It came, it saw, and it’s kicking our ass in the general form of death, sickness, bickering, politics, and confusion. The only truth for Musicians who work regularly, or for that matter, anyone involved in the music industry is this: They are being financially crushed by this monster. It’s blowing up dreams, careers, you name it. So what are they to do about it?
I’ve been working in this industry since I was 16 years old. Along the way, I’ve watched my 28-year-old son Charlie John and his 10,000 hours of gigging come to a screeching halt. Aside from playing live, he’s a prolific Singer, Songwriter, and Producer. I mean… Dude’s a triple threat. Now? Nothing. Zero income. My advice to him and any others who have some means and the heart to push through this...
1. Play whatever gigs you can get. They are far and few at this point, but if you’ve been doing it for a while in your community, there will be a few opportunities for you here and there that are pretty Covid Safe Options. Remember…gigs will come back next year. Bars and especially Private Functions. Private Functions Gigs will be BIG for musicians who play live and are marketing aggressively.
2. If you haven’t already begun to write, do it now. If you are a songwriter/producer, keep doing it and send your stuff out to Music Libraries, Producers, basically anyone in the business who will give you feedback. Listen to a lot of Commercial Music from Online and TV Ads. Listen to Reality Shows and the music that’s in them. Listen to ALL TV for that matter, and listen to the music in the background. And of course… do that with Films as well. Writing and producing music for these platforms can be a great source of income if you work hard enough. Do a little research on this. It may be important to your survival as a musician.
It’s not game over. It’s all still playing out in front of us. Hey… maybe submit a jingle or three to your favorite Jingle Company. This JC would welcome that!