, a newly launched user-generated music platform, gives DJs the ability to stream and more personally interact with listeners. The platform was created as a full service solution for DJs to host licensed streaming and to use innovative features such as tipping, paid entry, and private streams to monetize their work. In turn, 

 gives music lovers on-demand, access-anywhere streams of their favorite DJs.

PlayDJ launched in April 2020 and experienced an immediate exponential growth in users. They acquired thousands of users in a matter of weeks, which brought with it complex scaling challenges.

 was reliant on existing cost-prohibitive streaming platforms to fulfill the increase in user demand. These streaming and transcoding companies’ unsustainable pricing structures and time-consuming integration processes became a serious barrier for growth. Faced with unsustainable costs, PlayDJ was forced to shut down their service for several weeks and rethink how to build an economically viable video centric creator platform.

To scale and match increasing demand, they needed a partner that would be able to help them implement the service quickly, provide infinite scalability and reliability, and offer a pricing model that would significantly reduce costs. The cost savings could then be re-invested into their business to support innovation and drive growth.

Their solution - use Livepeer.com as their transcoding provider. Livepeer, a forward-thinking video transcoding solution, takes advantage of decentralization to offer clients a service that is 10x more affordable than existing offerings. PlayDJ.tv was able to integrate Livepeer.com into their infrastructure within days to avoid expensive hardware investments and achieve what they were not able to do with traditional transcoding platforms - a 10x reduction in transcoding costs, seamless scalability given a growing user base, and easy API integration.

Had PlayDJ.tv continued to use more expensive traditional transcoding providers, it is likely that they would have not been able to offer their DJ’s a compelling service including free and low cost options.  This would have restricted their product offerings, minimized their user base, and stunted their growth as a company.

 is today able to provide high-quality and reliable streaming services to viewers and content creators at a price point that will allow them to scale without compromising on quality or user experience.

In a world in which live video is expected to account for 

17% of all web traffic by the end of 2022

 you'd be hard-pressed to find a portion of our modern society that hasn't been altered by it. Coupled with the staggering growth in popularity of social media, live streaming has become highly accessible to anyone with a phone, social media account and good internet connection. Today, 

more than half the world's population uses social media

 and has the ability to broadcast at any moment, from anywhere, within seconds.

People choose to stream for a variety of reasons - to broadcast their daily lives to friends, promote events, promote their brand, generate revenue, create supportive communities, or amplify their impact. In fact, research shows that live streaming is a more effective way to attract larger, loyal audiences than pre-recorded videos. Live videos get watched 

We at Livepeer.com believe in the power of live streaming in the social media sector to continue shaping our world of tomorrow.

Live streaming is elevating both individuals showcasing their talents online for the first time and professionals with sizable audiences - without venue capacity limitations, event audience size is virtually unlimited. Millions of people around the world who are talented but unknown singers, dancers, and performers, can perfect their craft and have an opportunity to amass followers at an unprecedented speed. Many start streaming from their bedroom, others use live streaming to supplement their in-person events.

 Live streaming is helping streamers and their audience build valuable relationships.  Never before have we been able to feel as connected to our favorite social media personalities, influencers, artists, and brands as we can now. Triple the watch time for live videos over pre-recorded videos also means triple the engagement. Many social media platforms have chat rooms to facilitate interactions between live stream viewers, performers and each other through comments, questions, stickers, donations, and sharing. Social media streamers entertain their audience and in turn, they and their brands are compensated in sales and advertising revenue.

Live streaming allows gamers to create supportive communities that facilitate learning and connection. Though many viewers of gaming content are learning and developing skills to apply in their personal gaming, 

 of gaming content on Youtube in 2018 spent more time watching others play than gaming themselves. The most successful game live streamers, beloved for their narration, expressions, and communication style, manage to create communities of like-minded individuals who enjoy interacting with each other, in gaming and beyond.

At Livepeer.com, we recognize the incredible impact of live streaming and are supportive of innovation in the sector. We help live streaming social media companies do what they do best - build the best streaming experience for their users while keeping the costs of running that infrastructure low.

Growing platforms for performers, influencers, gamers, and many others looking to grow their brand on social media, tend to support a large number of live streams at a time, which often translates to unsustainable transcoding costs (read our blog post 

 for an introduction to transcoding). They end up reliant on existing cost-prohibitive streaming platforms to fulfill increases in live streaming demand. When it has been shown that 

80% of consumers prefer to watch a video than read a blog

63% of 18-34 year olds watch live streaming content regularly

, it is safe to assume that an investment in lower cost infrastructure can pay off exponentially in the future.

