As a music booking agency, we care deeply about our artists and want to see their careers thrive. We realize that the world has ground to a halt because of the Coronavirus pandemic and due to that not only our shows, but thousands of various musicians have postponed or even canceled tours and live shows for the foreseeable future. In a way, we have to provide help for those in need who have lost their main source of income. In my last article, I spoke about how everyday people can support musicians, but this post is for the musicians at home twiddling their thumbs and wondering what happens now. This sense of uncertainty won’t last forever, but until then, here are a few ways to keep up morale as well as generate some form of income.
- Don’t Stop Creating
It’s easy to take this time of self-isolation as an excuse to do nothing all day and wallow and worry. But instead of combating this virus with fear, it can be met with determination. Write more music than you ever have before. Brush up on your guitar playing skills rather than letting it get dusty. Experiment with new beats. You have all the time in the world to experiment and create. Use your time wisely. You might end up with something great.
- Monetize Your Talents
Are you a good songwriter? Do you make killer beats? Are you good at marketing other artists? Maybe you’re good at editing photos in your spare time. Don’t sit on those skills, monetize them. With websites like Fiverr or People Per Hour, you can freelance your skills from home. People will pay for services at whichever rate you set for yourself. Keep in mind though those freelance websites such as, Fiverr take a 20% commission and 80 percent of your earnings will go to you.
- Those Who Can’t Do TEACH
Another great way to make money from home is to teach others your craft (virtually, of course, social distancing is extremely important.) Music makes a huge impact on people’s lives and a great way to not only play music but connect with others is by teaching. Udemy is the world’s largest selection of online video courses and it is easy to sign up as a teacher to make some extra money. All you have to do is sign up on the website, plan your courses and record your teaching video. You set the prices of your content and are paid via PayPal every time someone purchases your course. Another option is Maestro Match is a website created by renowned bassist Steve Whipple solely because of the Coronavirus to give musicians an outlet and teach people a new skill. Maestro Match exists to connect artists to people while following the social distancing guidelines. The website matches customers to teachers and teaches a large variety of musical instruments, even songwriting, and acting, at various skill levels. All you have to do to sign up is fill out a questionnaire online, which will ask about your music style, what makes you stand out and a little bit about yourself.
- Live Stream to Keep Connection with Your Fans
One of the reasons we love live music so much is the ability to feel a deep connection with not only the artist but the people around us. In today’s world, we are privileged to have the ability to live stream from anywhere and share your music with the world. You can set up a virtual tip jar using PayPal to give you the feeling of playing at a local show. You can make a few bucks while chatting and playing music to your community of fans.
- Keep Booking Entertainment for the Future
To the tune of being optimistic, the best you can do is continue to plan shows for the future. Not only does this give you something to look forward to, but it makes it feel like you’re working towards a goal. Things may feel off right now but people need wedding entertainment, people are still planning festivals, agencies are still booking artists.
Remember that the Coronavirus is temporary and soon live music will be a booming business once again. The future is bright even when everything around seems so dark. That’s our view from this music booking agency.
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