her?

“Ms. Beckett, it’s so great to have you here with us today,” Candace greets, beaming at Kate with a smile that must blind in person. “You flew out from New York, correct?”

Kate crosses her legs, the cuff of her jeans sliding to reveal the sharp stiletto of her heel. She’s wearing her favorite pair and he hates himself a little for knowing that. 

“I did,” she confirms, her own smile rivaling the TV host’s. “New York is my home, but it’s always a pleasure to visit Los Angeles.”

Candace drags Kate through a list of questions about her writing, about her former golden goose of Collette Stryker, how New York provides her with inspiration for what comes next.

“Speaking of inspiration…” The host’s smile grows mischievous as she tilts her head to the screen behind them. “It’s rumored that the character of your upcoming book, Derrick Storm, is based on this hunk of a real life detective.”

Mortification swirls through his guts as a picture of him and Kate walking side by side to a crime scene appears on the screen behind the women. Audible gasps and murmurs of intrigue arise from the audience and he notices Kate lose a hint of her color.

Ah, so this was unplanned. 

At least Beckett’s publicist, Jonathan, will have a field day attempting to sue them. 

“What can you tell us about this new man in your life?” Candace inquires at Beckett’s lack of response, but Kate is quick to counter.

“I can tell you that your implication is all wrong,” Kate chuckles, playing it off as if she was prepared for this stunt all along. “The NYPD has been kind enough to let me shadow their detectives over these last few months and the man in the photo is in fact an officer of the law.”

“Is that all?” Candace asks, narrowing her eyes on Kate as if they’re about to share a secret on live television. “I mean, how perfect would it be for a writer to fall for her muse? And not just that, but isn’t it inevitable? Spending so much time with someone like that, not just in person, but on the page?”

Kate’s smile turns placating. “Candace, I have nothing but respect for the man in this photo, but I won’t demean his or any other NYPD officer’s hard work by playing into the rumor of a romantic connection. My work with the police has been insightful, but completely professional.”

Castle scoffs. Yeah, making out in empty interrogation rooms is the epitome of professionalism. 

Her answer is perfect, though, exactly the kind of response he would have hoped for if he would have had any idea he and their relationship would be a topic of conversation on national television.

So why does he suddenly feel so bitter?

“All right, all right, I can take a hint,” Candace sighs dramatically. “But do tell me, does that mean the ruggedly handsome cop is on the market?”

Kate’s fist clenches over her knee, an undetectable response to an audience, but he knows her, knows her body, can read the signs. 

Rick’s eyebrows rise. Interesting. 

He watches her throat bob before her chest expands with a quick breath, reinforcing that strained smile across her lips. Little tells of her uneases, unnoticeable to Candace, the annoyingly bubbly TV host or her obnoxious audience, but he catches every single one.

“That’s not for me to say,” Kate answers. 

Oh, but it is.

Because as long as he has Kate Beckett weaseling her way into his job and embedding herself into his life, how could he ever even look at another woman and feel anything close to what he feels to the one currently on his screen?

He wants her. 

Candace begins to close with information about Kate’s previous work, a tentative date to look forward to for Derrick Storm’s release, and then she’s rising to shake Beckett’s hand.

Kate shakes it without a hint of warmth. Yeah, he doesn’t blame her. 

Castle exits out of the livestream once he’s sure her segment is over and returns to the home screen of his phone. He hesitates for only a moment before opening his text messages, his conversation with Kate. 

Completely professional, huh?

He only has to wait a beat.

Shut up.

He laughs, starts to type once more, but another text comes through before he can finish his.

But I’m touched that you tuned in.

He rolls his eyes, but he knows that she means it. That she probably didn’t expect him to honor his word and actually watch. 

Are you still flying back on Friday?

She types back too fast, doesn’t give him enough time to compose himself, to think about what he wants to say, what’s enough and what’s too much. 

Eager to engage in some acts of professionalism? 

He almost lets himself be honest (god yes), but begins to delete the words before he can type past three letters. 

Ryan and Espo are a mess without you.

No, that’s not good either. Too much subtext to what he really means (I miss you), too obvious. 