At Livepeer.com, we can offer pricing to significantly reduce costs, help with quick implementation, and provide instant scalability and reliability. We help platforms free up capital that can then be re-invested into growth and innovation. Get in touch at 

Live Streaming on Social Media Platforms

You have read about and understand that [video transcoding](https://livepeer.com/blog/intro-to-transcoding) will allow your content to reach more end users. Whether you are streaming events, concerts, webinars, or any other kind of user created content, you can try Livepeer transcoding in just a couple of minutes, free of cost.

Below is a step-by-step guide with screenshots of how to transcode your first stream through Livepeer, in 6 steps, and in under 5 minutes!

### **Step 1: Create an account on Livepeer.com**

Go to https://livepeer.com/ and click on the "Sign up" button at the top-right hand side of the homepage. It will take you to [livepeer.com/register](https://livepeer.com/register).

Type in your email address (preferably your work email address) and a password of your choosing. Click Continue.

![](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/dp4k3mpw/production/470e0e13aa2d1e21c5599161e8541b69625b0034-1408x1210.png?h=500&fit=max)

### **Step 2: Verify your Livepeer account**

Head over to your inbox and look for an email from [support@livepeer.com](). The email will look like this:

![](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/dp4k3mpw/production/c150222e004cb107c14393f6505863d2d7d33015-1624x936.png?h=500&fit=max)

Click on the "Verify Email" button. You will get redirected to your Livepeer Dashboard.

### **Step 3: Create your first stream**

From your Livepeer dashboard, click the  "Create" button below the “Streams” header. In the next screen titled “Create a new stream”, type in any stream name of your choosing. Click Save.

![](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/dp4k3mpw/production/e856374e01b7dc3acfebf3fa36151893717b4e47-1480x852.png?h=500&fit=max)

Congratulations! You’ve created a new Livepeer stream and should see a screen like the one below. 

_Don’t click out of this screen just yet_ … you’ll need to copy and paste a couple of things from here in order to send video into Livepeer for transcoding.

![](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/dp4k3mpw/production/c5b12d147f99e0d1b7d9f17bca70472217999ca8-1482x1128.png?h=500&fit=max)

### **Step 4: Install and setup OBS**
_(If you already have OBS installed on your computer, skip to the next step)_

_NOTE: Though you can use any broadcasting software or capture device you'd like with Livepeer, we'll use OBS for this example._

In a new browser tab, go [here](https://obsproject.com/download) to download OBS, a free, open-source video broadcaster software.

Set up the “Audio Input Capture”, as shown in the screenshot below, by clicking on:
- the “+” button at the bottom left-hand side of the “Sources”
- the “Audio Input Capture” option in the list
- the “Add existing” option, then selecting the microphone that comes up on that list
- the “OK” button

![](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/dp4k3mpw/production/784e105235be8ed9fabcf064b24ee929640fd22c-1446x772.png?h=500&fit=max)

Set up the “Video Capture Device”, as shown in the screenshot below, by clicking on:
- the “+” button at the bottom left-hand side of the “Sources”
- the “Video Capture Device” option in the list
- the "Create new" button, and add whatever name you'd like for your camera in the text field
- the "OK" button

![](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/dp4k3mpw/production/3a85b7fc790467bb98bf3957aa72544bd7804194-1364x670.png?h=500&fit=max)

In the screen that pops up, do the following:
- in the “Device” field, select whatever camera is available or is preferred
- in the “Preset” or resolution field, select a resolution you’d like to stream in (1280 x 720 should be okay)
- click "OK"

![](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/dp4k3mpw/production/d61999fca441100d524b541d589c5783a98678b8-1074x908.png?h=500&fit=max)

### **Step 5: Stream into Livepeer using OBS**

Open OBS and click on:
- “Settings” on the bottom right-hand side of your OBS screen
- “Stream” from the left-hand side menu and select “Custom” from the drop-down menu on the right

![](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/dp4k3mpw/production/9bd6443a5602b83f8f09ee7f569151d40ddd1543-3060x1162.png?h=500&fit=max)

From the newly created livepeer.com stream page click on “Show Secret stream Key”. Copy the “RTMP ingest URL” and paste it into the Server section of of the OBS Stream Settings.

Cut the 16 character hyphenated set of letters at the end of that URL, removing them from that URL, and paste them into the “Stream Key” field

![](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/dp4k3mpw/production/22b65016462b95b86261ca58c1e3e988eccf1668-2834x1110.png?h=500&fit=max)

You should see something like this when clicking the “Show” button:

![](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/dp4k3mpw/production/5e1018e70b3627ce98df15d4214858a4650b87df-1316x1010.png?h=500&fit=max)

Click Ok on that screen to save your settings and go back on the main OBS screen. Click “Start Streaming" on the bottom right-hand side of the screen. Voila, your stream is now getting transcoded!

