Live Streaming Fine Arts, Band, Choir & Theater FAQ

Practical answers for fine arts directors, AV coordinators, and drama boosters streaming performances on HometownLive.

For Viewers

Do I need an account to watch a fine arts performance?

No. Free performances are open to anyone — no account, no app, no login required. Navigate to your school's HometownLive page and press play. If the performance is Pay-Per-View, you will need to create a free viewer account and complete a one-time purchase. The process takes under two minutes.

Can I watch on a TV through the Roku app?

Yes. If your school has enabled the Roku channel, you can find their HometownLive channel in the Roku Channel Store and watch performances on your television. Free content requires no account. PPV purchases can be completed on the web and then watched through Roku.

Tip: If a performance is Pay-Per-View, complete your purchase on a phone or computer first, then open the Roku app and sign in with the same account. Your purchase will be recognized.

Can I share the stream link with a family member who lives out of state?

Yes. Copy the event URL and send it via text, email, or any messaging app. Free performances can be watched by anyone with the link. PPV performances require the viewer to create a free account and purchase access before watching.

For Administrators

Can we stream school musicals and theatrical productions?

Yes. HometownLive supports any live event your school produces — musicals, straight plays, one-act competitions, improv shows, and drama showcases all work exactly the same way as any other event. Set up the performance in Admin → Events, configure your channel, and go live.

PPV is a natural fit for large productions like the spring musical, where families from across the community want to watch but not everyone can attend every night. See Events (Chapter 4) for event setup and Monetization (Chapter 9) for PPV configuration.

Who is responsible for music licensing when we stream a performance?

Your school or district is responsible for all music licensing. HometownLive provides the streaming platform only — it does not hold, manage, or provide music performance rights of any kind.

This matters because the legal situation for streaming is different from performing live:

• Live performance licenses (from ASCAP, BMI, and SESAC) typically cover in-person audiences only.
• Streaming a performance over the internet constitutes a separate type of broadcast and generally requires an additional streaming or synchronization license.
• Many schools hold a live performance blanket license through their district but do not hold a corresponding streaming license.

Streaming a copyrighted musical, performing copyrighted choral arrangements, or playing copyrighted music during a streamed event without the appropriate license creates legal exposure for your school and district.

Direct all music licensing questions to your district's legal counsel or risk management office before you stream any performance involving copyrighted music. Do not assume that your existing live performance license covers internet streaming — it likely does not.

Can we stream band concerts and marching band performances?

Yes. Concert band, jazz band, pep band, marching band, indoor percussion, and winterguard events are all supported as standard HometownLive events. A few format-specific considerations:

Concert band in an auditorium or gym: Audio quality is the dominant concern — see the audio question below. A wide static camera covering the full ensemble is the standard setup.

Marching band on a football field: Use an elevated camera position (press box, elevated bleachers) to capture the full field. Wind noise is a significant problem for any exposed microphone outdoors — use a deadcat windscreen on your microphone and consider supplementing with a feed from the PA system if one is available.

Indoor percussion and winterguard: Use an elevated straight-down or angled view from the press area or top of the bleachers. Audio via PA feed or overhead condenser microphone produces much better results than a camera's built-in mic in an indoor arena.

Note the music licensing policy above — it applies to all of these events equally.

Can we stream choir concerts and choral competitions?

Yes. Choir and choral events are well-supported on HometownLive. Audio is the critical variable — a choir performance with poor audio is a poor viewer experience regardless of how good the video looks.

Best audio approach for choral events:

1. Tap the mixing board: If your venue has a sound board running the house mix, request a direct output (direct out or aux send) from the engineer and feed it into your encoder. This gives you the same professional mix the house hears.
2. Overhead stereo condenser pair: If there is no mixing board, mount two small-diaphragm condenser microphones in an X-Y or ORTF stereo configuration above and in front of the ensemble. This captures natural room sound without phase issues.
3. Avoid: Camera built-in microphones, handheld dynamics not designed for recording, and single-channel mono setups for choral events. The resulting audio will not do justice to the performance.

For competitions hosted at your facility, confirm with the competition organizer that streaming is permitted before setting up your event.

How do we get good audio quality for musical performances?

Audio quality for music is more demanding than for sports — viewers notice poor audio immediately and it reduces the perceived value of the whole production. The same gear that works fine for a basketball game may not be adequate for a choir concert or pit orchestra.

Priority order for audio sources:

Source	Quality	Notes
Direct out from mixing board	Best	Requires coordinator access to sound board
Overhead stereo condenser pair	Excellent	Requires microphone stands and placement overhead
Shotgun microphone aimed at ensemble	Good	Position above audience, angled toward stage
Camera built-in microphone	Poor	Picks up room noise, audience, HVAC — avoid for music

Level settings: Audio clipping — distortion at high volume — is the most common problem. Set your input levels so the loudest passage peaks no higher than -6 dB on your encoder's VU meter. Test with a full-volume moment during rehearsal, not during the actual performance.

Room acoustics: Many school auditoriums have live acoustics that sound good in person but produce muddy recordings. If your venue is highly reverberant, closer mic placement with lower gain helps reduce room wash.

See Live Channels (Chapter 3) for encoder audio configuration.

How should we set up cameras for a stage production?

