With coronavirus and stay at home orders, it’s safe to say that musicians may have a hard time finding out how they are going to make a living. It always has been said, “there is no money like show money”. But if you’re not doing any shows then how are you making any money? So I’ve put together some things that a new artist and even major artist may find helpful to sustain your career during this COVID-19 pandemic.
- Blogs: Blogs are still a great way to get recognition for your song or upcoming album. While some people may think blogs are dead, quite the opposite is true, and building your online presence is imperative for any emerging artist. This is especially true when it comes to Instagram verification. Before verifying your account Instagram will do an Internet sweep to see how relevant you are online. To get your music on major news outlets such as FOX, CBS, & NBC it is recommended to use a public relations company like Lyriplex.
- IG Promo (Ads & celebrity shoutouts): Running ads on Instagram is affective when you target the right audience. Advertising for musicians on Instagram can be tricky so be careful not to waste too much money. The “trial and error” method is highly recommended for newbies. Celebrity contest shout outs are the fastest way to grow an Instagram account hands-down. How it works is simple. Here’s an example; A celebrity makes a post on there Instagram holding a stack of cash. The caption will read some thing like “hey for a chance to win $1000 follow at your name and comment done will be picking the winner next week good luck”. You suddenly will start growing your followers instantly. This method can be pricey but it is certainly the easiest way to build your Instagram profile with real followers.
- Go Live (& ask for donations): You may have noticed celebrities like Elton John Tory Lanez and Diddy entertaining their live feed very often lately. Well, there’s a reason for that. Yes playing loud music and enjoying beautiful women dance while half-a-million people watch sounds exciting but imagine when 10% of those fans donate to show you support! Tory Lanez made over $8,000,000 when he went Live on YouTube. Not bad for a 2-hour show he setup at home. FYI PayPal allows you easily to accept donations with your PayPal business account.
- Playlisting: Playlisting is just like it sounds. You add your Song to active playlists to gain streams and new monthly listeners. While this may sound like an obvious step, many artist skip over it. Apple and Spotify have the most popular playlists and the most users on their streaming platform so start there. More playlists mean you get more plays; more plays equal more money for you from royalties. There are thousands of playlists out there for all genres. Finding the right curator can be difficult & time-consuming but it is not impossible. There are many contacts for playlist curators that you can find over the Internet with a simple Google search however these curators are often swamped with lots of messages from many artists looking to get on their playlist. You can try the “skip the line” approach by utilizing music advertising firms that successfully pitch music to playlist curators. There are many of these agencies that offer these services but I found the 2 most reputable to be Lyriplex.com and SubmitHub.com. They both have great reviews from high-end clients, however, Lyriplex does seem to be a bit more user friendly and does not require a membership to take advantage of their offers.
The music industry is forever changing and you need to change with it. I don’t see us being locked in our homes forever but for now, we all need to adapt while surviving. Stay safe and good luck!
