It’s been two months now since COVID-19 was officially declared a global pandemic. Since then just about everyone around the world has been affected by it in some way. Today we’re going to look at how it has specifically affected the lives and careers of 10 independent musicians, how they’ve been able to move forward in spite of it, and what their predictions are for when this will all end. Maybe you’ll pick up some good advice based on what others are doing, or maybe you’ll just find some comfort in knowing that you’re not alone…
First, here’s what our experience has been like during this time…
Unfortunately, the virus has had a big impact on our lives. We’ve had several family members test positive for COVID-19 and my (Rob’s) father, actually passed away from the virus. He was feeling sick one day and was gone the next. Believe it or not, he died the same day my grandfather (who was 104 and may or may not have had the virus) was being buried. It’s safe to say April was a tough month for us. To cope, we did a lot of journaling, gardening, and we repainted our house, which was actually quite therapeutic.
Meanwhile all of our shows have been canceled indefinitely since mid-March. Luckily we have some other streams of income that have not really been affected by the shutdown, so that has been very helpful. After taking the first month or so off from any music, we’ve started practicing together again every morning. Anitra has also started taking an online piano class, as she normally plays guitar. She has been engaging with her fans through the normal channels of social media and her monthly newsletter. She’s also been trying to perfect her youtube videos and got this really cool ring light to improve the lighting. Our main focus though has been on setting up and developing passive income streams through youtube and our blogs.
Our prediction is that musicians will be able to start performing again nationwide this fall.
Now, to hear what it’s been like for some other artists…
Alarke
Mary Aloutte (also known as Alarke) is a NY City-based art pop and electronic dance singer, songwriter, and music producer. Fans often describe her as Grimes meets Lady Gaga. She has released several albums, has performed all over the world, created a month long artist retreat in Cuba, and offers singing and songwriting coaching.
I’m based in New York City and because of the dire situation here, I only leave the apartment once per week and take extreme measures to protect my health. I had a great gig I was scheduled to play that had to be canceled. Also, one of my voice students became ill with COVID-19.
I’ve made a decision to thrive during this time rather than merely survive. Because of that, I’ve grown my online singing and songwriting coaching business to help other female musicians find their voices, write music they love, and perform confidently in public. Along with that I’ve been building an online community for female singers and songwriters through my Facebook group. I’ve made great progress in the studio finishing up my 5th album while quarantining at the incredible Synth Sanctuary. I’ve also earned some money live streaming and promoting my music for sale.
I’ve been able to engage with fans by hosting free live singing and songwriting workshops (the next one will be in May), hosting a free songwriting series in my Facebook group where I break down songs that are influential in my own process and share what I find with members of the group, and also by putting on live performances from the studio.
My prediction of when musicians will be able to work again is maybe this summer…
Jerry Impini
Jerry Impini is a classically trained pianist and keyboardist. He’s toured nationally as a dueling pianist, done session work for other artists, and is currently signed to Universal Music through the Spinnup Label as a writer and artist.
I have not been personally affected by COVID-19, and that is mainly because I have always been somewhat of a prepper in terms of hoping for the best while always having prepared for the worst in a Murphy’s Law sort of way. I have actually been blessed that the COVID-19 has not impacted my livelihood as much as it has others. I’m a professional writer/partner for Quora and I also earn income as a signed writer/artist from my original song releases which are doing quite well on many levels.
In addition to an original ep song collection I previously released, I also frequently record and self release new original songs which I perform through an eclectic array of pro keyboards and uniquely structured recording devices from my home studio which can be found and heard on Bandcamp. I’ve also been able to stay engaged with fans through YouTube and ReverbNation.
It’s impossible to predict (at least for me anyway) when musicians will be able to work again, but If we look back at the last major virus crisis we had in the world (Spanish Flu) which took place in 1918, you’ll see that it claimed the lives of 500 million people worldwide in a matter of two years before an actual cure was discovered. Will the “Coronavirus” be like the “Spanish Flu”? God! I hope not!
Nehedar
Nehedar is the project of genre-fluid songwriter/vocalist/guitarist Emilia Cataldo. She has performed her original music in NYC since 2003, and has self released 9 independent albums as well as several music videos.
