Studio Quality Live Streaming

What is this site?
Musicians performing live by webcam for tips. Also known as Online Busking!
Think of it this way, it's self-broadcasting meets micro-donations meets musicians.

Can I download recordings of live performances?
No, you can not. StreetJelly does not record any performances of our musicians. It's all about live, spontaneous music. We are not a content sharing site, an mp3 download site, or a video “tube.” There are already plenty of sites like that around.

What is Busking?
Busking is the pretentious way of saying “Street Musicians.” Sorry, that was mean! Seriously, the word busking truly means performing music and art in a public place for gratuities. Wikipedia says so, so it must be true.

Only live music, what gives?
Really?

Where does the money for the tokens go?
Good question, thank you. Up to 80% of the funds collected from the purchase of virtual tokens go directly to the musicians. Yeah, the “up to 80%” is a lame marketing answer. It's true, when someone purchases a smaller amount of tokens, the percentages go down. Only time will tell exactly what that number will be, but we're averaging around 70%. The rest, of course, goes into paying for this business: servers, advertising, salaries, and all that jazz.

But that' not all. StreetJelly is licensed by the various songwriter associations. We pay licensing fees out of our revenue - NOT MUSICIANS PAYOUTS - to allow for the performance of covers and compensate the songwriters for their great music.

How can I report bad behavior?
Please contact us immediatetly on our Contact Us page or through e-mail at support@streetjelly.com

How do you keep the site clean and decent?
StreetJelly is a family friendly site. We have "StreetJelly Moderators" constantly monitoring the site. You may see them in the chat under official StreetJelly accounts, or they may be lurking around as anonymous users. They have the ability to remove and further ban disruptive users from specific performances, artists, or the entire site.

Can I ban someone from StreetJelly?
As a viewer, you may only remove another person from your chat feed. In the chat window of messages, click on the red X next to a person you no longer wish to view. This will remove that person from your computer only. It's not permanent and will only last for that broadcast. That person will not know that you can no longer see their messages. Only the musician who is performing has the ability to completely remove and block someone from their performance. If you feel someone is causing serious problems, please Contact Us immediately so we can take appropriate actions.

What are Rocker Pins?
Rocker Pins are awards given to musicians from happy viewers. These awards distinguish the seasoned veterans from the newbs. They're not exactly Boy Scout merit badges, but they do show potential listeners that certain musicians know how to put on a good show.

How do I award a Rocker Pin?
Easy, when a musician is performing, click on the Rocker Pin trophy button on the player frame. Follow the instructions and choose a Rocker Pin to award.

What is a Scheduled Performance?
Never miss your favorite artist perform live! Some artists make plans ahead of time to appear on StreetJelly. These artists create a Scheduled Performance by entering a specific date and time for their next show. You can find these schedules on the homepage or on the artist profile pages. If you follow an artist as a "favorite," we will send you an alert e-mail whenever your artist schedules a new time.

How can I find out when an artist is playing?
A few ways. For specific artists, add them to your “Favorites” list and check off the “Notify Me by E-mail” feature. Whenever that artist starts a performance, we'll send you an e-mail. Other ways, follow @StreetJelly on Twitter or Like /StreetJelly on Facebook. We post new performances there by music genre.

What's a Jelly-thingamabob?
The community of musicians and viewers here have created their own jargon about performing on StreetJelly, known as Jellese. You can see definitions of many terms on The Jelly Dictionary.

How do I remove my account?
No, you don't really want to do that! Ok, if you must, click on My Account (top right corner of any page), then click on Delete My Account. Thanks for giving us a try, we really do appreciate it.

Why does PayPal say, "We are unable to process at this time...?"
When purchasing tokens, PayPal requires users to login through their website interface. Sometimes, PayPal will return a generic error message that says they are unable to process your request at that time. There are a few ways to remedy this problem. First is the old standby: clear out your browser's cache, close your browser, then restart. Second issue that can happen is if your PayPal account is set to "Bill Me Later." The Bill Me Later feature is not allowed for digital purchases, such as StreetJelly's virtual tokens. You will need to login directly at PayPal.com and turn off this feature on your account. If you still have problems, please contact us at StreetJelly, we'll get on the horn with PayPal and figure it out.

System Requirements to View performances?
Two things are most important. 1.) Have a good internet connection with a download speed of 1.5Mbit/s or better. 2.) Make sure you are running the most current version of your favorite browser: Chrome, Firefox, Safari, etc. You will be able to view most musicians with a browser capable of HTML5. Some musicians, however, will be broadcasting with old Adobe Flash broadcasting software. In that case, your machine must have the latest version of Flash installed. Our video software will take care of switching between HTML5 and Flash. Click here to check Flash version.

