Coronavirus and Social Distancing are tearing apart our social norms. During times like these, many people look to music for therapeutic well being. As an artist, it is your duty and perhaps responsibility to provide the very essence of who you are through your craft, to help us all through troubling times. People need you now more than ever. Instead of seeing the Coronavirus pandemic as a career destroyer, consider these tips to do your part and keep your career moving in the right direction.
What better way to make yourself and your fans feel less socially distant during the Coronavirus shutdown than bringing the performance into the comfort of their own home? We recommend using Stageit.com, Facebook live, Instagram live, Twitter live, or anywhere virtually that your audience hangs out. This is also a great time to drum up merch/ music sales. Get creative and wear a new piece of merch in your virtual concert that everyone will want to buy and make a virtual ‘tip jar’. Essentially, post a link with your performance where people can tip you. Setting up one through Pay-Pal or Ko-Fi are both simple options. With bars and venues closed you can easily get a room to set up a no audience show or simply broadcast from your rehearsal space or bedroom. The more intimate the better! Check out what John Legend did from his home.
Take this emotionally fueled time to channel your thoughts and feelings into your next hit song(s). Regardless of if you are currently inspired or not, everybody could use some insider tips and tricks to end writer’s block and make your music as appealing to your fans as possible. We recommend a book by entertainment industry guru Dave Kelly called “The Secret of Songwriting“. This book is the first in a series of how-to-write songs like a superstar containing years of research done on the most popular music from every decade, going as far back as even the classical era. Perhaps write a song about Coronavirus that educates people or simply helps them get through this difficult time. Handwashing songs are trending big time on YouTube and getting a presence on major news outlets. So, what’s your angle?
With all the available Coronavirus downtime, now is the perfect time to get all your music working for you. One great reason to build up your catalog of music is that it is a great asset. What’s even better is that recording in your own home is cheaper than ever. Once you build up your catalog, you can sell it to publishers, finance it through IHM affiliated partners, or license it to us. The latter option lets you collect checks month after month using our free streaming promotions plan. Learn more about the benefits of our free streaming promotions plan in one of our previous blogs here.
Seems social distancing and Coronavirus are taking a hit on streaming as well. According to AlphaData who powers Roling Stone magazine’s charts, streaming declined 8% the reporting week of March 13-19. We can only assume this is from the lack of commuters and gym-goers – two major sources of streaming. But this does not mean potential superfans are not spending time looking for new music. IHM can help. Our streaming programs are the perfect way to get your music listened by ears that want to hear it. With captivated and bored audiences, or those spent on binging Netflix, now is as good a time as any to build your streaming momentum with our new Spotify Growth plans, YouTube promotions and promo plans for all major DSPs including Tidal, Google Play, Amazon Music, Apple Music, Napster and Pandora. All of these plans have been improved to make the most of your promotional efforts. Learn more about them in our previous blogs by clicking the links above or email artists@indiehitmaker.com for a full pricing list of all streaming promotions available.
Connecting with your audience through live-streamed concerts is just one way that you can utilize social media to your advantage at this time. Now is the perfect time to work on your social media strategy and work on an engagement campaign. Whether Coronavirus related or not, create engaging posts that start a conversation by asking questions they will feel compelled to respond to you. Another option is to ask your followers to share your page/ account with their friends. IHM offers assistance with social media campaigns with our Digital Music Marketing: Build your Momentum service and be sure to check out how SuperPhone can help your campaign.
Another way to get closer with your fans while Coronavirus has us all social distancing is to create a Spotify or Apple Music radio channel using Stationhead. You can do live broadcasting, have real-time interactions, and accept guest callers from your fans no matter what country they are in. Learn more about this service here.
Combat the Coronavirus shutdown by using the time away from others to hone in on what you truly want your image to portray, or in other words, your branding. Think about how you interact with your audience, how your website can best portray your personality, or even how your merch identifies your fans with you. Developing a social media strategy is just one portion of your branding that IHM can assist you with. Check out any of our artist development services to get started.
Even though Coronavirus has mandated that live shows be virtual, you can still learn a thing or two about the production aspects of how to best capture and engage your audience. We can help you plan your show by providing assistance with building winning setlists, song arrangements, and creating memorable moments that turn audiences into superfans. Sign up for a Live Music Online Production Session or have a live production specialist evaluate a video of a past show to hear some of their suggestions on how to make your next one even better.
It’s not a benefit, but Coronavirus has given you the time you don’t normally have. Use it to learn everything you can about the industry. Connect with industry pros. Find some more fans. In addition to those things, here is a short checklist of things you should be learning about and skills to work on while you have the time to do so.
IHM has a plethora of services to assist you with these tasks, check them out here.
Take advantage of the Coronavirus slowdown to take care of those pesky housekeeping duties we all brush off for a rainy day. One simple way to improve your marketing is to optimize your mailing list. If you haven’t started one, do it now. When it comes to email, a drip campaign is highly effective. These types of campaigns keep your new and existing fans engaged without the daily grind of creating content – simply set it and forget it! Learn more about creating one in this article.
Do a check-up on your gear, vehicles, instruments and anything else essential to your career to see if they need any maintenance. See how your finances are looking and consider incorporating (a smart move to potentially save on taxes). Clean up and transform your rehearsal space into somewhere you can get the vibes you need to practice and prepare for the greatest performances of your life.
Be ready to hit the ground running stronger and better than ever before. Don’t forget to be healthy, both mentally and physically. Check-in on your other musician or entertainment industry friends. Everyone could use a little support right now in the midst of the Coronavirus, let us support your career. Get started by joining IHM here, or if already with us, email or call (877) 994-6446 to see how we can help keep your momentum going in the right direction during the Coronavirus pandemic.