I haven’t had any issues with severe illness or loss from Covid, personally. I’ve had friends get sick, but nothing requiring hospitalization that I know of. The only thing is my son needed to have his appendix out in late March, so we were in the hospital for that, which was scary, but it went OK and he had good care.
Since the onset of the virus, I’ve had to put off paid projects, like shows, and session work. In the meantime, I’ve been able to get a little income from live streaming tips as well as music sales. To further my career, I’ve been continuing to network and try to market my music. I even had an EP come out on March 17th, although it hasn’t gotten much notice yet. I think it came out at a time when the pr machine was paralyzed with fear. I sang duets on a new album called “Insomnia” with my friend Bob Gaulke as well which just came out. I’ve been engaging with fans on social media like twitter, live streaming on Facebook, and through a concert I had on Zoom.
Where I live in NYC, I predict it will take 2 or 3 years before musicians can perform again. In other parts of the country, hopefully sometime in the fall…
+ Related Article: 5 Passive Income Strategies for Musicians
Ty Scott King
Ty Scott King is a versatile, award-winning artist who has fine-tuned a balance between poetry and hip hop. Referred to by many as “the Maya Angelou of this generation,” she has shared platforms with a variety of notable industry greats, awed international audiences, and performed at the United States Pentagon. Ty is also a published author and accomplished speaker.
As soon as the stay-at-home orders started rolling out worldwide, all of my booked/paid dates for the rest of the year were either canceled or indefinitely postponed. Thank God though that I haven’t personally experienced any sickness or loss.
To earn money right now, I’ve been working remotely in the publishing field – editing books and writing press releases. To further my career I’m collaborating with more artists and producers, working on new poems and music, and taking the month of May to relearn the piano. I’m engaging my fans right now by sharing new material online weekly, going live solo or with other artists, and I just appeared on The Tammi Mac Late Show which airs on Fox Soul.
Unfortunately, I don’t think performing musicians will be able to work again until the last quarter of this year or early 2021.
The Weeds
The Weeds are an energetic four piece rock & roll band from Houston Texas. Consisting of singer/bass player Addison Ruddell, guitarist Jonathan Hales, guitarist Nick Jones and drummer Will Busch. They were named “Best New Band” through 94.5 The Buzz’s Texas Buzz Awards and have over 600 shows under their belts.
We’ve all been lucky enough to not have experienced any sickness or loss. We released an album on March 6th. It was supposed to be followed by a TV appearance in Austin, radio interviews, slots during SXSW, and various opening slots around the state of Texas, all of which were canceled. We had to essentially release an album and do no promotion outside of what’s possible with the internet. It really forced us to take a look at what we’re doing as a band, and think about ways to promote that we were never necessarily the best at.
We’re all fortunate enough to have outside ways of making money, including taking up some manual labor jobs to bridge the gap. We’ve also been writing a ton! On days when we have nothing to do, we’ll usually spend 16 hours a day demoing out songs and generally just working on our craft. We’ve been trying out other genres, working on really specific techniques we’ve been lacking, and dreaming about getting back to the stage. With the recent release of our new E.P. in early March, we just so happened to be in a place where new music came out just as this all started which worked out well. We’re all pretty technologically illiterate compared to most people our age, so social media has never been our band’s strong suit.
Late May seems feasible in Texas right now for when musicians can begin performing again. As far as getting back to the point it was before all of this started, We’re just hoping for some time this year.
Father, Son & Alcohol
Father, Son & Alcohol is a one-man bass, riddim, dubstep, and sometimes techno, project from Bangalore, India. After several years of exploration and experimentation, he has finally found his sound in the glitchy, growly and heavy sounds of bass music.
The music school I teach at has been closed since mid March. I got only two thirds of my salary last month and I probably won’t get any money this month either. Thankfully though, the lockdown has not been that bad for me. I have been blessed with good health as has my family. There have been times in the past though, that have made me question my choice in taking up music as a career. I even considered quitting (I stopped making music for two years from 2016-2018). I’m glad I pulled through and I really think that once we get through this situation, things will be better.
