LiveList launches its TV Guide-like listing app for live-stream performances

When it comes to discovering new music, live streaming has become an interesting way of getting to know new artists. But as this trend proliferates throughout the industry, how can consumers organize the live-stream experience so that it doesn’t require a lot of work? LiveList is a new service launching today that wants to be the TV Guide for the live-streaming generation.

Started by technologists Rob Lissner (Facebook) and Karl Rogers (Road Runner High Speed Online), along with Allen Sanford, the owner of the Saint Rock music venue in Hermosa Beach, California, LiveList aggregates live-streaming performances from around the Internet, from YouTube, Live Nation, Yahoo Screen, Stageit, and other sources.

Fans can follow whichever artists they like, browse “live” shows, or choose from pre-made channels to receive notifications about performance they may wish to see. The company says that there are thousands of shows streaming live every day around the world, but it’s difficult to know when and where they’re being broadcast.

Artists aren’t using LiveList’s technology to stream their performances — they can use established apps like Periscope, Google Hangouts, Ustream, or Facebook Live to accomplish this. Fans can watch the streams and if they happen to see a local performance coming up, LiveList will include a link to where they can buy tickets. The company will not handle that transaction, instead it’ll link you to the original source.

Fans can also import their music preferences from Spotify into LiveList, which could help in establishing which notifications and artists they’re interested in.

“We want to make sure fans never miss the shows they want to see from artists they care about,” Lissner explained in a statement. “With the explosive growth in live streaming, and an estimated 50,000 live streaming concerts happening every year across more than 2,000 sources, discovering relevant shows is only getting harder. That’s a problem LiveList is aiming to solve.”

This service is free for both fans and artists, but the company has plans to monetize in future. One option, which is currently being piloted, would involve launching an artist program designed to help bands and musicians better promote their shows and gain revenue and distribution. However, since the service is just launching, LiveList is more interested in ensuring that everyone has the right experience.

A company spokesperson told us: “As more shows become available, and fans are able to easily find the shows from the artists they care about without having to scour the web, opportunities to monetize open up…People will pay for things. But most people in the music industry are focused on selling the wrong product. And that’s where LiveList comes in and can help change the game for not just producers of live streams, but all music services who are able to add a component of live streaming data into their product offerings through our API.”

Obviously, independent artists are likely to benefit the most, because the service will help them with promotion, but LiveList is open to any musician or band. The expectation is that if you hear a performance by someone like Roam Baur, you might be inclined to hear him play in real life, and will therefore buy a ticket next time he is playing near you.

LiveList is available on the Web, but there’s also an iOS app. An Android version is in the works.