In these uncertain times, things can appear to be pretty glum, especially for musicians and those in the performing arts industry.
So many musicians I know have been hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic. By not being able to perform at gigs, they haven't just been hit financially, but their well-being has also taken a dive as they can't be doing what they love most.
Although the current state of affairs is far from ideal, do not fear! There are plenty of ways musicians can stay productive in isolation. In this blog we're going to look at 5 of the main ones that will help keep you ticking over as well as earning a bit of income in the process.
The five areas we are going to look into are Live streaming, Remote services, Online tutoring, Writing new music and Releasing music.
With the joys of technology and evolution of the internet, many musicians have taken to streaming their performances live online, using platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Mixcloud. The great thing about using your social media pages to stream is that you already have a potential audience in your followers.
These online performances can also bring new fans to your pages, which may turn into followers that will engage in your future posts as well. Just make sure that you engage with your virtual audience and respond to their comments and potential requests. People will tend to engage with you and your performances more if you engage with them as well.
You can also make a bit of money to boost your income by adding a virtual tip jar to your streamed performance. This can be done simply by adding a PayPal link or something similar.
Services such as Restream can be extremely useful for live streaming as well, as they will enable you to stream across all your social platforms at the same time with ease.
Once again, technology and the internet play a crucial role in this area of productivity, enabling musicians and producers alike to offer their services remotely.
If you have the capability and equipment to record your instruments or vocals from home or in isolation, then you can act as a session musician remotely.
Platforms such as Fiverr can be useful for offering your services for a price that you decide on.
For a more in depth look at ways of making money online from your music, we will have another post titled: 5 Ways To Make Money From Your Musical Talents Online.
This is also a great way for music producers to stay productive in isolation, as they can offer services such as mixing and mastering from the comfort of their own home whilst using a DAW on their computer.
This is another great way to keep busy as a music professional during isolation.
Personally, I find passing on my knowledge to enthusiastic students in a subject that you love is extremely rewarding and you can earn some income from it as well.
There are lots of online tutoring platforms that you can work through or of course you can offer your services from your own social media pages.
If you're not too sure about the ins and outs of tutoring, we offer a Music Leader Training (MLT) course here at Community Music, which gives you a City & Guilds level 3 qualification in Education And Training upon completion. This is currently being delivered online and you can find out more on our course page.
This way of staying productive as a musician is short and sweet but having free time to write new songs and feel the therapeutic effect it brings is not something that happens often in the busy life of a music professional!
It might sound obvious but having time in isolation could be an opportunity to write some amazing songs and even vent some frustration into them!
Have you been sitting on some musical greatness that you haven't got around to releasing due to lack of time to arrange its distribution and promotion?
Use time in isolation to get it out there!
Plan some promotional material and social media posts in conjunction with your release, then upload it to a digital music distributor such as Distrokid to release it upon the world on digital platforms such as Spotify and Apple music.
Time in isolation is tough for everyone, especially musicians and those who work in the performing arts.
As difficult as it can be to see the positives in situations like this, try and see it as time to improve your musical craft and discover new and exciting ways to stay productive!
Written by David Griffiths.
Contact us:
everyone@cmsounds.com
Office: 02073770621
Whatsapp: 07931738461
Brady Arts Centre
192-196 Hanbury Street
London
E1 5HU
07538615137
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