We’re in the middle of ‘the great shutdown of 2020’ as some are calling it. We’ve all been advised to stay at home as much as possible and not to gather in groups larger than 10 people. Unfortunately for us musicians, this means most venues are canceling shows until further notice. While we don’t know how long this will last or what our industry will look like when this is all over, we do believe there are productive things you can do for the time being. If you’re looking for ways to make good use of the time while stuck at home, here are 30 career advancing things musicians can do during the coronavirus shutdown.
Watch Part 1 of this article on video…
Music
1. Practice: Are you like us and feel like you never have time to practice? Well now’s your chance. Set aside some of your now found time to get some good practice in. Tighten up your skills. Master some new scales.
2. Learn new covers: While you’re practicing, why not learn some new cover songs? This would not only add new songs to your repertoire, it could also introduce some new elements to your own playing style.
3. Write new songs: Feeling creative? Write some new songs. Tap into the ocean of feelings that you’re experiencing right now during this scary and uncertain time and use it to create some new material.
4. Record your music: If you have some songs you’ve written that haven’t made it onto one of your albums, now’s your chance to dust off the home studio equipment and get it recorded. If you have a lot of new songs, why not record a whole album?
5. Pick-up a new instrument: If you’ve got another instrument you’ve been too busy to learn, now might be the time. Adding a new instrument to your sets could help you book more shows in the future. Besides, the title ‘multi-instrumentalist’ looks great in a bio or press kit.
Videos
6. Record new music videos: As we all know, Youtube is a great resource for getting exposure, and it’s nice to have as many music videos on there as possible. It doesn’t have to be a big production either, just you on the porch or in the backyard works great. Here are some tips on How To Create A Winning Promo Video.
7. Start a Youtube series: If you have a lot of songs you want to put on Youtube, maybe you can do it in the form of a daily series. Feel free to talk about the backstory of the songs too and let your personality shine. Pro Tip: Promote merchandise during your show and offer a way for listeners to tip you.
8. Revamp your YouTube channel: Sometimes our pages need to be freshened up. There’s all kinds of things you can do to your Youtube channel like remove any low-quality videos, update your channel artwork, create high-converting thumbnails for all your videos, set up a social media series of posts to promote your channel, update your bio, and record a new channel trailer video.
9. Host live shows online: If you’re dying to perform, you can host live shows on Youtube, Facebook, or Stageit. Set up a date and time and promote it just like any other show. Pro Tip: Promote merchandise during your show and offer a way for listeners to tip you.
Booking & Gigs
10. Research gig opportunities: While most venues are canceling shows instead of booking them at this time, that doesn’t mean you can’t get ready for when things do start back up. Research venues and put a list of opportunities together including contact information. Then once this is all over, you’ll be ready to go.
Watch Part II of this post on video…
11. Join online booking platforms: There are lots of websites that allow musicians opportunities to book shows. Signing up for some can be another way you can get prepared for when venues start booking again. Check out these 15 Online Platforms Musicians Can Use To Book Paid Gigs.
12. Update your booking pitches: Is your pitch a little stale, or maybe you don’t get the type of response you think you should? If so, maybe now is the time to update it, making sure it’s short, sweet, and to the point. Check out the 10 Things Venues Won’t Tell You About Your Booking Pitch.
13. Try to reschedule canceled dates: As venues reach out to you to inform you that your shows have been canceled, try asking about new dates that are further out. They may not be interested in putting new shows in their calendar at this time, but it’s worth a try.
Online Presence
14. Create or update your website: If you’ve been depending on your Youtube channel or Facebook, ReverbNation, or SoundCloud page to be your main hub online, then now is your chance to create a real artist website for yourself. If you do have a site but it’s out of date or not really what you want, then now’s the time to revamp it.
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15. Create or update your EPK: Your Electronic Press Kit is a very important tool and should be what you send venues when trying to book shows. If you don’t have one, then now you can put one together. Otherwise, you might just want to freshen up your existing one. Check out our video, What Goes In Your Electronic Press Kit.
16. Create or update your social media pages: There’s all kinds of things you can do to your social media pages like update your bio, update your cover art, and add to your ‘stories.’ Of course you’ll also need to update your events pages by cancelling all shows affected by COVID-19.
