Meet Ryan Carter, One Of A Class Of New Streaming Stars Rising To Fame On Live.me

By 06/13/2017
Meet Ryan Carter, One Of A Class Of New Streaming Stars Rising To Fame On Live.me

Just yesterday, livestreaming platform Live.me rolled out 20 billboards in Los Angeles in a bid to heighten the profiles of some of its top creators — including Ryan Carter, a 28-year-old aspiring singer who fires up the app everyday and broadcasts to an audience of nearly 500,000 loyal fans.

And as a creator who’s endemic to Live.me, which launched just one year ago courtesy of Chinese internet giant Cheetah Mobile, Carter’s fame illustrates the power of a new breed of influencer — one who hasn’t necessarily parlayed fame from an existing video platform, but who is instead amassing audiences (and revenues) by building a relationship with fans that’s only ever been live and direct.

We talked to Carter about how he got started as a streamer, how he’s been able to earn a living on the platform, and how he hopes that working with Live.me will help catapult him to the next phase of his career.

Tubefilter

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Check out the conversation, which has been edited for clarity, right here:

Tubefilter: How did you get started on social media?

I’ve always loved singing and dancing ever since I was a little kid. When I was 25, I was offered a contract at Tokyo Disney as a face character — playing Peter Pan and The Mad Hatter during parades and meet-and-greets. After five months in Japan, I broke my foot, and was pretty much stuck inside my tiny apartment all day. So I started playing piano and writing songs, and posting them on Instagram — as well as pictures of myself in costume.

I developed a pretty decent following and started calling my fans legos — meaning that no matter what shape or size or color they were, we were all coming together to build something greater than ourselves.

When I got back to the states, three of my roommates and I started broadcasting on Periscope under the name ‘Broke Losers’, and a bunch of my fans from Instagram followed me over to that account. But when I eventually realized that people were interested in me as an individual — they wanted to hear what I had to say, and they wanted to hear my music — I decided to create a solo account on Live.me, which I’d heard about from a friend.

TF: Why did you transition over to Live.me?

I fell in love with the interface, and the fact that it’s so much more interactive. When there isn’t interactivity during a broadcast, people get bored really fast. For example, in addition to tipping — which is a big part of the interactivity — the Live.me leaderboards really captured me. They show the most popular streamers in real-time, and that really incentivizes my fans, who are more passionate about getting me to the top than I am.

They have really pushed me to be better. When I was on Periscope, it was just for fun, but when I switched to Live.me, they wanted me to be the best.

TF: What is your relationship with the platform?

I’ve been broadcasting on Live.me for almost exactly one year, and I just signed with the company last week. My contract stipulates that all of my live streams will be on the platform, but I don’t get paid by the company to broadcast — as of yet. Instead, Live.me helps with exposure and promotion. For instance, my streams are regularly featured on the app’s homepage, and I’m also going to be performing at the company’s event at VidCon later this month.

I’m only exclusive to Live.me with respect to live content, which allows me to grow my presence across the rest of the web. I’m still able to post on Instagram, Facebook, Youtube, and Musical.ly — just as long as it’s not live shows.

Can you make a living by livestreaming?

Live.me is where I get most of my income — though the amount of money you can make really differs from month to month, based on all kinds of factors, including how often I’m going live and how generous my fans are feeling. So, right now, I supplement my income by teaching dance classes or picking up extra shifts at a local country club. But I’m working to make entertainment my full-time career, and it looks like things are moving in that direction. I’ll be releasing by still-untitled debut album in January.

What’s the hardest part about making streaming your career?

The difference between a live broadcaster and a traditional digital star — on YouTube, for instance — is that on other platforms, you can cut stuff out. You can make people believe whatever you want. But if I’m in a crappy mood on Live.me, I can’t cut that out. You wear your emotions on your sleeve, even when your mood is swinging like a pendulum — and that’s the appeal for viewers.

For the most part, though, I’m pretty good about taking time when I need it. Time management is absolutely critical. And it’s not so ridiculously taxing that I can’t handle it. I just look at it as an interesting little lifestyle I’ve created. And at the end of the day, I’m not in it for the money or the leaderboards. What motivates me to keep going is that I genuinely love interacting with my fans.

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