Adapt, Adapt, Adapt
With the current situation, this COVID-19 pandemic affecting us all of so severely across planet Earth it’s been an extremely challenging time for absolutely everyone I know. It’s deeply challenging and affecting for all of us. I don’t personally know anyone who is not going through a very strange time at the moment and my heart goes out to everyone who has been struggling emotionally to make sense of it all. Indeed at times I know I’ve found it rather hard to piece together what is going on and how best to deal with it. When you’re so keen to return to a semblance of normality and it’s currently impossible it is of course a very difficult thing to deal with.
In terms of making a living and foraging a way forward thankfully there have been a number of financial support packages available out there for musicians and for creatives although of course we know that the music industry is going to be one of the very last industries to come back to anything approaching ‘normal’ for quite some time. It’s going to be difficult for us all, patrons and creatives alike as well as the huge number of technical support staff and those involved in management and promotion of music. It’s going to be a challenging time for us all.
Though we are experiencing difficulties we must look for opportunities and ways to supplement our income in a time where we can’t do it as we would like. Live music may be impossible in the current situation but there are a number of ways that musicians can keep playing to audiences and raise a little bit of money while they are at it. The current situation has seen an explosion in live music streaming and it truly has been wonderful to enjoy so many performances from musicians across the globe. It feels extremely intimate, dressed down and honest to see our favourite musicians perform for us in the comfort of their own home. Although we can’t gather together to enjoy our favorite music there is comfort to be found in knowing that we are experiencing and enjoying music in our communities together albeit in an online capacity.
If you are a musician thinking about trying live streaming you might find it’s a lot more enjoyable than it sounds and there are a number of ways to make it pay too. Using Facebook Live / Instagram / YouTube or Twitch you can stream your performance live in real time to your audience and you could ask for donations via PayPal. It’s certainly worth considering giving this a go, and with few of us experts in combined video / audio / streaming it’s very much a case of trial and error and I think people are probably more understanding during this present time about us musicians struggling to get the best sound or video ever. The rustic quality adds to the charm in some way and I think people are just quite glad to be able to enjoy music from artists again. So if you’re thinking about giving live streaming a go, then be brave, your fans will be glad to hear from you! Music fans I know that this is a tough time for you too but if you can spare it then please do dig deep for your favourite musicians and bands who are trying their hand at live streaming their performances, they will be very grateful for it and you might just find they are even more keen to repay the kindness in touring in your town or city when the present situation passes, as it surely will, eventually.