17. Guest write an article for The Crafty Musician: Got a great idea for an article that could encourage or educate other artists? Definitely let us know and maybe you can guest write an article for our site. We find that we get just as much out of writing about these topics as you guys do reading them. Also, another way this can be beneficial for you is that you can showcase your music through author credits and get a link back to your site which helps for search engine optimization. Find out more here.
18. Submit your music to online radio stations: While most venues have shut down at the moment, radio stations are still playing music. Now is a great time to submit your music to a bunch of online radio stations and get your music heard. Subscribe to The DIY Musician’s Online Radio Directory and get access to over 100 stations that play independent music.
Brand & Identity
19. Design a logo for yourself or your band: If you don’t already have a logo, now is your chance to create one. Sketch up some ideas. You can even have your fans vote on their favorite through your social media page. Then finish it up using an editing or vector software.
20. Create a mission statement: If you don’t already have a mission statement as an artist, we recommend you make one. Just like with a business or organization, a good mission statement is something you can also go back to for direction and purpose. Check out our video on Creating A Meaningful Mission Statement.
Watch Part II of this post on video…
21. Define your musician persona: Just like a mission statement, a persona helps define who you are as an artist. It can be very helpful and having one will really set you apart from other artists. Here are 3 Easy Steps To Establishing Your Musician Persona.
+Invoke Happiness From Your Music By Making Values A Priority
Finances
22. Generate some alternative income: As shows get canceled, you’re naturally going to feel some financial strain. Maybe there are some things you can do to create some income in the interim. Better yet, maybe you can set somethings in place to generate passive income. Here are 5 Easy Side Hustle Ideas For Musicians.
23. Get your Finances in Order: If you haven’t quite been able to get a handle on your finances from an organization stand point, then maybe now is your chance. Things like setting up a budgeting or income based booking system can be extremely helpful. Also, don’t forget to file your taxes
24. Sign-up with an affordable food delivery service: We did this a few months ago and it has changed our lives by helping us save time and money. Now that grocery store shelves are empty and we’re trying to stay home as much as possible, it’s even more valuable as they still deliver our food to our doorstep once a week. Unfortunately, they don’t deliver hand sanitizer or toilet paper. Check out My Honest Review Of EveryPlate From A Working Musician’s Perspective.
25. Create or update your online store: – If you don’t have an online store where you can sell t-shirts, hats, mugs, and the like, then this might be the perfect time to set one up. Sites like Printful allow you to design and sell your merchandise without having to sit on any inventory, making it easy, fun, and cost effective. Check out The Musician’s Guide To Selling Merchandise With No Inventory.
Education
26. Take an online course: Maybe there’s an aspect of being an independent musician that you want to know more about. If so, there are all kinds of online courses you can take to advance your music career. Check the variety of courses we offer here.
27. Read some music industry books: There are tons of great books out there with advice on how to be an independent musician. If you love to read, this might be your chance to do so while also gaining more knowledge about the music industry. If you want to learn more about touring, check out our new book, The Musician’s Guide To Booking A [Profitable] Tour.
Your Community
28. Schedule social media posts for the next several months: Keeping your followers engaged on social media is a lot of work. Why not take this downtime to schedule several months worth of posts? Here are 50 Engaging Content Ideas Musicians Can Use For Social Media.
29. Plan ahead for your newsletters: Just like your social media posts, this extra downtime can be a great opportunity to get ahead on your newsletters you regularly e-mail out to your mailing list subscribers. You can list and assign topic ideas for each month, and even begin to write and schedule the newsletters. Click here to get A Free Newsletter Writing Guide with an entire year’s worth of content ideas.
30. Send out a COVID-19 update to your subscriber: The first newsletter you send out, if you haven’t already, can be an update about the coronavirus pandemic. Let your fans know how you’re doing. Inform them on which shows have been cancelled. Also, if you’re doing any of the above things on this list that are exciting i.e. recording an album, share that with them so they know you’re still working hard and creating music.
We hope you find this list helpful. Our advice would be to just pick a few things and focus on them first. When this is all over, may you come out of it with new material or better prepared and ready to hit the ground running. No matter what, know that we are in this with you. Keep your head and please stay safe.
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Thank you for putting this together. It covers quite a few aspects which are good to get stuck into for the coming weeks/months
Aston – Absolutely! Thanks for reading!