March 2024 - December 2024
ARTMO Masterclass Implementation
Led the launch of scalable live-streaming platform from 0→1 for artists and educators. Reached 5,000+ viewers, boosted revenue by 25%, and drove quarterly 45% user growth with the 10+ masterclasses.
Overview
Under pressure from investors to increase revenue and diversify income streams, we needed to move quickly.
The masterclass idea had been on our roadmap for a long time, but we kept postponing it due to the technical complexity involved. However, given our understanding of the artist market, the clear demand for accessible education, and the strong position we already had through a network of talented artists, it became obvious that it was time to tackle this.
The Challenge
Launching masterclasses was not a single feature build. It required aligning technology, operations, content ownership, and distribution into one coherent product experience. Success did not depend only on delivering live sessions, but on defining how masterclasses would be created, managed, promoted, and monetized at scale.
Scalable Streaming Infrastructure (without draining the budget)
We needed a globally accessible streaming solution capable of handling thousands of concurrent viewers with low latency and consistent video quality. All live sessions had to be recorded automatically, stored, and made available for on-demand access without manual intervention, so they could be resold or bundled later.
At the same time, this had to be achieved in a cost-efficient way, as we were operating as a startup with limited runway.
Interactive Learning Experience
A passive video stream was not sufficient. To create real value in the art education space, users needed real-time interaction through live chat, Q&A sessions, and polls to support learning, engagement, and direct instructor feedback.
Ownership & Instructor Management
We had to define who could host masterclasses, how instructors were onboarded, and how sessions were scheduled, moderated, and supported.
The system needed to work for non-technical artists and scale without ongoing engineering involvement.
E-commerce & Monetization
Masterclasses had to integrate with our existing payment system while supporting multiple pricing and promotion models, including free trials, subscriptions, and pay-per-view access.
We also had to establish revenue sharing with artists and implement a reliable payout system.
Promotion & Discovery
We needed a clear way for users to discover upcoming masterclasses, create urgency around live events, and leverage both platform-driven and artist-driven promotion, all without relying on marketing spend.
Technologies Used
ARTMO was already running on AWS, so naturally it made sense to build the masterclass feature on top of our existing infrastructure instead of introducing new providers. Conveniently, AWS offers IVS, a managed service designed specifically for low-latency live streaming at scale. It handled the heavy lifting around video delivery and, just as importantly, came with built-in live chat through IVS Chat, giving us real-time interaction out of the box.
On the matter of recordings; AWS IVS automatically stores live sessions in S3, which we fully leveraged for on-demand playback. We added a lightweight Lambda workflow that surfaced new recordings in the frontend and notified our content moderation team. From there, recordings could be reviewed, branded, packaged, and published using existing admin dashboard components, without introducing new operational overhead.
From idea to launch
The goal during this phase was to set the stage, validate demand on both sides, and form a realistic picture of how the product could take shape.
At the same time, I worked closely with the content moderation team to define how recordings would be reviewed, branded, and published, ensuring the full workflow was clear and scalable from day one.
These tests helped validate stability under load, uncover usability issues, and refine both technical and product details before broader exposure.
Insights from these early sessions directly informed performance tuning and workflow improvements.
By the end of the year, masterclasses had evolved from an experiment into a repeatable, core product offering with clear workflows, strong adoption, and measurable impact.
Key Implementations
Low-Latency Streaming Architecture
Built a low-latency live streaming setup using AWS IVS to support thousands of concurrent viewers globally. By leveraging managed services already available within our AWS environment, the implementation had minimal impact on our existing cloud infrastructure and barely moved overall monthly costs.
Real-Time Interaction via IVS Chat
Used AWS IVS Chat to enable live Q&A, polls, and highlighted comments directly alongside the stream. This allowed us to deliver real-time interaction out of the box, without introducing additional services or operational complexity, while keeping costs predictable and low.
Integrated E-commerce Experience
Integrated masterclasses into ARTMO’s existing payment system, enabling in-stream purchases and supporting subscriptions, free trials, discounts, and pay-per-view access. This reused established billing flows and avoided the need for separate commerce infrastructure.
Instructor Dashboard
Extended existing admin and dashboard components to allow artists to onboard, manage, and host masterclasses independently. This minimized development effort and operational overhead while keeping the workflow familiar for internal teams.
Results & Impact
The masterclass implementation delivered strong results across key metrics:
Platform Growth
Reached 1,000+ viewers across three masterclasses in the first month, with almost no marketing spend.
Revenue Impact
Increased overall platform revenue by 25% through subscriptions and pay-per-view access, while significantly boosting product sales during live sessions.
Cost Efficiency
Despite high concurrency and global reach, the masterclass feature had negligible impact on monthly cloud costs by relying on managed AWS services and existing infrastructure.
User Growth
Free introductory masterclasses drove a 45% increase in new users during Q4 2024, becoming the single largest driver of platform growth that year.
Conclusion
ARTMO Masterclass started as a focused experiment and quickly evolved into a scalable, cost-efficient live education product. Artists embraced the format, users kept returning, and the platform gained a reliable new revenue stream without increasing operational complexity.
By building on existing infrastructure and choosing the right managed services, we delivered a feature that balanced performance, usability, and cost efficiency, and established masterclasses as a core part of ARTMO’s product offering.
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