Two Southland men with big plans launch concert-webcasting business

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Chris Halper shows off the home page for his business myliveticket.com at his home in Orland Park, Illinois, Wednesday, January, 4, 2012. He is a musician, broadcaster, film guru and entrepreneur and launched myliveticket.com where he produces webcasts of band performances including backstage interviews. | Joseph P. Meier~Sun-Times Media

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Visit myliveticket.com or myLive ticket on Facebook.com.

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Updated: March 23, 2012 8:01AM

Opportunity can be born in some pretty unlikely places, Chris Halper believes.

Like the couch.

The Orland Park man believes it can lead to some pretty unlikely places, too.

Like the big time.

With the recent launch of myLive ticket — a business that streams live concerts and other events over the Internet — Halper and his friend Rob Helmstetter already have taken steps toward making a name for themselves in the music industry.

Their webcast of a Too White Crew concert at 115 Bourbon Street in Merrionette Park in December was groundbreaking as the first concert streamed live over the Internet with the high-definition technology they used. They now are booking other shows, and Halper said even Lady Gaga’s management team has inquired about what myLive ticket does.

“It’s pretty amazing what you can get done by sitting on the couch and chatting with a friend online ... creating a whole entire business and getting this kind of reaction from hundreds of people in the music industry,” Halper said.

Halper, 41, a Tinley Park native and graduate of Andrew High School, is a video production guru who has worked on films in Chicago and Los Angeles for nearly 20 years.

Helmstetter, 43, a graduate of Homewood-Flossmoor High School, is the computer and information technology specialist. Together, they came up with myLive ticket, which streams events in 1080p technology (high-resolution video, with no buffering or pixilation). They also get backstage access at concerts, which means fans can ask band members questions via live online chat not long before they go on stage.

Their webcasts aren’t limited to music, though. Events, meetings, conventions, corporate webinars and even celebrity parties can be streamed.

“P. Diddy himself contacted us (while myLive ticket was working with a band in Florida last year),” Halper said. “We were barebones at the time, but he wanted us for his New Year’s Eve party. We just weren’t ready to tackle something that big. I hate to turn someone like that down, but we did. We told him we’d go back and do it this year, so we may be doing P Diddy’s New Year’s Eve party, streaming it live around the world.”

To help set up shop at live events, Helmstetter recruited sound, lighting and camera pros. Their streaming efforts make concerts available worldwide for about $12.99, of which the bands get a cut.

“You can’t replace a live concert experience, but what we’re trying to do is get as close as possible,” Halper said. “If a band only tours 10 places, some folks can’t go to that concert. If we can bring them in for $9.99 to 12 bucks, we’re doing the band a service because they’re getting more exposure and they’re able to reach out to their fans, and the fans can get an interaction with the band, which is key.

“The whole 20-minute interview before the show is usually a big pull for us. We’re going to get right up in that guy’s face, we’re going to go on stage, and we’re going to go backstage. You really have to engage an audience. Hopefully, the fans will enjoy it.”

Halper said the concert featuring Too White Crew — a hip-hop tribute band — was streamed to 1,900 people in nine countries.

“We had a few on-air host hiccups, but going live, that is to be expected,” Halper said. “Overall, it was a completely successful product launch.”

Halper and Helmstetter are preparing to stream four live shows in Chicago on March 24, and one of their most important gigs yet — seven bands live from the SXSW (South by Southwest) music festival in Austin, Texas, also in March.

Helmstetter believes myLive ticket will work because the concept “brings the audience on stage.”

“Our cameras are live. You never know what can happen,” he said. “Why watch scripted reality TV when you can watch reality happening live with your favorite band?”

Helmstetter has been involved in many aspects of theater and corporate webinars since 2002.

He said he was involved in the transformation from film projectors to digital projectors in the 1990s and also in the creation of ticket kiosks.

Halper said his ambition to be in the entertainment industry stems from the 1980 “The Blues Brothers” movie.

“I was 8 or 9 when they were filming,” he said, “and a friend of mine’s dad got us on the set, and we got to see the car chase in the mall parking lot. It was pretty crazy. Right around that time is when film became sort of a love for me.

“At first, I wanted to be an actor, but that died off because I wasn’t any good at it. I became a driver in Chicago and started delivering stuff to movie sets, then became friends with some assistant directors and would try to learn as much as I could. I started doing more and more on set and less and less on driving.

“I still have my CDL to this day,” Halper said. “I keep a strong respect for truck drivers. But I think those days for me are pretty much over.”