The launch of the live-streaming Periscope app in March 2015 by social media giant Twitter has provided a massive tool that allows musicians and entertainment brands to engage their existing fan base and to connect to new fans instaneously. In an industry that thrives on “in the moment” live interaction, Periscope allows businesses – in this case entertainment industries and artists to engage fans and build relationships by providing pop-concerts, interviews, music debuts and in the case of John Mayer – music lessons! Currently Periscope has a user base of 10 million users and boasts 40 years worth of viewing or 350,000 views daily. That’s quite a bit of time and free content that artists and/or entertainment companies can take advantage of. Live performance is still the best way to build relationships with fans, vendors, and promoters. And with major label funding for tours becoming becoming less and less the norm for artists, Periscope offers a unique way for musicians to “virtually tour” and translate those ‘hearts’ into actual concert tickets, digital downloads, earned media and most importantly real-time engagement.
Quite a bit has been written about the emerging media that is Periscope and how it can successfully be used. From articles that give check lists such as 26: 9 Ways to Engage and Grow Your Audience, to the extensive platform overview and financials of Periscope and how they stack up against Meerkat, as well as, numerous books like author Ryan Battles’ ‘definite guide’ Using Periscope for Business – How to Engage Your Audience With Live Streaming – ‘to mastering the app for businesses. All of these articles, and other books highlight easy and effective ways that Periscope can be used to build or boost a brand.
Having only launched within the last year, Periscope has made significant inroads and is already one of the fastest growing platforms. Periscope is not currently self-generating but does provide traffic back to Twitter, where revenue is generated through its parent brand. As a musician and new convert to Periscope (still setting up shop), I’ll be interested to see how I can effectively use the app to engage and energize my fan base and expand my connections.
mediaevolution619 
Hi Wendy,
I like that you mentioned musicians. I think Periscope can be used in a very similar way by companies as by individuals. I don’t think there is currently any method which is more immediate and personal than Periscope/ Meerkat (except maybe Skype or Facetime, but that is unfeasible when it comes to marketing to thousands of people at once).
The goals are very similar – create buzz and connections with people by facilitating an sense of intimacy and exclusivity. The great thing, though, is that the live video can be visited later, so that the message isn’t lost completely after the stream concludes.
I am personally aware that crowd-sourcing musician Amanda Palmer uses Periscope to connect with her fans. She is totally fan-funded and uses Patreon to source donations for her music. I think there are a lot of similarities between how to run a success brand and how to have a successful acting/music career today, largely due to people’s hunger for connectivity and digital interaction.
– Kaleb
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Hey Wendy,
I really enjoyed reading your blog post! Periscope is intriguing to me. I follow a lot of makeup artists on Snapchat who will post almost everything they do in a day. Sometimes they will say, “I am hopping on Periscope now, so get on” and I think to myself … what is the difference if you are posting everything on Snapchat anyways. I never looked beyond that and truly thought about the fact that the audience tuning into someone’s periscope gets to live in the moment of what that person is doing. Just like any other emerging media, trust must be built by consistently providing great content to the audience. This is the challenging aspect of media. No 1 particular platform allows the marketer to slack off on the content they provide and how they provide it. Building trust isn’t just key but also keeping trust is what the commodity is. Although I have downloaded the app and quickly became uninterested in it, I am going to sit down and see what interesting people I can find on the app and spend time getting to understand the world of Periscope!
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Wendy,
Periscope is a great tool for established musicians as well as artists looking for their fan base. This is a very inventive way for a regional artist or group to gain playtime across the country. It also provides an opportunity for fans to participate in live performances from anywhere.
It is amazing how emerging media can bring experiences to the fingertips of anyone with the appropriate applications.
Alice
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Hi Wendy,
What a great post! It was just last year when I first learned of Periscope. I work in the vacation/travel industry and we had a guest sail the British Virgin Islands with us and began posting and tagging us in Twitter, alongside his friends at all of the different islands! We were engulfed for an entire afternoon waiting and waiting for the next post! I certainly can see how musicians and even companies in my industry could benefit from using Periscope! Also, fun fact – a periscope is a mirror-filled tube used by submarines! Who knew?! Great post!
Sarah
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