Can I watch from an iPhone, iPad, or Android phone?
Yes you can! Most of our musicians will be broadcasting in a format which will automatically play on your mobile device. However, some musicians may be broadcasting with old Adobe Flash broadcasting software. In that case, you can only view these musicians on a mobile device that is capable of utilizing Flash. There are apps you can install on your iPhone or Android that can do this. We recommend: Photon or Puffin.

What are Random Token Winners?
Every tipper has a chance to win back tokens from StreetJelly. Each time a viewer tips a musician, that viewer has a random chance to win free tokens. The more one tips, or the higher the tip amount, the more chances one has of winning. If a winner, a special message will be sent through the chat system for all to see and the winning tokens will be awarded to that viewer's account. The prizes and chances of winning change periodically for different events. Stay tuned to our Facebook page for updates.

Do you record my performances?
No, not at all! That's the whole point of StreetJelly, LIVE MUSIC. We are the source of true live entertainment on the web. As a matter of fact, if you read our Terms of Use, we'll remove you from this site if we catch you broadcasting recorded performances.

Can I use a looper, back tracks?
Yes! You may use additional recorded devices while you perform live. When we say "no recordings," we are specifically talking about rebroadcasting mp3s, CDs, videos, and so on. It's perfectly fine to use recorded instruments and musical components as part of your live performance.

Can I play covers?
Yes! But you must fill out a setlist when performing covers or karaoke. Failure to enter cover songs to your setlist will result in termination from the site. StreetJelly reports these setlists to the various songwriter organizations; BMI, ASCAP, SECAS. StreetJelly has the proper Web Licenses with these organizations to allow the live performance of songs by other artists. StreetJelly pays the royalty fees from its revenue on behalf of the musicians. Fees are NEVER taken from a musician's tips. The broadcasting web page has a mechanism to easily enter the covers you perform, and the My Show page allows the musician to enter songs after a show.

Can I simulcast my show in another website like Second Life?
No, you may not rebroadcast, embed, redirect, or retransmitt your streaming performance into another venue. This violates our Terms of Use and also various music licenses, terms of use, agreements, etc. among all websites. It actually makes no sense, too, to try to manage two shows at once. Viewers will leave quickly without interaction and ultimately you will not grow your fan base or make much in tips.

Can I update my setlist after a show?
Yes! In case you don't want to disrupt your performance by typing in your setlist, you may enter your songs afterwards on the My Shows page (link only works for logged in artists). There is also a link to this page for musicians in the top drop-down menu next to your thumbnail picture (upper right of screen).

How much money can I make?
Millions, duh! Play hard, get discovered, become a rockstar. It's that simple. Obviously we're being silly. How much tip money you make from StreetJelly is entirely up to you. It takes hard work, dedication, skill, and a bit of luck to make tons. But if you love your craft, and you love entertaining people, you'll do fine.

How do I get paid, and how often?
StreetJelly pays out musicians monthly, through PayPal. You must have at least a $50 balance or higher to get paid. We will send the money though PayPal to your e-mail on file. For example: if in one month you collect 300 tokens, at $0.16 per token, that's $48. We will not pay you at the end of that month. Sorry. Your balance will carry over. The next month you collect another 400 tokens. You now have a balance of 700 tokesn, worth $112. At the end of that month we'll transfer the full $112 to your e-mail in PayPal.

Do I have to perform in the Streets?
No. Crank up your laptop, setup your webcam, and get your mic close to your pie hole; and you can perform from the cool comfort of your own home.

Can I schedule a performance for a future date and time?
Absolutely. We understand that many musicians like to prepare before a performance, create a play list, and announce the show to as many fans as possible. On StreetJelly, a musician can schedule such a performance. Click on the Scheduler link on the top menu. From there, enter a date, your local time, and a performance headline. The schedule will then appear on the StreetJelly homepage and artist profile for all to see. Also, an e-mail will be sent to all the artist's fans. And don't worry about the timezone, we handle that behind the scenes. The artist only needs to enter his or hers local time.

Can I ban someone from my performance?
Yes, the musician has full control over who can watch their performance. You are the bouncer of your own show. When someone is acting inappropriate in the chat messages, click on the red X to ban that viewer. You have three options: hide that user from your own chat messages (he can still watch your performance and is viewable to everyone else), ban that user entirely from your broadcast (the jerk is completely removed from the room and can longer chat or watch video), or last, the most severe, permanently ban that user from all of your performces ...forever!

What's the difference between Total and Peak Viewers in my history?
Listed in your broadcast history are columns Total Viewers and Peak Viewers. Total Viewers is a count of every person that has been in and out of your broadcast. A person is only counted once. Peak Viewers is the highest number of viewers that were watching your show at one time. This is the peak "current viewers" that is displayed by the video player while broadcasting. The total viewer count is usually much higher than peak/current as many viewers may come and go during a performance.

