As live in-person shows remain a rarity due to the pandemic for the time being, us musicians continue to search for the best ways to get paid gigs in this virtual world. There are actually lots of opportunities to get paid from your live-streaming performances and several ways to go about setting these shows up.
Read on to learn about 5 ways that you can book paid virtual music gigs during the pandemic.
1) Join Paid Gigging Platforms
Nowadays there are lots of great websites out there where you can create a profile and then sit back while the gig opportunities come in. With virtual shows, festivals, and parties now the norm for the time being, a lot of organizers are using online gigging platforms to recruit talent and entertainers If you’re looking to sign-up for some of these platforms, try GigSalad, LiveKrowd, and/or Thumbtack.
+ Related: Free Live Streaming Platforms For Musicians & Singers To Get Paid
2) Advertise on Your Own Platforms
Use your own platforms like your website and social media pages to get the word out that you can be hired for virtual performances. You never know who will take you up on that. On your website, you can even create a landing page for virtual shows and share the link. You can also have a special offer for your fans where they can get 20% off if they use a special code. Most of all, don’t be afraid to advertise the heck out of this to make sure everyone knows you’re for hire…virtually.
3) Reach out to Event Planners
Places like corporations, office parks, apartment complexes, and senior living facilities all historically like to have events and often times have included live music. This has not stopped just because of the pandemic, it has just gone virtual. To get these types of gigs you can reach out to HR managers, property managers, and event planners to see about getting hired as the entertainment at their next virtual event. What’s nice about virtual shows is that you are no longer limited to just your hometown. You can now book anywhere without having to go on tour!
+ Related: Best Live Streaming Equipment for Musicians
4) Reach out to Venues
More and more venues are starting to host virtual shows now. So in one sense, you can start booking again just like you used to. To see if a venue is doing virtual shows, simply go to their Facebook page and see if they’re promoting any recent or upcoming live streams. If so, reach out to them with your EPK and see if you can land a gig.
5) Host Your Own Shows
By no means does this have to be a last resort. The beauty of virtual shows is that you the artist are no longer dependent on someone else to host you. If you have a strong following, then simply schedule a show, promote the heck out of it, and play. You can sell tickets or just play for tips. Consider giving each show a theme so as to make it special and give your fans a reason to keep coming back.
+ Related: 10 Ways to Get Fans to Tune In To Your Live Streams
As you can see there several ways to get paid virtual gigs. Try a few of these out and let us know how it goes. Got an idea we might have missed? Share it in the comment section below as we’d love to hear it!
To learn more about the ins and outs of live streaming, check out this great article from our friends at DIY Musician.
+ Watch: 3 Ways to Book Follow Up Gigs from Current Shows for Musicians
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5 Ways to Book Paid Virtual Music Gigs
Free Live Streaming Platforms For Musicians & Singers To Get Paid
10 Ways to Get Fans to Tune In To Your Live Streams
This is a great list of options. In these trying times it’s really good to have options for still performing virtually. I don’t know if it will ever be the same as in-person performances, but hey we have to evolve with the times. In fact, I’m wondering if virtual shows are here to stay. Anyhoo, thanks for putting this list together. It really puts things into perspective. Your success is truly up to you.
Yeah, it’s quite possible that virtual shows will continue to be a thing to some degree well after the pandemic has passed.