How Has Covid-19 Affected Recording Artists?

The nation is under a COVID-19 lockdown.

Hardest hit was Los Angeles, which has over 2,000 recording studios all of whom were shut down. Then California gradually opened up for business, and quick as you could say, “Abra Cadabra” the state’s COVID-19 rate began skyrocketing up again, and Governor

Gavin Newsom ordered the 2nd lockdown for almost all of California.

The point being, that most recording studios are closed in the State of California, as well as many other states across the nation.

Recording sessions that are made at all are primarily for the lucky few that have a recording studio at home.

The lack of recording space has set back the schedule of many established recording artists and groups who were working on an album. This means that whenever recording studios open back up, most of them will be backlogged with existing established artists for months at a time. So the chance that you, as a fledgling future star will get a record contract in 2020 just got a whole lot slimmer.

In addition, there are almost no clubs, bars and lounges open anywhere within the United States, which means the opportunity for you to develop a fan base by creating a mini-tour, throughout the West Coast, as an example, is also near impossible.

So what can you do during the COVID-19 pandemic as a musician?

We at IDA can think of two things:

  • 1. Double down on your music.

    We can teach you music theory. Teach you the fundamentals of how a song is written and forged together. And if you are a voice vocalist, now is the time to learn to master the use of your voice as a musical instrument.

    And if you are primarily a guitar player, a pianist, or a saxophone player, now would be the time to learn how to play much more complicated and sophisticated pieces of art than you have played in the past. Become a master at your craft.

    After all, one of the benefits of the COVID-19 pandemic, is that you now, perhaps more than ever, have time on your hands. The time which you can use to become an expert musician.

    Learn a new instrument, learn to write tunes you love, and that others will enjoy too.
  • The second thing to consider is building a fan base

    Begin by touching base with every fan you already have. If you have 1,000 fans that have enjoyed your band, then reach out, and send an email to 1,000 fans.

    Sure, it takes time, but you have the time. Reach out and thank each and every one of them for their support.

    Second, for the old fans in particular, but also to build new fans, consider creating new musical compositions and putting them out on YouTube.

    Obviously, the more sophisticated your recording and video equipment is, the better results you will have, but even if all you have access to is a couple of microphones and a smartphone, you can make amazing videos and recordings.

    In 2006, a band named OK Go created a 3-minute video on Youtube called “Here It Goes Again,” which featured the band choreographed on 8 treadmills.

    This video was recorded at a studio, and won a 2007 Grammy for a short video of the year, and was viewed over 50 million times on YouTube, but their previous backyard dance video, “A Million Ways” was homemade using a cellphone. It garnered nearly 5 million views.

    This just goes to show that with enough creativity, a singer or a group can catapult their way toward musical success.

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