Amazon Music’s festival livestreams preserve the magic

It’s one thing to witness the astonishing rise of an artist like Chappell Roan in person at a music festival, where you’re standing in a mass of pink cowboy hats and can hear the crowd singing along to every word of “Red Wine Supernova” like it’s karaoke night. But it’s something else entirely to witness the birth of a star from the comfort of your own home, where the density of the crowd, the energy of the occasion and the passion of the performance are all brought out even more fully thanks to immersive camerawork.

This summer saw triumphant victory lap performances from Roan at U.S. festivals, with their accompanying livestreams playing a significant role in their explosive success in 2024. After all, not everyone got 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 directly to fans’ devices, livestreaming is more integral to the festival experience than ever before.

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

But since then, Amazon Music – which is owned by the same company as Twitch – has become a major provider of live performances that go hand in hand with cultural discussion. This year alone, the platform offered live streams of festivals such as Outside Lands, Primavera Sound and Stagecoach, as well as the concert series following “Thursday Night Football.” Amazon Music Live and Kendrick Lamar’s remarkable Juneteenth show “The Pop Out.”

As I chatted with Amazon Music’s head of content strategy and development Katie Klein and head of video studios Ed Walker in their livestreaming turf at Outside Lands in August, everyone—myself included—was eagerly awaiting Chappell Roan’s big coronation at the festival on Sunday. “The most exciting thing is when we can serendipitously capitalize on these opportunities that are part of the larger cultural zeitgeist,” Klein says, referring to both the upcoming Roan performance and the buzz behind Kendrick’s Pop Out show (where he played “Not Like Us” five times in a row).

Kirdis Postelle, global head of content at Amazon Music, echoes Klein’s sentiments and says Roan’s rise has been particularly meaningful to her. “We’ve been there for her since the beginning, so it just means so much more to us,” she says. Postelle, who formerly worked at Warner Records and Dr. Dre’s Aftermath Records, sees herself as an artist advocate first and a music marketer second. Her focus is to steer Amazon’s music division toward livestreams and artist-focused content, leveraging the company’s existing infrastructure and relationships. Her main goal is to strengthen artists’ brands and grow 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 an even more immersive experience for viewers at home. Postelle cites fan interviews as one of the more exciting elements, pointing to the Outside Lands camera crew that captures testimonials from members of Roan’s Pink Pony Club.

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

Even more intense is the idea that a festival isn’t just a place where musicians show up and play—it’s a carefully curated atmosphere made even more unique by the festival’s scenic setting. Discovering new artists is one thing; the joy of seeing a new environment and instilling some wanderlust is another. “That’s a big reason we’ve ramped up our live streaming efforts with festivals; we want to create something that makes people feel as much like we’re recreating the festival environment online as possible,” Klein says.

Outside Lands has a particularly dazzling setting for these performances: As the sun goes down, Golden Gate Park’s towering eucalyptus trees are neon-lit, creating an otherworldly landscape that looks just as surreal in person as it does on camera. Amazon Music’s Primavera Sound’s livestream also showcased the seaside Barcelona location so well that you could practically feel the salty sea breeze on your skin with every gust of wind. “Every livestream feels bespoke,” says Klein, and Walker adds that the main goal is for everyone – artists, production, management and audience – to feel like Amazon is “complementing” the experience.

“Fans at home want to see and experience ‘festival culture’ even if they don’t have the chance to be there in person,” says Postelle. “The community around festivals, the fashion, the discovery factor of seeing an artist you wouldn’t normally have seen… festivals will always have that magic. If we just keep spreading that, sharing that, and giving people who can’t make it to those festivals the opportunity to experience at least a little bit of that… then I think we’ll see growth in the festival landscape.”

The magic of these events has not been lost on the tight-knit crew at Amazon Music, and through on-site interviews, visually stunning B-roll, and carefully crafted edits from their backstage control room, these livestreams reflect all the extra “you had to be there” glamour that comes with live music. Thankfully, they’re not done yet. Projects on the horizon include Season 3 of Amazon Music Live“Technology will enhance live streams in ways we probably can’t imagine right now,” Walker says, pointing to the desire to combine live music with other arenas, as is the case with the NFL.

Amazon’s work with the Outside Lands broadcast may be complete, but capturing the festival’s zeitgeist like they did gives the livestream its own kind of immortality through viral clips on social media. Chappell Roan’s performance was seen by thousands, but even more watched a cheeky, spontaneous clip from the stream that continues to trend on TikTok. Festivals used to be about being there in person—now all you have to do is tune in and tune in.

Editor’s Note: Travel and accommodations to attend Outside Lands Festival were provided by Amazon Music to enable coverage via their livestreaming technology.