What is the best size image for my profile picture?
Your artist profile page is optimised to use a 4:3 Landscape image (think of a regular size photograph held so the width is longer than the height). Choose a crisp, colorful photo that is at least 640x480 pixels. Anything smaller will get stretched and lose quality. Accepted image file formats are .png and .jpg, under 2mb in size.

I don't like my snapshot thumbnail on the homepage!
Every few minutes during a musician's broadcast, the system takes a snapshot image from the video and uses it as a thumbnail display on the homepage. This is automatic. At anytime during a broadcast, you can retake that image by pressing the "Reset" button on the far right of the broadcast window. Be aware that after a broadcast has ended, the last image taken will stay up on the homepage until your next broadcast. For best results, check the thumbnail preview right before you stop a broadcast. Reset the image if we caught you picking your nose at the last snapshot.

How can I perform for a school, organization, or charity?
Thank you, you are awesome for helping out others. First, set up an artist profile like any other. Then, use the headline and description fields in your profile to tell the world your are playing for a charity. If you want your payments to go directly to your organization - make sure you enter the appropriate e-mail account for PayPal. The rest is up to you to promote, tweet, post, blog, fart, whatever to get the word out to help support your cause.

How can I improve my sound?
The best way to get decent sound is with a microphone with onboard noise cancelling and sound leveling. These are typically in the price range of $50 to $100 and are usually called USB Conference Room microphones. Examples below. If you have our own audio equipment, you may want to consider a USB mixer to bring multiple sources into your PC as one signal. The last point to make is to STAY AWAY from those super cheap ten dollar mics. They really suck and will make you sound horrible.

How can I improve my video?
You don't have to break the bank with good video. Purchase at least a mid-level HD webcam. There are tons like the ones below.

Why do you need my Tax Id?
US Residents must report all their income to the IRS. You gotta pay taxes on it. Yuck! If you total more than $600 in a calendar year, StreetJelly must report that income to the IRS for you. Double Yuck.! We must file that income with your Tax Id to the IRS (business FEIN, or personal SSN). If you accumulate payments over $600 in any one year, and you do not supply us with your Tax Id, we will withhold any further payments until we have your id on file.

I'm having trouble broadcasting, who do I contact?
Please check our Support Blog first. If you can not find an answer there, feel free to use our Contact Us page or e-mail directly at support@streetjelly.com.

Can I broadcast from a Linux computer?
We don't normally test out every single distribution of Linux, but many have been successful broadcasting with the Chrome browser and the built-in Flash Player on Linux.

What are Premium Features?
We've added many new features over the years. Recently, we have taken on special features for our corporate and professional clients. Generally, if any of these great ideas apply to our individual musicians, we'll share them with the entire group. We keep updating these features, so check back often and sign up for our newsletter to get the latest news.

Can I stream in HD?
Yes. Our Jellycaster broadcasting software will show an option for 720p HD when a musician has access to premium features.

What is a Replay show?
A Replay show is a repeat of a live stream for 24 hours after the show. It is not a true recorded show, but merely a DVR style system of pausing and rewinding a live broadcast. We allow access to this live DVR for a period after the musician has finished. Shows that are in Replay mode are eligible to receive tips and Rocker Pins, but the chat system is turned off.

Can I turn on a Replay for all my shows?
No. For those with access to this feature, we allow one Replay every 3 days (72 hours). This gives everyone a chance to have their shows evenly spread out to all viewers. It also prevents any one musician from being continuously on the homepage.

Can I charge an entry fee for my shows? (Jukebox Auto-tipping)
Yes, we accomplish charging a fee for a show through our unique Jukebox auto-tipping feature. It works just like the name implies; every few minutes the viewer must add coinage to continue watching. Essentially, it's a pay-as-you-go viewing system. We do not like a one-price ticket entry fee. It's just our preference. For a Jukebox show, the musician chooses the revenue model before the show starts. For example: 2 tokens every 5 minutes per viewer ($3.84 per viewer per hour). The viewers must then contribute that amount to watch the show. It's all automatic for the viewer, they will not be interupted during the show. But they do need to buy tokens and have enough on hand to watch.

I am a venue owner, and I'm worried about in-house ticket sales. What can I do? (Local Blackout)
We got you covered. StreetJelly offers a local blackout system that blocks viewers in your city. This feature is similar to sporting events that use local blackouts for television events. When starting a local blackout broadcast on StreetJelly, the venue sets a map point and distance radius. Within that circle, viewers can not watch the broadcast. They will be kindly asked to come in person and watch the show at your venue. Ka-ching!

How do I get Premium Features?
Premium Features are by invitation only at the moment. It starts by having an artist account with a full bio description, a quality uploaded profile picture, and links to your other social media webpages. Go to My Account → Edit My Profile to keep your profile page up to date. Access to Premium Features also takes successful performances performed on StreetJelly. Think of every show you perform as an audition to reach and grow to the next level. Getting access to the Premium Features is not automatic, so feel free to Contact Us if you think we may have over looked your talent.