On Monday evening (23rd March 2020) it was announced that the UK was going into lockdown similar to many other countries around the world. For us, at Horus Music, it is business as usual, as we’re all able to work from home and your service should not be interrupted. The DSPs we work with across the globe (Spotify, iTunes, JioSaavn etc) have put contingency measures in place too so that things aren’t affected by the lockdown. In these unprecedented times, many have suffered severe losses and there are real concerns for jobs and businesses. The most important thing to remember is that we’re all in this together and by supporting each other we can come out stronger. We understand that the majority of musicians are self-employed, and a major source of their income comes from performing live and with venues being closed, this is a real concern. However, there are also opportunities as more people are inside and looking for things to do and want to be entertained. This is where we as musicians come in as we can help those that are locked inside by giving them the joy of music.
Look Into Live Online Gigs:
Whilst performing live is out of the question and many festivals being rescheduled or closed down many artists have taken to live video streaming, there are many platforms out there such as YouNow, LiveMe and Twitch. Do something from your shed, your bedroom or get out in the garden, to live stream new or old tracks. It’s not quite the same as a real-life gig, so you need to think about these a little differently. You can get really great interaction from your fans and you can respond to comments as they happen. So why not ask for requests whilst you’re broadcasting and ask people to let you know what they thought of your show. It’s different from performing live but allows you to keep in contact with your fans and build your audience engagement and hopefully have more fans that will start streaming you on their favourite platforms. On YouNow fans can pay you tips for your performances so this could be a good way to try and replace some of the lost income from live performance to be more like online busking. To get some inspiration you could check out Emma McGann on YouNow she’s an independent artist that has built her career through live streaming.
Utilise Social Media:
When there’s not much to do and you’re stuck inside most people will instantly pick up their phone and start using their favourite social media platform, whether that be Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, Twitter etc. So, this is a good opportunity for you to promote your tracks to an engaged audience, you could look to do daily chats with your fans so you’re engaging with your audience whilst more people are on the platforms. You can use your time to get organised and planning ahead what you’re going to post on social media each week. You can start shooting some live videos on your phone, or utilise Facebook Live, or Periscope to showcase snippets and teasers of new songs you’ve been working on.
Use Your Time Effectively:
As you’re no longer on the road and doing shows in the evenings you most likely have more time since being in isolation, so this is the opportunity to start promoting what you’re up to! Use this time to research new artists, maybe listen to a genre you’ve not listened to much of before, find new artists that inspire you and help you become a better creator. Use isolation to get you inspired, practise your instruments more often, write some new songs and then use your phone to post some videos on socials or Livestream. With everything that is going on in the world right now, there’s nothing like writing a piece of music that others can relate to and make them feel less alone whilst they’re in isolation. From listening, watching videos and reading you can discover new techniques that help the creative to create something exciting.
Set Goals and Planning:
There is never a more poignant time to reflect on things and look at what you want to do in the future. Everyone that wants to be successful in their careers or for anything at all really, should always sit down and write some goals for their future and plan how they will achieve what they set out to do. It’s phycological that when you have a plan and a goal in mind, you’re more likely to achieve it than just aimlessly ambling along. You could think about planning a tour for next year and how you’ll get more people to your shows. You could look at the process of writing a new album and how to make it your best yet and how you’re going to effectively market your music. Look at where you are currently are e.g. how many monthly listeners you have? how many fans or followers you have on FB, or twitter etc? Then set an actionable goal that’s realistic and achievable and write it down along with a date you need to complete it by. You can then work backwards to find out what you need to do in order to reach this goal now you have an end in sight.
The help that’s out there for musicians:
Help Musicians Coronavirus Financial Hardship Fund
Apply to play a virtual festival by Audio Assemble
Spotify’s $10 million to support artists
PRS for Music (UK) Emergency Relief Fund
We work with many talented musicians and we need to support each other right now, so if you’re creating some cool live streaming content, let us know! Support other independent musicians that are in the same boat as you and listen to some new music! We regularly post about the artists we like right now so make sure to add us and follow us on socials to find out about the talented artists we’re supporting right now. Should you require further information or assistance Horus Music is open for business and our distribution team will be happy to take your calls on +44 (0)116 253 0203 or answer your emails sent to alr@horusmusic.co.uk