### **Step 6: Watch your transcoded video**

_NOTE: You can use a number of video players to watch Livepeer’s transcoded stream (see [Livepeer's Support Matrix](https://livepeer.com/docs/guides/support-matrix) for more details). In this example we’ll use Theo Player._

Open [TheoPlayer](http://demo.theoplayer.com/test-your-stream-with-statistics) in a new tab on your browser, then:
- copy the “Playback URL” from your livepeer.com stream page 
- paste it into the empty text field in the TheoPlayer page 
- click the 'CLICK HERE LOAD YOUR STREAM' button
- click the large yellow arrow in the middle of the video screen to watch your video come to life!

![](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/dp4k3mpw/production/06de768c21b60f2da924b110371507715ef9943e-2142x1530.png?h=500&fit=max)

_For more information on other broadcast software and players we support, take a look at our [feature support matrix](https://livepeer.com/docs/guides/support-matrix)._

_What did you think of this tutorial? Give us any feedback on how it can be improved and send  over any questions you might have by emailing us at [hello@livepeer.com](). We’d love to help you stream using Livepeer!_

 will allow your content to reach more end users. You have been told that anyone looking to broadcast and transcode streaming events, concerts, webinars, and any other kind of user created content can use Livepeer.com in just a couple of minutes, free of cost. You know Livepeer.com has documentation with information that might help you get started transcoding your video. However, you’d still really like someone to walk you through that process in as little time as possible.

You’re in the right place, friend. Below is a step-by-step guide with screenshots of how to transcode your first stream through Livepeer.com, in 6 steps, and in under 5 minutes!

Step 1: Create an account on Livepeer.com

 and click on the "Sign up" button at the top-right hand side of the homepage. It will take you to 

. Type in your email address (preferably your work email address) and a password of your choosing. Click Continue.

After clicking continue in the last step, you’ll see a screen with the following message: “Please check your email for a verification link.” Head over to your inbox and look for an email from 

Click on the "Verify Email" button. You will get redirected to your Livepeer.com Dashboard.

From your Livepeer.com dashboard Home page, click the "+ Create Stream" button below the “Streams” header near the bottom of the page. In the next screen titled “Create a new stream”, type in any stream name of your choosing. Click "Create Stream."

Congratulations! You’ve created a new Livepeer.com stream and should see a screen like the one below.

Don’t click out of this screen just yet

 … you’ll need to copy and paste a couple of things from here in order to send video into Livepeer.com for transcoding.

(If you already have OBS installed on your computer, skip to the next step)

NOTE: Though you can use any broadcasting software or capture device you'd like with Livepeer.com, we'll use OBS for this example.

 to download OBS, a free, open-source video broadcaster software.

Set up the “Audio Input Capture”, as shown in the screenshot below, by clicking on:

the “+” button at the bottom left-hand side of the “Sources”

the “Audio Input Capture” option in the list

the “Add existing” option, then selecting the microphone that comes up on that list

Set up the “Video Capture Device”, as shown in the screenshot below, by clicking on:

the “Video Capture Device” option in the list

the "Create new" button, and add whatever name you'd like for your camera in the text field

In the screen that pops up, do the following:

in the “Device” field, select whatever camera is available or is preferred

in the “Preset” or resolution field, select a resolution you’d like to stream in (1280 x 720 should be okay)

Step 5: Stream into Livepeer.com using OBS

“Settings” on the bottom right-hand side of your OBS screen

“Stream” from the left-hand side menu and select “Custom” from the drop-down menu on the right

From the newly created Livepeer.com stream page click on “Reveal stream key”. Copy the stream key and paste it into the "Stream Key" field. 

Copy the “RTMP ingest URL” and paste it into the Server section of the OBS Stream Settings.

You should see something like this when clicking the “Show” button:

Click Ok on that screen to save your settings and go back on the main OBS screen. Click “Start Streaming" on the bottom right-hand side of the screen. Voila, your stream is now getting transcoded!

NOTE: You can use a number of video players to watch Livepeer.com’s transcoded stream (see

for more details). In this example, we’ll use Theo Player.

copy the “Playback URL” from your Livepeer.com stream page

paste it into the empty text field in the TheoPlayer page

click the 'CLICK HERE LOAD YOUR STREAM' button

click the large yellow arrow in the middle of the video screen to watch your video come to life!

For more information on other broadcast software and players we support, take a look at our

What did you think of this tutorial? Give us any feedback on how it can be improved and send over any questions you might have by emailing us at

. We’d love to help you stream using Livepeer.com!

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