Oh, screw it.

Yes.

He sucks in a breath, watches the ‘delivered’ sign flash. 

Every second it takes her to reply, his heart beats louder in his chest.

Don’t tempt me to catch a flight out sooner.

He grins, almost tells her to do it, offers to pay the difference. 

God, is he that desperate?

Just come back safe he decides on, hitting send and standing from the chair. Ryan and Esposito are probably wondering where he is and he’s spent enough time tucked away in the break room to arise suspicion by now. 

Miss you too, Rick.

His lips quirk, feels his heart flicker with pleasant warmth, eager for her to come home. 

#castle fanfiction #castle au #kate beckett #richard castle #trading heartbeats #castle #i apologize that this is so short! #and obviously nothing too special #but again #i truly hope you enjoyed :) #prompt #ish #mine

[amandaallen]

A Brief Guide On How to Build a Live Video Streaming App

In recent times, people are more engaged in online activities. Mobile devices are now used for professional broadcasting, making video content readily available to viewers across many devices.

According to a study, by the end of 2021, the live video streaming app market will reach $70 billion and beyond. Having a piece of this lucrative and upcoming industry is everyone’s dream.

And by 2023, it is predicted that 2.72 billion users would watch on-demand or live videos on mobile devices. The figure rose from the data of 2019 at 2.16 billion users with a CAGR of 6% growth rate. These statistics only make up for a minuscule portion of this massive trend.

However, developing a live video streaming app is not as easy as it sounds. Understanding how to make a live streaming app involves meticulous planning. Let’s dive in deeper and explore the concept of these apps and understand what it means to deliver these apps.

What is a Live Video Streaming App?

Live video streaming apps are simple applications, which allow users to capture videos and broadcast them simultaneously. These apps are growing in numbers because of high-speed internet connectivity and advanced camera technologies. Developing a live video streaming app can boost sports broadcasts, TV stations, news channels, and similar outlets with a massive collection of live events and content to share.

Such apps also drive influencer marketing, business marketing, entertainment, and people’s online interactions. These are some live video streaming apps that are very popular today:

Facebook

Periscope

Twitch

Kuaishou

Bilibili

Douyu etc.

People use Facebook Live regularly, whereas Twitch is another popular platform for broadcasting gaming sessions. It means there are different types of video streaming apps for various objectives.

Types of Live Video Streaming Apps

Before learning how to make a live streaming app, you should know the type of app to create. There are three common live video streaming apps:

#1: Live Broadcasting App

These are arguably the most sought-after live-streaming apps. These apps also let users broadcast live video and sound recordings to other users who access this stream. The apps are also the source of many online influencers. Popular live video broadcasting apps are YouTube Live, Twitch, Periscope, and Livestream.

#2: TV Live Streaming App

This type of live streaming app allows the user to watch TV online. This facilitates the users to enjoy content made specifically for TV without compromising on switching to different platforms. The seamless experience and service are the key benefits of this type of live streaming application.

#3: Video on Demand (VOD) Streaming

VOD apps enable users to plan and watch favorite shows online whenever they want to. Some common examples are Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Hulu.

Why Is Mobile Streaming So Important?

However, before plunging into how to make a live streaming app, consider some mobile streaming statistics to get some idea about live streaming and its relevance.

Over 50% of all videos playing worldwide originate on mobile phones or smart devices, and the growth will continue in the coming years.

By 2023, the video will make up for three-quarters of mobile traffic.

Sports enthusiasts prefer to watch matches on mobile devices and smartphones. Over 30% of sports fans stream matches to their tablets and phones.

How to Make a Live Streaming App?

There are many approaches to build live video streaming apps. Developers can be creative, but technology rules. Before creating an app for live streaming with an online host, you must understand the essential technical aspects of the broadcasting game.

Step#1: Define Audience and Niche

Do not create an app-based only on assumptions. Instead, you must know the real needs of users, their opinions, and expectations. Plan accordingly, and hold discussions or interviews with users to detect early challenges.

Consider the potential fields like sports and news, video games and cartoons, personal content, academic content, live tours, meetings, conferences, etc.