To earn extra money I have applied for content writing work as a freelancer but I never heard back from anyone. It’s not a big deal though because, between my mum and me, we’ve managed to stretch whatever money we had over the next couple of months. In the meantime, I’ve been uploading older tracks as singles to Bandcamp and Spotify, I’ve sent a bunch of newer tracks to a few labels around the world, and I’ve made three tracks for an EP that I will release later this year. The EP is called ‘Hindsight’ and attempts to capture the strangeness of the lockdown we have just been through. To engage with fans, I’ve been uploading tracks and beats to my Soundcloud, which I then share on Instagram and Facebook. I have also been active in the #1beat1week challenge on Instagram by posting a few beats in the first week of the lockdown.
When musicians can perform again I think depends on the place and the situation. In India, I think music performances may restart later this year around September. Or maybe I’m being too optimistic…
+ Related Article: 30 Career Advancing Things Musicians Can Do During The Coronavirus Shutdown
Roy Peak
Roy Peak is an American punk rock, folk, and rock ‘n’ roll singer-songwriter out of Jacksonville, FL. He is primarily a bassist but also sings and plays acoustic guitar during live performances. He’s also a bassist for hire with several bands, works as a soundman around town, and runs his own studio.
I’ve had some relatives in another state who contracted the virus, but so far none of them have died from it. I have plenty of friends and family members who have lost jobs and income from it though. My weekly job running sound for various local and out of town acts was cancelled for the foreseeable future. That was about half my income. I run a studio out of my garage, and that has dwindled down quite a bit also.
Luckily I’m a handyman on the side too. People staying at home still want their houses painted, fixtures replaced, fences repaired, and so on. It’s not a lot, but it does help. I’ve been trying to finish an EP to release next month since all my gigs dried up. I figure every little bit of notice helps. I’ve been engaging with fans by doing a Facebook Live show and the usual Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram posts.
My prediction of when musicians will be able to perform again…Not soon enough! But seriously, I’m thinking by July, probably in fits and starts through the rest of the year.
Tara Anne Chugh
Currently residing in the Seattle area, Tara describes her music style as indie-pop with a dash of contemporary soul. Her most recent album, Begin Again, was released on March 20, 2020 and is a collection of soundtrack piano songs. She’s been working with producers and a LA based licensing company to write music for TV/Film and hopes to feature some of her songs on one of her favorite CW shows someday.
We took a trip in late Feb to New Orleans and I got really sick! I called it, ‘the worst cold of my life’ – I had a Dr appt where they told me to quarantine as if I had COVID based on my symptoms. I’m waiting to see when the antibody test becomes available near me to confirm that I had it. Fortunately, the shutdown has not affected my livelihood as I have a part-time job, and we are also finding ways to help others who have been affected.
As far as music goes, I’m unable to sing/play keys for my local worship team which I really looked forward to doing on the weekends. I have been writing new songs and submitting past projects to sync sites like Broadjam.
My prediction is that musicians will be able to perform again maybe in late summer…
Get Calibrated
Get Calibrated is a 1-man instrumental rock project with the mission of invoking feelings and emotions.
I have asthma and chronic allergies and this is my peak problem time of the year. I’ve been pretty sick, but nothing out of the normal. It is always a concern that I might be the next one to go, but overall, it gives me inspiration and reminds me that the promise of the next second is not a guarantee.
I’ve been busy selling tunes on all the outlets and pounding social media with updates. I wrote, recorded, and engineered a song in just a few days to keep the level of interest up. Overall I try to remain positive. We have to be able to laugh. When we stop laughing we lose. Which is why I write everything the way I do. I’ve mainly been engaging with fans on Twitter and Youtube.
My prediction of when this will be over is this fall at the earliest. But it depends on the state of people, the local governments, and how much of this people will tolerate.
So, no matter what your experience has been like, know that you are not alone. We’re all trying to navigate through this new territory together. We are committed to continuing to inform, educate, and encourage you all on your journeys as musicians, no matter what. We would still like to hear from you on what this experience has been like for you. If interested, feel free to share your stories in the comments section.
If you’re interested in learning more about how to engage fans and make money during a crisis, watch our Youtube video here.
If you want to see some ideas of what you can do to set yourself up for success during these uncertain times, check out this article from our friends at Indie on the Move or check out Ari Herstand’s fantastic book How to Make it in the New Music Business.
Click here to get the Ultimate Goal Setting Workbook for Musicians
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