Simple Ways for Musicians to Bring in Money – Remotely
We all know that COVID-19 has greatly impacted those in the performing arts: cancelled tours, lack of live shows, etc. Read on to learn about a few of the simple ways that you can bring in some income – from a distance.
- Live Streams: These can include Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Twitch. There are even streaming sites catered solely to musicians [like localtalentlive.com]. You can choose to sell tickets to your Live Streams, or make them free. Regardless always include links to your Virtual Tip Jars [Venmo, PayPal, etc.]. You will be surprised at how generous people can be!
- Merchandise: People are well aware of the struggle that musicians are currently in the midst of. That being said, many are more opt to support us than ever before. Use this time to unveil some new merchandise [hats, shirts, stickers, etc.]. Then, promote the heck out of it.
- New Music Releases: Your music does not have to be recorded in a professional studio to be releasable. Even well-known artists are turning to home studios for the time being. Get in your bedroom and record some new tunes! Release them on streaming sites [like Spotify] for streaming royalties, or make more money by selling them on your own sites [or paid download sites like Bandcamp] first.
- Online Lessons: With many people bored and stuck at home, your lesson clientele could be larger than ever. I suggest using Zoom for video lessons, as there are better audio settings in this app than there are for Skype and Google Hangouts. [For the best audio: Go into your Zoom Audio Settings by clicking the “Up” arrow next to the Microphone Logo in the bottom left-hand corner. Next, click “Audio Settings.” Make sure that “Automatically Adjust Audio Volume” is not selected. Then, click “Advanced” in the bottom right-hand corner. Finally, make sure that “Suppress Persistent and Intermittent Background Noise” is disabled.]
- Work-For-Hire Projects: Seek out singers who need new songs and/or beats. See if they would like to hire you to create some music for them to perform and/or record. [Check out my article about Work-For-Hire Contracts here: https://alldatnoise.com/2020/05/13/work-for-hire-contracts-what-you-need-to-know/]
- Remote Studio Work: You can get paid to remotely record vocals and/or instrumentals for others’ songs.
- Emergency Funds: Last but not least, if you are struggling financially, reach out to some of the many COVID-19 Musicians Funds [search “Funds for Musicians COVID-19” on Google].
If you have more ideas about how to remotely bring in musical income, comment below!
Photo:
@john_matychuck on unsplash.com
| Alisha Peru | www.alishaperu.com
