If you're using Zoom to live stream business events, then here's how to make the background music sound professional and great!
Organising live business events online opens up a new world of possibilities, but virtual events require you to familiarise yourself with the tools to get it right.
As an event planner, you want to provide the best event you can to your new online guests while making the event feel as normal as possible as if they were there in the physical event space with you. One of the best and easiest ways of doing this is by playing background music while running the event.
It is important that you use this option to share sound correctly as it needs to be playing through the 'online event' and not being played on any device to be picked up by your microphone. Doing the latter will interfere with your voice and cause poor sound quality.
How to play legal music at your live online event and avoid any trouble and fines?
To play music online to a group of guests, whether you charge your guests an entry/attendance fee or not, requires two things:
- to own a specific music license to play online music to a group of event attendees
- to use a music service that is licensed for business/commercial use
- not to record your live stream session and post it online afterwards
The specific music License
You get such specific license to play music during an online event, you need to contact your local Performing Right Organisation (PRO), for instance:
- PRS-PPL in UK
- GEMA in Germany
- BMI/ASCAP/GMR/SESAC in the US
- SOCAN/RE:SOUND in Canada
- SACEM in France
- etc.
These institutions collect copyrights for the artists and music right holders you will use the music work when playing background music in your event.
The legal music service for commercial use
End-user music streaming offerings, such as Spotify, Pandora, Deezer or Apple Music, are only licensed for personal use, e.g. at home or in your car. Soundsuit is a B2B music service licensed for commercial use in public spaces: stores, restaurants, coffee shops, bars, hotels, gyms, spas, medical practices, offices and of course physical as well as virtual events. Soundsuit is licensed in 40+ countries in the world.
Step 1: When you join your online event before the customers attend, click on the “share” button at the bottom of the page.
Once you’ve entered the meeting, you will see at the bottom of your screen a couple of different options. Click on the green “share” button (this may say share screen). It will open up a secondary window with a list of options.
Don’t worry, this will not close or stop your event meeting. It is advisable that you set this up before the class so as to avoid an awkward interaction with your members as they wait for you to set this up.
Please note: The “share screen” button may be in a different location, depending on what Operating System and device you are using.
Ensure that your sound both on your device and within the meeting is not muted.
Step 2: Click on the “advanced” option tab at the top of the screen.
You don’t need to select anything from the “basic” option. This is for screen sharing and not for audio sharing. The “advanced” option tab should be located between the “basic” tab and the “files” tab.
Step 3: Click on the middle option, “Music or Computer Sound Only”.
Clicking this box allows you to share whatever sound or music is coming out of your computer. It does not mute your mic, so you can speak and play music at the same time. Once you have click on this box, click the “share” button at the bottom right-hand side of the screen.
Once you start sharing, you should see a green and red box at the top of your meeting screen with the words, “You are sharing computer sound” and “stop share”. This will let you know that it’s working.
Step 4: Play music from Soundsuit Desktop App.
a) Download the Soundsuit desktop app to your device. Open the app.
Download Soundsuit desktop app >
If you do not own yet a Soundsuit account, subscribe to Soundsuit.
b) Set Soundsuit music to match the customer target group attending your online event
c) Set Soundsuit music to match the music genre(s) that will work with your virtuel event
d) Set Soundsuit music to match the mood you want to set for your event
You will definitely want to adjust the sound on the Soundsuit desktop app (not your entire computer volume) so that your voice can be heard over Soundsuit background music.
If the music is still too loud, go to your device settings and change your microphone options to increase the volume.
Microphones and Headphones?
To ensure clear and consistent sound, we advise using a good quality microphone if possible so that your lovely voice can be picked up clearly.
It can be advised to use headphones too when instructing and playing music, so that the music that's playing doesn't get picked up by your microphone. When the sound is playing through the meeting on your computer, but also getting relayed through your microphone it can create out of phase music.
Step 5: Have an amazing live online event!
Once you’re done with the online event, just click on the red “stop share” button at the top of the meeting window. This will stop the Soundsuit music being shared with the members but it will still play on your device, so remember to stop the Soundsuit app too.
Before running your online event we advise that you run some practice sessions with your colleagues to get some feedback and ensure that you're getting it right!
We wish you a great success with your online event!
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