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Streamium Allows You To Earn Bitcoin Per Minute

Like [Meerkat](https://meerkatapp.co) and [Periscope](https://www.periscope.tv), [Streamium](https://github.com/streamium) enables anyone to stream live broadcasts of themselves, whether that be classes, events, or playing video games.

Like Meerkat and Periscope, Streamium enables anyone to stream live broadcasts of themselves, whether that be classes, events, or playing video games. But what is special about Streamium is viewers pay a per-minute rate, set by the streamer, while watching the broadcast. It all happens in the background through Bitcoin micropayment channels.

The service is the brainchild of a loose collection of Argentinian hackers and bitcoin enthusiasts. One of those hackers, Demian Brener, wrote in a blog post that the motivation for creating Streamium was to empower small content creators and “bring power back to the consumers.”

One of the most interesting aspects of the platform is that it is free of middlemen and effectively trustless. Streamium uses internet communication protocol, webRTC, for peer-to-peer video conferencing. The service doesn’t take any fees, and viewers only pay one transaction fee.

To use Streamium, you can go to their website and create a live broadcast with a few clicks – no installation needed. The broadcast will be tied to a bitcoin address, that you give the program when you create a session. For viewers to join, share a link that is generated with friends or the public. They will be asked to load a bitcoin balance, so as the broadcast progresses the rate set by the streamer will be automatically deducted, viewers are shown the rate before joining. After the show the broadcaster will find the total sum of bitcoin in his wallet.

If you don’t want to use their website, that is fine too. The devs behind the project open sourced the code, so you can create your own. And since it uses peer-to-peer technologies, webRTC and Bitcoin, there is minimal infrastructure. Also, Streamium is decentralized as a result; anyone can use the technology.

The business of streaming

Live streaming apps have experienced explosive growth, hosting thousands of live streaming sessions. But revenue for content creators is minimal. Streamers either have to forget about making a profit, or enjoy the side benefits of internet fame and connecting with an audience. But at the end of the day this means that despite putting a lot of hard work into a show, they aren’t being paid consistently.

It is important to keep in mind that Bitcoin adoption is still relatively small, and micro-payments have had a very troubled past, but there does seem to be and opportunity for live streamers to make money through Streamium. For example, if you host a live stream and 100 people tune in, each paying around 50 cents for a hour long broadcast, you will have $50 in your pocket by the end. That is not bad for an hour of work.

While the service might provide a new source of revenue for streamers and other content creators, Streamium, like all Bitcoin services, suffers the problem of being a bitcoin only platform. The value proposition for Streamium will need to be greater than the learning curve for the digital currency, and warrant tackling the barriers in obtaining bitcoin. While the use case for streamers seems obvious, it is perhaps questionable that Streamium has any kind of value proposition for the viewer – an important part of the equation.

Bitcoin aims to be frictionless, and as anyone who has bought or sold bitcoin knows that is far from the case. This is especially true for those unfamiliar with the digital currency. Unlike Meerkat and Periscope, where users just need to download an app to stream or watch, Streamium has much more friction for the public at large. Leaving the question, whether Streamium, despite being a innovative hack, has a future outside of the niche bitcoin audience.


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