The launch of the world’s first live donations platform to help artists earn during lockdown

A live donations platform harnessing QR technology has been launched in South Africa to help performers and music artists generate income while live streaming.

It’s called BUSQR (pronounced ‘busker’) and it has been solving a lot of the ‘pain-points’ for live performers of all types – musicians, singers, comedians, etc – who have lost their income streams due to lockdown and social distancing protocols put in place by countries seeking to halt the coronavirus pandemic.

See more or sign up at https://busqr.co.za or visit Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/BUSQR.live/.

The platform provides each artist registering on the site with a simple snappable QR code (from a smartphone camera) that can be embedded into any live stream across any platform, from Facebook to YouTube to Instagram (and beyond).

This enables fans to contribute to their favourite artists in real time while they perform live on their social channel from anywhere in the world. It also notifies the artist in real time that a fan has contributed, and fans can even send the artist a personal note. In this manner, a whole new level of interaction between fans and their favourite stars during a time where support is needed has been created.

“The uptake from artists from around the country has been phenomenal,” said BUSQR founder Jon Savage, who also created the 5FM Mashlab phenomenon. “Its functionality has started to be noticed by other industries looking to connect with audiences in a different way.”

“Some of my personal heroes are already using it regularly including the likes of Zolani Mahola, Arno Carstens, and Rob Van Vuuren. Just last night I watched Twakkie and Corne perform The Most Amazing Show live on Insta with their BUSQR code in the background.

“Most importantly, it’s been picked up as a powerful fundraising tool by a lot of great people,” he continued. “This past Sunday for example, Dan Green was able to raise over R120 000 in one hour to support a township in Noordhoek. Seeing that in real time made me realise the true power of BUSQR.”

Savage’s partner in the BUSQR endeavour, Jason Stewart, added: “We’d also like to encourage any influencer who wants to raise donations during this period, as well as charities with ambassadors, to sign up with BUSQR to raise funds using a unique QR code. It’s the perfect mechanism.”