Artistes, Businesses To Charge Viewers On Live Videos. – Facebook

A lot of recording artists have been financially affected by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Clubs, concerts, festivals, and other live events have been shut down which has cut off a source of revenue for musicians.

Facebook is now set to provide a new way for performers to earn money on the platform. The social networking service is adding more features for Facebook Live real-time videos, including a way to charge for access to content.

“You’ll be able to mark Facebook Events as online only and, in the coming weeks, integrate Facebook Live so you can broadcast to your guests. To support creators and small businesses, we plan to add the ability for Pages to charge for access to events with Live videos on Facebook – anything from online performances to classes to professional conferences,” reads a statement from Facebook.

The Mark Zuckerberg-led company is also introducing Messenger Rooms video calls for up to 50 people. WhatsApp will offer group voice and video calls with up to eight people. Portal users will soon be able to go live from Portal to Facebook Pages and Groups.

Among other features is;

• We’re bringing back Live With so you can add another person into your live video, no matter where they are in the world. Bring on a guest speaker, interview an expert or perform with a friend.
• You’ll be able to mark Facebook Events as online only and, in the coming weeks, integrate Facebook Live so you can broadcast to your guests. To support creators and small businesses, we plan to add the ability for Pages to charge for access to events with Live videos on Facebook – anything from online performances to classes to professional conferences.
• To help you raise money for causes, you can now add the donate button to live videos wherever nonprofit fundraisers are available.
• We’re making it easier to access live video so you can watch or listen anywhere. If you have limited data or a spotty connection, you now have the option to listen to the audio only. If you don’t have a Facebook account, most public live videos are now available on the web and some Pages can share a toll-free number that lets you listen to the audio through any telephone.
• You can livestream games from your phone to Facebook using the new Facebook Gaming app available on Google Play. The app also lets you play games instantly, watch your favorite streamers and discover new gaming groups. Tournaments are another new feature for game streaming that lets you create, play and watch the competition in one spot. Tournaments are available on Facebook today, and coming to the Facebook Gaming app soon.
• To help you support some of your favorite creators, we’re expanding Stars to more Pages and more countries. Once you buy Stars you can send them to creators while they’re streaming, and they’ll earn 1 cent for every Star.