Livestreams of Taylor Swift’s sold-out Eras Tour concerts in Toronto gave devoted fans a window into the spectacle of outfits, surprise songs and elaborate scenes from one of the biggest cultural events in memory recent.

As the massive tour approaches its final three shows in Vancouver early next month, feeding Swifties’ insatiable appetite has become a nightly tradition for a handful of livestream hosts based around the world.

They act as cheerleaders for tens of thousands of viewers who tune in to Swift’s ever-changing show through unofficial channels.

“I’ve never seen it this big,” said Tess Bohne, one of the figures considered a pioneer of Swift livestreams.

“There’s a big idea of ​​community (and) being present without being there.”

Unauthorized livestreaming of concerts on social platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook isn’t an entirely new phenomenon, but it has grown with Swift’s tour.

As their popularity increases, streams spark conversations about copyright law and the delicate balance between protecting intellectual property and allowing listeners to embrace their fandom.

“We have moved beyond art as a one-way conversation between artist and audience,” said Jay Kerr-Wilson, an intellectual property attorney and co-leader of Fasken’s Technology, Media and Telecommunications Group. in Ottawa.

“Copyright owners, generally speaking, are more flexible and don’t necessarily think in black and white.”

Representatives for the singer did not respond to requests for comment.

For fans, the lines are already blurred.

Bohne got caught up in the Swift livestreaming phenomenon nearly two years ago after attending the second night of the Eras Tour, in Glendale, Arizona, and found herself engrossed in the experience for several days.

“(Often) you go to a concert and you’re like, ‘That was great, let’s move on with my life,'” the 33-year-old said during a video call from Salt Lake City.

“But there was something different. It was like, “No, that wasn’t enough. I’m not finished.’

Eager to relive the euphoria she felt, Bohne searched for TikTok profiles of her fellow Swifties streaming other stops on the tour.

With little technical experience, she began reposting their videos, with credit, on her own TikTok profile. She would place an iPad streaming their feed in front of her phone’s camera, then swap it with her other iPad when she found a user with a better viewing angle of the concert.

The rudimentary setup initially attracted a few thousand viewers, she said, and with more effort in production, her audience grew to 100,000 to 200,000 people at peak times.

Since its first broadcast, Bohne estimates he has streamed more than 110 Swift concerts in a split-screen format, streaming the concert in one corner and munching on snacks in the other while discussing all things Swift with a chat room composed of foreigners.

Some fans donate money and her social media status has helped attract influencer partnerships. But the stay-at-home mother of three said it was, above all, a labor of love.

Bohne is credited by many of her contemporaries as the one who inspired them to attempt to organize their own Eras Tour with live commentary.

“A lot of people say it’s like a religion to them,” said Lucas Chalub, a Twitch streamer and longtime Swiftie.

Chalub first experimented with hosting streams in August 2023. Rumors were circulating that the singer might announce the release date of one of her re-recorded albums on stage in Los Angeles, so many Swifties searched for streams live, which included his impromptu setup that evening.

“A lot of people participated,” recalls the 27-year-old Argentine sports journalist.

“That was the first night I said to myself, ‘Why not do this every night?’”

Chalub said he typically relies on streams of 10 to 15 viewers who are often aware that their recordings could be picked up by streaming hosts. Many bring external batteries to charge their devices and sometimes a backup phone.

“We’re not the heroes that people think we are,” Chalub added of his fellow streamers, acknowledging the fans on the ground who do their jobs voluntarily.

“The real heroes are the people in the room who spend – or waste – their time trying to live stream for us instead of enjoying the show. »

The legalities around live streaming Swift’s concerts are murky.

Simply put, rebroadcasting copyrighted music without a license is not allowed, and platforms such as YouTube and TikTok have sometimes interrupted live streams currently being broadcast at the request of music houses. discs.

It happened to Ammir Shah, a 25-year-old streamer from Blackpool, UK, who had his YouTube stream for the fourth Toronto concert cut out while the show was in progress. The takedown notice states that a copyright infringement complaint was filed by Universal Music Group. The label did not respond to a request for comment.

Hosts say they fear accumulating too many takedown notices, which could risk shutting down their channels permanently. Usually, once the live broadcast is over, they delete the footage from platforms like YouTube.

However, they say attempts to silence them will do no good. When one banner falls, sometimes two others appear.

Copyright owners are still grappling with this prospect, particularly when unauthorized livestreams can impact other financial issues, Kerr-Wilson said.

In Swift’s case, she sold the streaming rights to her film “The Eras Tour” to Disney Plus for $75 million. The lawyer suggested that a company could arguably challenge similar options in the market, such as live streaming. But even that seems to be an evolving conversation.

“People have realized that social media and user-generated content are not the enemy and can actually be a powerful way to engage with fans and be part of the conversation,” he said. -he declared.

“I think the trend will continue.”

Although Swift hasn’t said much publicly about the streams, several streamers believe she knows about them. They also argue that the vast majority of people viewing their feeds have already invested in Swift’s success.

Last November, a group of tech-savvy Swifties launched Swift Alert, a phone app that sends alerts for highlights of every Eras Tour show.

Within the app, the creators also launched a game called Mastermind — named after a Swift song, of course — in which fans can win prizes by guessing which of Swift’s rotating selection of outfits she’ll wear for each “era” of his performance.

Using Swift Alert in tandem with live streams, many fans tune in to the highlight moments of the three-hour concert.

“A lot of people compare it to fantasy football,” Shah said.

“Those kinds of things bring us together. »

With the Eras Tour set to end in Vancouver on December 8, many live streamers say they don’t know what the future will look like.

Recently, Bohne experimented with a livestream of pop singer Meghan Trainor’s concert to see if there was similar interest. Although it was nice, she said the experience wasn’t quite the same.

Others started streaming Sabrina Carpenter’s Short n’ Sweet tour. They say her shows are the closest to Swift’s because Carpenter is good at witty banter, performing surprise songs every night and changing outfits.

“I considered doing a few more (musicians, but they) are more like normal concerts: the artist on stage with a microphone in one outfit, just singing his songs,” Shah said.

“It’s not something that people at home will be like, ‘What outfit is she going to wear?'”

Some are wondering what the live stream will look like without the intrigue of Swift’s tour.

Bohne added: “No concert is like The Eras Tour. »