Owncast Newsletter July 2025
In This Issue
A Note From The Editor
I'm really excited to bring you this edition of the newsletter. It's a bit shorter than others have been, but the features in it are, in some ways, some of the most "on mission" I've done in quite a while.
I started the Owncast Newsletter because I've often found the world of live streaming to be very atomized. Whether it's on Owncast or one of the capitalist platforms, the tools exist to cultivate an audience for your stream, but it's much harder to cultivate an audience for an entire ecosystem. That is, you might have some idea of when particular streams are on or what their general schedules are, but the experience of "Hey, I've got a free night, let's see what's on streaming" is pretty lacking overall. It's really a lot like trying to watch cable TV in the 90s, but none of the channels work on regular schedules and you don't have any kind of programming guide.
That was one of the things I really wanted to achieve with the newsletter...to help promote the content out there among Owncast streamers and serve as a sort of "TV Guide For Owncast". This month, I'm really excited to do that, because the fine folx at Radio Free Fedi have a month of amazing content I can share with you! Next, we've got a great Featured Streamer to share providing a all-too-needed kind of content. Read on to find out more!
Things are up in the air about newsletters in August and September. I'm expecting to spend much of those months in Europe. I'll definitely be back by early October and probably start lining up sources before then.
The Radio Free Fedi Fest 2025 Streaming Series
You might recall that the newsletter announced, with gratitude and sadness, the end of the Radio Free Fedi (RFF) project. RFF was a major tent pole of the independent streaming and Fediverse communities, but called it quits due to the mounting burdens of their role. Their "par-raids", long-term events where groups of RFF community members would visit various streams while sharing a common chat channel, were important opportunities to enjoy community connection and discover new streamers. Moreover, RFF's commitment to art and community rather than commerce made it a home for artists with visions to share.
An idea that good can't stay down forever, though, and so I was really excited when the folx at RFF reached out to me to help get the word out about Radio Free Fedi Fest 2025, a streaming events series! All throughout the month of July, RFF is bringing us a buffet of streams, including live music, spoken word performances, and more. RFF has always stood for artist agency and safe communities, and this event series is no exception, with all the artists, venues, and promotions vetted to ensure a space of community, inclusion, and expression.
Newsletter readers will recognize past Featured Streamers Meljoann and Kristoffer Lislegaard, though they're far from the only artists to step up. Indeed, there will be more July days with streams on Radio Free Fedi Fest than there will be days off. Additionally, RFF are working with RetroStrange TV to arrange a movie watch party. The date is still to be announced, so keep your eyes on the event's main webpage for updates.
Unlike "par-raids" of the past, the entire series will take place on RFF's page set up to host the event. This provides a single destination to watch the streams, which should lead to less confusion about where to go next. The exception will be the RetroStrange TV watch party, which will take place on RetroStrange TV's website instead.
If you're an independent streamer with an artistic bent and something you'd like to share, there's still time. Just because it's already July doesn't mean you can't pitch a day. Just send a DM to @radiofreefedi@musician.social to pitch your idea!
Featured Streamer: Fireside Fedi
One thing that's a really common feature of streaming is that it's often a solitary endeavor, at least in front of the camera. Think about the most common stream formats you see, and it's typically musical performances, gaming, live coding, live crafting...all formats where a single person (or a band) is engaged in an activity or performance and the majority of the interaction happens in the chat.
There are obvious reasons why this happens...it's easy to set your own schedule, while scheduling with others is harder. I myself have done some DJ streams with a live party on the second camera, but it's been rare because it's a more complex setup and all my friends are as busy as I am. But the "solo presenter" sort of structure can be a challenge when it comes to sharing information or news, and the community building aspects can be parasocial at best.
That's why I was so excited to learn about Ozoned and his streaming channel Fireside Fedi. Fireside Fedi is a rare breed among live streaming: the chat show. Every episode is a long-form interview and conversation with a different person from the Fediverse. Topics always start with something near and dear to the guest's core interests or projects they promote on the Fediverse, but like any good interviewer, Ozoned uses this as a jumping off point to explore a wide range of topics of mutual interest.
What really strikes me most about Fireside Fedi is its range of guests. It would be easy to gather up a bunch of open source software developers on the Fediverse, or even the core teams of Fediverse software, and nerd out on their current work. Ozoned, however, seeks out a diverse group of guests, ranging from writer-activist Cory Doctorow to a maker of Nigerian pottery.
Projects like this are really important for the Fediverse because it's an opportunity for the community to "meet itself". Fireside Fedi is a chance to really experience the complete person behind those posts/images/videos coming over your Fediverse apps. At 26 episodes, the project's already a smashing success, and this newsletter encourages all its readers to give some love, support, and eyeballs so that we can see more and more of Ozoned's long-form chats with interesting people.
Closing Remarks
Please remember this newsletter, as much as it contains use of the "editorial we", is really the work of one person. I don't have help locating events, building a calendar, or even getting quotes for the articles. I'm doing my best to hold up a mirror to the community where I see it. I rely extensively on people in the community sharing their announcements and stories with me. Please, if you want to see something in the newsletter, get in touch with me. I might just decide to release an edition because of what you bring to me.
Additionally, if you'd like to help build the social fabric of the Owncast community, please consider checking out the #owncast-community channel on rocket.chat or the Owncast community on Lemmy.
Until then, be good to each other and keep the streams running!