Through the lockdowns resulting from the ongoing COVID 19 pandemic, musicians have become among the most economically jeopardised groups in the world. With the live music scene almost shut down completely more and more musicians are being forced to find new ways to earn digitally.
The good news is that music lovers are also connecting with artists in new and unique ways. All you require is some creativity, originality and modern technology to get started and you will be able to earn from your home as a musician.
Teach Music Online
During the lockdowns, you can offer to give music lessons online as it is a very good source of income. There are scores of students who want to learn to play instruments whether it be the guitar, keyboard, piano or even western vocals and Indian vocals. You can easily tap into this demand in the market and teach using your smartphone, video chats and online platforms like FaceTime, Facebook, Microsoft Teams, WhatsApp and Skype. All you need is a good quality webcam and a good microphone.
What’s more, you can broaden your horizons beyond the instrument you are teaching by also offering training to students in subjects like harmony, software, orchestration, music notation, arranging and marketing. You will get more students if you advertise your services on either your own website or on your social media networks. You can also pass on the word through your friends, family members and colleagues.
Do Professional Recordings
If you are a musician who has a home studio and recording equipment of your own like an audio interface, microphone or DAW, you can offer professional recordings for others. You can remotely play on tracks and productions of other people and if you deliver a professional product you will find lots of earning opportunities.
However, to find this type of work you will need to reach out to composers and producers in the fields of TV and film scoring, jingle writing, game soundtracks, music production and library music.
Offer Music Transcription Services and Preparation of Scores
Being a professional musician, you will have a very good ear for music and you will also know how to write and read music. This makes you suitable to offer transcriptions, score preparation and music notation services for projects that use sheet music.
Your potential clients will be school bands, choirs, churches, film composers and theatres. In order that you deliver print-ready products, you will require to invest in Sibelius, Dorico or Finale, all of which are professional notation software.
Offer Samples and Loops, Sound Packs and Presets
Depending on the instrument and equipment you own and what you do, you could offer sample or loop packs or pre-sets for synthesizers. If you are a guitarist you could offer Kemper profiles or pre-sets for different units. And while it is not that simple to start making money immediately, if you are good at this and you get noticed by plug-in developers or manufacturers, you could get work from them.
Live Stream Your Music
Since the lockdowns came into force, many musicians have turned their focus on live streaming their performances from their homes into the homes of their fans and followers. And while this may not get you a lot of money unlike live concerts, it can still help you stay connected with your fans and keep you in practice.
You can always ask your fans and followers to make donations to your live-streamed performance. However, before live streaming your music you must promote your gig on all your social media channels much in advance.
Make Sure You Collaborate With Other Musicians Online
You can use the lockdown period to collaborate with other musicians and come up with saleable music products and services. From sending recordings of your music back and forth to collaborating on platforms like Splice or Blend and apps like Endless and Soundstorming, there’s a lot you could do to make money from music during this time.
Release You Music Online
During the lockdown you can create new music and release it online. If you have projected yourself and your music well in advance on social media and through PR campaigns you will find much success through this