BitTorrent changed the way we shared information. Now they’re changing the way we stream information.
BitTorrent in association with Dean Guitars will be live streaming NAMM Jam this Friday night from 6:45 p.m. to midnight. The live stream will be using BitTorrent’s new protocol that allows the duties of sharing the stream data among all those watching, just like the traditional peer-to-peer file sharing the company is famous is spearheading.
For those unaware, the NAMM Jam is a metal band festival being held at The Grove of Anaheim. The event will feature “must-see” metal acts including Testament and Jackyl.
The event will be a testing ground for BitTorrent’s new live peer-to-peer streaming protocol invented by Bram Cohen, BitTorrent’s founder and chief scientist. The protocol promises to solve the fundamental challenges of live streaming media over the Internet by eliminating the need for expensive server infrastructure and dramatically reducing latency.
“Dean Guitars are legendary and the NAMM Jam is an iconic event,” Cohen said. “While the live protocol is still in the testing phases, it’s proving to be incredibly stable. We need to push the limits and see what happens when large numbers of people join a live swarm. If anyone can do it, it’s metal fans. Jump on and help us test it.”
Curse Mackey, director of marketing at Dean Guitars and candidate for best name ever award, praised BitTorrent for providing a solution that makes live streaming easy and possible for musicians everywhere.
“Dean Guitars has always pushed to stay ahead of the curve and we’re excited to help BitTorrent break new ground for the good of musicians around the world,” Mackey said.
The BitTorrent live stream distributes the workload amongst peers viewing the stream. Peer-based architectures take advantage of the computing, storage and network resources of each person, the more people who join a stream the better it performs.
The company is currently testing the protocol every Friday at 8 p.m. by inviting a live DJ to perform at the company’s headquarters.