Early feedback can set your vision right. Moreover, you can secure the first batch of loyal beta users.

Step#2: Determine Monetization Strategies

Ultimately, the purpose of having a live stream video app is to monetize it and make revenue. The three most popular ways of monetizing streaming apps are:

Paid apps that charge users when they download an app

Premium apps that offer a free app, but only with limited features. Other premium features can be accessed only upon payment

Advertisements that run ads on an app for the advertising fee

Step#3: Study the Requirements of Streaming App

There are specific characteristics of streaming performance that you would want to ensure.

Internet connectivity: Internet speed influences the ability of the platform to download content on-demand. Minimum requirements would be 2 Mbps for streaming standard-definition movies. Thus, consider internet speed greater than 2Mbps for YouTube streaming services.

Computing architecture and cloud hosting: Cloud services are the best to store video content as it provides ease of access to video content. Consequently, imagine a platform that scales right from the start. This would prevent complex data migrations in the final stages.

Network: Video streaming sites would scale up eventually, though they may not expand fast. Implement a network for content distribution into this service. A live-streaming app is also a scalable tool to manage a large volume of online traffic using the CDN.

Step#4: Choose a Trusted Platform

You must choose the right platform viable for live video streaming content, hosting, and storage. Always select a reliable provider.

Do not compromise with quality because of price. Sometimes, paying a little more can give you excellent performance, which also ensures traffic growth. Users cannot tolerate low-resolution videos and slow streams.

Step#5: Design UI/UX

Besides choosing a viable live video streaming, you have to create brilliant UI/UX for a live video streaming app.

Technology is a crucial part of this equation. In this exceedingly competitive industry, your app should have an outstanding design with an exceptional user experience. Hence, you should invest in attractive UI/UX design. Take a minimalist approach instead of a mixed-up interface.

Step#6: Develop & Test the MVP

Your mind may be bustling with dozens of development ideas for the app, but testing with the help of a Minimal Viable Product (MVP) proves to be more effective. MVP is a lightweight variant of the original app and contains the necessary features & functions. It is a simple tool that would help you to get easy feedback from users.

Live Video Streaming App & Tech Stack

Like other apps, you must decide on the programming languages, messaging queues, databases, and development elements. Pay attention to these three critical areas:

1) Streaming Protocol: Video streaming requires two protocols – RTMP and WebRTC. While RTMP protocol ensures HD streaming, WebRTC emphasizes real-time communication.

RTMP is best for broadcasting live concerts, conferences, and meetings. WebRTC is the technology behind video-calling platforms such as Zoom, Google Hangouts, BeLive, etc.

The most significant advantage of RTMP is that you can transmit good-quality audio and video. However, it is expensive for long-term processing where there could be a lag of 10 to 20 seconds between the capture screen and the viewer’s screen. Contrarily, WebRTC offers superior speed and compromises on the quality of transmission in case of inadequate bandwidth.

2) Streaming Platform: It is imperative to choose the right streaming platform viable for video content streaming. Amazon Web Services, or AWS, is a perfect solution. It delivers all the tools for online streaming, host application and provides the content to users.

3) Content Delivery Network: CDN is a critical choice, which ensures the performance and availability of live streaming for users. Amazon Web Services CloudFront is a great option that powers different streaming services like Netflix. Amazon Chime is another option for real-time WebRTC streaming and video rooms.

Live Video Streaming MVP Features

These features are necessary to build a dynamic MVP for live streaming:

User Registration: A simple format of user registration to open an account with valid credentials

Live Streaming: Enables the user to broadcast and records live streams to users who subscribed to the channel.

Search: The search box allows users to search content by popularity, topic, channel, trending, interests, or location.

User Profile: It shows the personal information of users with profile pictures.

User Gallery: Gallery organizes and stores recorded videos on the user’s profile.

Rating/Commenting: Live video streaming apps thrive on their social engagement. So, you must include a rating/commenting system to allow users to review and leave feedback.

Conclusion

Now that you have an idea to get started take the process ahead to build a live video streaming app. Since the path to developing these apps pose technical challenges, it is better to choose a top-rated mobile app development company with dedicated mobile app developers to realize your idea.