Stage productions are more complex to shoot than athletics because the action is staged, lighting is variable, and multiple visual elements compete for attention. A workable two-camera setup:

Camera 1 — Wide house shot (locked off): Position this camera centered in the house, roughly two-thirds of the way back from the stage, at a height that places the stage picture in the upper half of the frame. This is your master shot — it should cover the full stage width and never miss a moment. Lock it on a tripod and leave it.

Camera 2 — Close-up (operated): Position a second camera closer to the stage, slightly off-center, for close-up shots of principal performers. An operator pulls close-ups during key moments. If you are cutting between cameras, use a video mixer or OBS scene switching.

Lighting: Stage productions use dramatic, intentional lighting — and your camera needs to work with it, not fight it. Set white balance manually to match the stage color temperature (usually 3200K for theatrical tungsten). Avoid auto-exposure: it will constantly adjust when a performer steps into a spotlight. Set exposure for the lit areas and let shadow areas go dark, which is how stage productions are meant to look.

Avoid: Shooting from the wings, backstage, or any angle that puts performers in front of a dark void. Stage lighting is designed to be viewed from the house — your camera belongs in the house.

Can we charge Pay-Per-View for fine arts performances?

Yes. PPV is a strong fit for fine arts, especially large productions that run multiple nights. Families who cannot attend every performance, out-of-town relatives, and community members who support the arts program but cannot attend in person will all pay for access.

To configure PPV for a performance:

1. Go to Admin → Events and create the event
2. Set the access type to Paid
3. Set your price in Admin → Monetization
4. Set the event status to Active before the performance begins

Revenue from PPV events goes to your school. You set the price — HometownLive does not dictate it. Many programs charge $5–$10 per performance, which is significantly less than a physical ticket while still generating meaningful revenue.

See Monetization (Chapter 9) for the full PPV setup walkthrough.

Can we stream regional and state fine arts competitions?

You can stream any event using HometownLive, but hosting a competition does not automatically grant you the right to stream it. Some state associations and competition organizers hold exclusive broadcast rights or restrict streaming to protect their own media arrangements.

Before streaming any competition you host:

• Confirm with the competition organizer or sanctioning body that streaming is permitted
• Get confirmation in writing if there is any ambiguity
• Review your state athletic association's rules — some associations that govern fine arts competitions have broadcasting policies similar to athletics policies

If the organizer permits streaming, your HometownLive event setup is no different from any other event. If they do not, proceed without streaming even if your technical setup is ready.

Can we record and archive fine arts performances for students and families?

Yes. Every live stream automatically generates an on-demand recording that is available immediately after the event ends. No post-processing, export, or additional steps are needed.

Recordings stay available at the same event URL indefinitely until you change the event status to Inactive. Many fine arts programs use this to build a library of performances for:

• Families who missed the live performance
• Students reviewing their own work
• Faculty documentation and program history
• End-of-year retrospectives

See Events (Chapter 4) for managing event status and archiving older recordings.

Can we stream dance recitals and dance team performances?

Yes. Dance recitals, poms performances, and dance team showcases are all supported as standard events. Camera and audio considerations:

Camera placement: An elevated wide shot covering the full stage or performance floor is essential — dance is choreographed for full-body viewing, and tight close-ups lose the spatial relationships of the group. Position your primary camera in the house, centered and raised above floor level.

Audio: Dance performances almost always use pre-recorded music through a PA system. Tap a direct feed from the sound system mixer if available — this eliminates the acoustic loss and distortion that comes from recording sound that has already gone through speakers into a room. If a direct feed is not available, position a condenser microphone pointed at the speaker stacks rather than at the room.

Lighting: Dance productions often use theatrical lighting rigs similar to theater. The same camera guidance applies: set white balance and exposure manually to the lit performance area and let the unlit areas fall off naturally.

Can students use archived fine arts recordings for college audition portfolios?

Recordings are available on demand via the event URL and can be shared freely. However, college audition programs typically have specific submission requirements — resolution, file format, upload method, maximum length — that may not align with a streaming link.

HometownLive does not restrict students from sharing or using event recordings. For a streaming link to work as an audition submission, the program receiving it must accept a web-accessible video URL. Many music and theater programs do accept this format; some require a file upload.

Advise students to check submission requirements for each program before relying on a stream recording as their audition material. In some cases, a separate high-quality recording made specifically for audition purposes will serve them better.

How do we stream multiple fine arts events in the same evening?

Many schools program an arts night with choir, band, orchestra, and drama in sequence. Your options depend on your plan and whether events are simultaneous or sequential.

Sequential events (one after another, same venue): Use a single channel and create a separate event for each performance. When one event ends, stop your encoder, activate the next event, and restart the encoder. Viewers navigate to the appropriate event for the performance they want to watch. This works on any plan.

Simultaneous events (different venues at the same time): Each venue needs its own channel, encoder, and internet connection. A 2-channel plan supports two simultaneous events; a 4-channel plan supports four. Pre-configure all events and channels before the evening starts so there is nothing to set up between performances.

Tip: If you run a sequential arts night on one channel, configure all events in advance and print a schedule for your AV crew that lists each event name and the exact time to switch. Switching on time keeps the recording timestamps accurate for families who watch on demand.