livexlive.com

Music is, without a doubt, one of the most powerful and pervasive forms of art that has been created throughout history. Throughout history, people have relied on music for its important role in cultural customs, daily enjoyment, artistic expression, and as a means of making life more enjoyable. We dance to it, exercise to it, work to it, and share moments through it with friends, family members, and significant others. There is truly nothing quite like the experience of listening to music- whether live or recorded. concerts are some of the most transcendent experiences ever had. Particularly when it comes to seeing your favorite artists perform your favorite songs in person. The amount of energy at a live show is unparalleled. No other form of art in the world draws the same crowds, nor does it inspire the same level of excitement. For evidence of this, one has to look no further than some of the historic and unforgettable live concert experiences of the past, such as the original Woodstock festival or, more contemporarily, Coachella or Lollapalooza of today. Particularly when it comes to seeing your favorite artists perform songs that you love in person, concerts can be an especially unique experience. The level of excitement at a live show is unmatched by any other form of art. This can be seen from some if not all historically memorable live concert experiences such as Woodstock or Coachella which continue to draw large crowds even today.

We can watch them online, on our computers or devices of all shapes and sizes, and even in VR. A concert is an event that is unlike any other, which is why it's important to have a music streaming service that caters to live performances. Because, well, sometimes we can't make it to legendary performances from our favorite artists. But in the 21st century, that doesn't mean we have to miss out on them. We can watch them online, on our computers or devices of all shapes and sizes, and even in VR.

Thanks to Live x Live, a music streaming service that not only offers us the ability to listen to prerecorded music from our favorite artists, but also lets us watch exclusive live performances from artists we may never have the chance to see in person, we will never be denied the opportunity to truly experience the greatness of music. Not only does this service offer traditional music streaming capabilities, but it also offers live video streaming which puts us right in the middle of epic concerts that we cannot be attend.

History

Live x Live was founded by Celite Milbrandt and Dennis Mudd in 2004. However, the company did not officially launch until March 2007. Mudd, who was formerly the CEO of Music Match (which was acquired by Yahoo Music and rebranded as Yahoo Music Radio) used this funding to form Live x Live as his next endeavor. As September 2007 came around, Live x Live announced that it had made deals with the four major music labels: Universal, EMI, Warner, and Sony BMG Music Entertainment. Plus, the company made sure to purchase the rights to songs from thousands of independent labels as well.

In late 2017, Live x Live purchased the formerly famous online radio streaming platform, Slacker. This would allow the company to expand its services and introduce a station creation algorithm that uses Slacker's data. With this purchase, Live x Live has exponentially increased the number of services it offers, including the ability to stream live content, recorded content, and create personalized radio stations based on listeners' listening habits.

Thus, the Live x Live we know and love today came into being.

Design

There is nothing to hate about the way the platform is designed with Live x Live. The site offers an easy to use, streamlined, and professional-looking experience every step of the way on any operating system. Whether you are browsing any of Live x Live's exclusive video interviews, live performances, or simply listening to the audio, the site looks great and functions flawlessly. The website is designed very efficiently with expansive and well organized dropdown menus that expand on the fly, giving you the opportunity to really take advantage of the service if you're using your computer. Additionally, the app design is user-friendly with a tab-oriented layout that rival's that of Apple Music or Spotify. The black and green theme also adds a fresh and modern feel to the site. Quickly navigate through videos, songs, radio stations, and albums with just a quick click or tap.

Content

As I just touched upon a little bit, Live x Live offers exclusive live performances from all of your favorite artists as well as one of a kind interviews which gives this streaming service an element of music journalism that no other audio streaming platform really provides. This is just one of the many features that make Live x Live a very unique platform, more for the hardcore music fan than the average casual pop radio listener. Live x Live is a great way to keep yourself in the loop of what's happening in the music industry. Overall, Live x Live is a great music streaming site that offers a variety of content, including live performances and interviews with artists, as well as interesting original series and videos. Additionally, the site has a great selection of music-related subjects that are compelling and unique.

Music festivals can be a lifestyle all their own, and Fest Life and Festival Stories offer an incredible look into the world of festivals through the lives of those who attend them. These two series are rare and exclusive looks at the wonderful lifestyle that only Live x Live offers.

There are 8 other video series that subscribers can explore, most of which feature the Live x Live staff on location at various concerts, festivals, and embedded into the cultures of certain musical genres (especially those with a cult following, such as EDM). I love this aspect of Live x Live because it is something truly original in the world of music streaming services - this journalistic bent.

Desktop and Mobile Experience

I previously said that both the desktop and mobile web browser experiences are excellent. In fact, I can't decide which one I prefer more- the desktop web browser experience or the app experience. People seem to love the Live x Live app, as the app has an average score of 4.7 out of 5 stars on the Apple App Store. This makes it one of the best streaming apps available, and it truly does not get much better than this.

Pricing and Plans

As is the case with many music streaming services, Live x Live offers a three-tiered membership system. There is, of course, the basic/free version that anyone can immediately begin using (meant more for trying the service out and seeing if upgrading might be something that you would be interested in). After that, they also offer Live x Live Radio Plus and Live x Live Radio Premium. The basic service doesn't come with many heavy limitations. It allows you to listen to premade radio stations and create custom stations, but you can only skip 6 songs per hour and there are ads every 5-7 songs. The peak audio quality offered here is 128kbit/s.

Live x Live Radio Plus is a monthly subscription service that offers users unlimited skips and no ads, as well as top audio quality equal to standard CD quality, at a cost of only three dollars per month.

Finally, there is a Live x Live Radio Premium subscription for $9.99/month. Here, you'll get everything that Plus offers as well as offline listening and the ability to play specific songs on demand. Unfortunately, Premium is only available through iTunes.

Suggestions that I have for Live x Live

Since we're already discussing Live x Live's premium subscription, my suggestion would be to offer a little more for $10 per month. For one thing, the whole "available only through iTunes" aspect is a huge bummer. Why should I have to download and create an account for a wholly different app when I'm paying Live x Live $10 per month for a service? There is no increase in sound quality from Plus to Premium. The only thing that you really get extra with Premium is the ability to play songs on demand. I think it would be a better idea to combine Plus and Premium into a two-tier subscription at, say, $7.99 a month. There is no need for this 3rd option that really doesn't do anything.

Conclusion

There is no other audio streaming platform out there that offers the level of exclusivity, live performances, and interviews that Live x Live does. If you are a true fan of the music industry, and want to be able to access exclusive content at your fingertips, Live x Live is the app for you!