First and foremost, we hope that all of you and your loved ones are safe and doing well during this global crisis. Normally we would be sharing tips on how to start or boost your careers as independent musicians, and while we plan to continue doing that, we wanted to hit pause this week to focus on another matter – making money when there are no shows. If a large percentage of your income comes from performing live, then you’re probably wondering what the heck you’re going to do now. If so, we’re in the same boat as you and have come up with a few ideas for you to consider. Here are 6 ways musicians can make money during the coronavirus crisis.
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Music Related Ways You Can Make Money
1. Host live streaming shows
From independent musicians to mainstream artists, virtual shows have become a big thing during this shutdown. If you have the equipment and set-up to do it, and you think that your fanbase would respond well to it, then go for it.
Since so many musicians are doing it, we suggest putting a twist on it to make it unique and your own, and most of all stand out. Consider the environment you’re performing in and maybe make that part of the theme, like a fireside or poolside show. You can also give it a meaningful theme like women’s empowerment, a tribute to our first responders on the front lines, or something about children to give it more substance.
To make your virtual shows more interactive, allow your listeners to make requests or give them song options they can choose from. And of course, don’t forget to set-up a digital tip jar so that they can give donations. Keep in mind though that we’re all struggling right now, and a lot of people might not be as generous as they would in the past. Ultimately, we recommend you only do these shows if you truly feel led to share music with your fans and uplift them during these tough times, and look at any money made from this as a bonus.
2. Offer online music lessons
During this shutdown a lot of people are stuck at home and looking for productive things to do, like learning new languages, cooking new dishes, and learning how to play new instruments. If you’re comfortable teaching an instrument, especially over a video chat, then that’s definitely a service you should consider offering.
You could start by offering it to your followers on social media and take it from there. Make it available to children too and that could increase your student list. It might even help to offer the first lesson for free in order to get them in. Again though, be mindful of the fact that all of our budgets are tight right now, so you’ll probably need to keep your prices fairly low.
3. Offer a technical service to musicians
Our guess is a lot of musicians are taking advantage of this opportunity to go into the ‘studio’ to record new music. If that is true, then there should be a need for affordable technical support like mastering, mixing, and looping. If you have any of these skills then you can offer them to other musicians. You could also offer lessons on how to do these things to others who might be looking to acquire these skills themselves.
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Non-Music Related Ways You Can Make Money
4. Get a temporary job
If you’re really in need of money and are able and not afraid to go out a little, there are some places that are hiring right now. Grocery stores and delivery services like Amazon, GrubHub, and grocery delivery providers are all in need of manpower at the moment. There might also be some places in your area that need help manufacturing face masks, ventilators, and other supplies related to the virus. If you can get one of those jobs then you can make a little money while also helping the cause.
5. Offer your own delivery services
If you’re not interested in working for someone else, you could offer your own delivery services. You could put flyers out in your community letting people know you can pick up groceries, supplies, or take out food for a fee. If your prices are a little lower than the other delivery services, they might take you up on it.
6. Apply for unemployment benefits
We’re not sure how it is in other countries, but for our readers in the United States, recent federal legislation is now supposed to give jobless musicians and other working people who have traditionally been excluded from unemployment insurance the ability to receive unemployment benefits. Obviously, there is a long line of people applying so we don’t know how easy it really is to get these benefits, but if you’re financially hurting from canceled shows then it might be worth trying. We’re going to look more into it ourselves and will let you guys know what we find out. In the meantime, to learn more on your own about US unemployment and financial assistance for musicians, click here.
Hopefully you find these ideas helpful If you have any others, please share them in the comments section and we might add them to the list. Until next time, please stay safe and sane during these difficult times. Also, if you missed our article a few weeks ago on 30 Career Advancing Things Musicians Can Do During The Coronavirus Shutdown, you can check it out here.
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