#livestreaming #mobilelivestreaming #livestreamingtv #livestreamingapp #uxdesign

[kokiafans]

KOKIA blog: June 9, 2021

Source: KOKIA.com/blog, June 9, 2021

Missing Piece

About my previous blog entry.

I wrote out what I was really thinking, and it seems like I made you worry; I apologize for that.

I received more mails than ever, so I rushed to write another entry here.

If you’re someone who’s ever listened to my songs through at least one of my albums, I’m sure you know from them that I’m someone who is pretty positive, looking forward.

So please, don’t worry now either, because I’ll keep giving it my all like I’ve done so far.

But sometimes, I have moments when I’d like my fans to know my honest feelings, even if they’re small sounds like this. That was the case this time.

The music industry has adapted to a new form of distribution through streaming this time, and I think that there are some examples where that method has been successful for both sides, both the sender and receiver.

I think there were also a lot of good aspects in becoming more convenient, but if you’re a musician who knows the magic from a live performance, there’s no helping the uncomfortable feeling over the features with these streams, meaning you perform live without an audience or without actual people present you can see and connect with.

Of course, there are also all kinds of musicians with different genres, styles and opinions, so the viewpoint as I see it isn’t necessarily the rule for every musician.

Actually, I decided this time to hold a concert in the shape of a broadcast for the first time.

Well, I mean I mention it this time, and announce it next week!

Starting June 15, tickets will be for sale.

A whole year has passed until I took that step.

It’s not a concert that everyone can watch for free like I’ve done this past year, but a paid broadcasted concert.

And it won’t be a live show delivered from my private studio like I’ve done this past year, but it’ll be delivered to you from an empty Tokyo Opera City Concert Hall.

I’ve been thinking that in the future, I’d like to deliver my songs to as many people as possible, in the shape of letting you opt for paying what you like for the livestreams that are free to watch... But the reason I thought of this is that I want to deliver my songs standing in a place that’s special for me, on a stage, in addition to that. 

This past year has really completely changed the way my job is organized and the way I carry out my activities as a musician, as someone for who concerts are their livelihood.

In the middle of it all, I’ve been thinking about what I can do under the current circumstances, and I planned all kinds of different things.

I created albums, and with that and the live streams ‘1 to 1 Live for you’ I started for the first time as a new tool to connect with my audience, I feel like it really was a productive year given the circumstances.

However, there was still this uncomfortable feeling I couldn’t erase, and when all kinds of thoughts were swirling around, I remembered the words that a former manager of mine told me.

‘I don’t want to make Kokkii sing somewhere flat. Even if it’s on a box of oranges, I want to make you sing on a stage.’ Those were the words...

At that time, I was just thinking why that person was worrying about something like that, but I felt like I understood the meaning behind it now for the first time.

He said at the time, that is something completely different.

That’s why I’d like to take on this new challenge where I deliver my songs from a stage, even if it’s without an audience.

This past year has been a time in which I’ve tackled all kinds of challenges and it made me feel accomplished in its own way, but still, there was this missing piece that obstructed me, a hole in my heart I couldn’t fill completely; I feel like that might be the place called the ‘stage’. 

There is work that I haven’t officially announced due to the reason that ‘the corona situation hasn’t settled down’; the work disappeared one after another, and even though I had sponsored concerts planned, planning a concert and actually carrying it out was too high a risk while we were at the mercy of ever-changing rules of self-restraint, and truly, it’s quite difficult to get things moving.

However, they were soft sounds, but I’m thinking they might break through here somehow.

It’s like bending and stretching before taking a big jump, so that after, you just go with the updraft.

It’s my life in which I need to repay the god of songs, so I’d like for you to experience that brightness from that special place of ‘the stage’ from hereon, too.

Next Tuesday, on June 15, tickets will be for sale via the web shop KOKIA Jirushi.

I’d like for it to be a concert where we can complete the map for the future, like we can all find the pieces each one of us needs.

This got long, but I hope I managed to convey weakened inner thoughts a little bit better.

#KOKIA #translation #translation: blog #promotion: the missing piece