Amazon Music’s Livestreams Maintain the Magic of Festivals at Home

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It’s one thing to witness the astounding rise of an artist like Chappell Roan in person at a music festival, where you stand in a mass of pink cowboy hats and can hear the crowd belting each word to “Red Wine Supernova” like it’s karaoke night. But it’s another thing to watch a star being born from the comfort of your home, where the density of the crowd, the energy of the occasion, and the passion of performance is even more illuminated thanks to immersive camera work.

This summer, US festivals featured triumphant , victory lap performances from Roan, with her accompanying livestreams playing a significant role in her explosive success in 2024. After all, not everyone had the chance to see Roan — or other 2024 festival favorites like Sabrina Carpenter, SZA, Post Malone, and Megan Thee Stallion — in person this summer. With streaming platforms broadcasting the biggest festivals across the country and beyond straight to fans’ devices, livestreaming is more integral to the festival experience than ever.

Even prior to 2020, when we were all relegated to our respective couches, livestreams of festivals and similar events were booming. Beyoncé’s 2018 Coachella performance set a record for YouTube’s most-watched live concert at the time, while the livestream platform Twitch began to grow far beyond the limited scope of video game streaming.

But since then, Amazon Music — which is part of the same company that owns Twitch — has become a significant leader in broadcasting live performances that go hand-in-hand with the cultural conversation. This year alone, the platform offered livestreams of festivals like Outside Lands , Primavera Sound, and Stagecoach, plus the post-Thursday Night Football concert series Amazon Music Live and Kendrick Lamar’s remarkable Juneteenth show “The Pop Out.”

While chatting with Amazon Music’s Head of Content Strategy and Development Katie Klein and Head of Video Studios Ed Walker in their livestreaming compound at Outside Lands in August, everyone — myself included — is eagerly anticipating Chappell Roan’s grand Sunday coronation at the festival. “What’s the most exciting is when we serendipitously get to take advantage of these opportunities that are part of the bigger cultural zeitgeist,” Klein says, referencing both the upcoming Roan set and the fervor behind Kendrick’s “Pop Out” show (where he performed “Not Like Us” five times in a row).

Kirdis Postelle, Amazon Music’s Global Head of Content, echoes Klein’s sentiments, sharing that Roan’s rise has been particularly meaningful for her to witness. “We were kind of there for her from the beginning, so it just means so much more to us,” she says. Formerly of Warner Records and Dr. Dre’s Aftermath Records, Postelle identifies as an artist advocate first and a music marketer second. Her focus on steering Amazon’s music division towards livestreams and artist-forward content, leveraging the company’s existing infrastructure and relationships, is all about boosting artists’ brands and expanding their followings.

That’s why these livestreams go beyond simply broadcasting festival performances. They include interviews with artists and fans, as well as features on the festival’s culture, food, and environment, creating a more immersive experience for viewers at home. Postelle cites fan interviews as one of the more engaging elements, pointing to the Outside Lands camera crew capturing testimonials from members of Roan’s “Pink Pony Club.”

“For some people watching the livestream, this might be the first time they’ve ever seen an artist perform — but seeing somebody in the audience talking about how much they love them and what that artist means to them… It just deepens that connection and it creates a moment of discovery,” she says.

Even more immersive is the idea that a festival is not just a place for musicians to show up and play — it’s a highly-curated atmosphere, made all the more unique by a festival’s picturesque setting. Discovering new artists is one thing; the delight of seeing a new environment and fostering some wanderlust is another. “It’s a big reason we have ramped up our live streaming efforts with festivals; we want to create something that feels like we’re mimicking the festival environment as much as possible for people online,” Klein says.

At Outside Lands, there’s a particularly dazzling frame around these performances: When the sun goes down, Golden Gate Park’s towering eucalyptus trees are illuminated in neon, creating an otherworldly landscape that looks as surreal in person as it does on camera. Similarly, Amazon Music’s Primavera Sound livestream displayed its ocean-side Barcelona locale so well, you could practically feel the sea-salted breeze on your skin with each gust of wind. “Every livestream feels bespoke,” Klein says, with Walker adding that the primary goal is for everyone — artists, production, management, and the audience — to feel that Amazon is “additive” to the experience.

“Fans at home want to see and experience ‘festival culture,’ even if they don’t get the chance to be there in person,” Postelle says. “The community around festivals, the fashion, the discovery factor of seeing an artist that you wouldn’t normally have seen… there’s always going to be that magic around festivals. If we can just continue to spread that, share that, and give people that can’t make it to these festivals an opportunity to experience even just a little bit of that… I think you’re going to see growth in the festival landscape.”

The magic of these events is not lost on Amazon Music’s tight-knit crew, and via on-the-ground interviews, visually-stunning B-roll, and edits crafted carefully from their backstage control room, these livestreams reflect all the added “you had to be there” glory that comes with live music. Luckily, they’re not done. Among the projects on the horizon is Season 3 of Amazon Music Live . “Technology is going to enhance livestreams in ways that we probably can’t envision right now,” Walker says, noting the desire to combine live music with other arenas as they have with the NFL.

Amazon’s work with the Outside Lands broadcast may be complete, but when you capture the festival zeitgeist as they have, the livestream takes on its own kind of immortality through viral clips on social media. Chappell Roan’s performance was viewed by thousands, but even more have watched a cheeky, off-the-cuff clip from the stream that continues to trend on TikTok. Festivals were once about being there in person — now, all you need to do is turn on and tune in.

Editor’s Note: Travel and accommodations for attending the Outside Lands Festival were provided by Amazon Music to facilitate coverage of their livestreaming technology.

Amazon Music’s Livestreams Maintain the Magic of Festivals at Home
Paolo Ragusa