How Musicians Can Stay Productive During the Pandemic

COVID-19 has undoubtedly had devastating effects on the music industry, from delaying and derailing album releases, complicating music video shoots, threatening livelihoods, and most heartbreaking of all, canceling countless tours. As a musician, your sole desire is to entertain and spread joy.

The restrictions, coupled with being cooped up for our safety, needless to say, can leave you feeling incredibly uninspired. But never fear, Mirada Media is here with a few tips to keep you productive, inspired, and get those creative juices flowing. Read on to learn how you can stay creative during the pandemic.

Set a Goal

Every good plan starts with a goal. With the COVID crisis looming on for days unknown, it’s hard to find the motivation to do anything besides count the days. Setting a goal can be an excellent motivator to be productive as a musician cut off from concerts.

Pick a goal that you want to achieve within the next week or month. It can be as straightforward or as challenging as you see fit. A few examples of goals to set include write a new song, get 5,000 streams on your new single, or create three social media posts a week. The key is to keep your goals realistic but somewhat challenging or outside of your comfort zone. By the time you’ve achieved your goal, you’ll be feeling accomplished and ready for your next challenge.

Tip: For added follower engagement, post your process on your social media page and watch the cheers of support pour in.

Create Playlists That Inspire You

Music is a powerful force. Of course, you know this because you inspire others with your music. If you don’t already have a playlist of music that inspires you, we highly recommend one to boost your productivity. Fill your playlist with songs that evoke nostalgia, give you goosebumps, or have a positive emotional impact on you, as these songs tend to bring inspiration. Every day, fire up your playlist approximately 30 minutes to an hour before you start to create and open yourself up to the idea of finding that creative spark.

One of the beautiful things about music is its ability to unite people with a shared emotion or vibe. After creating your playlist, don’t hesitate to make it public and share it with others. You never know what kind of things your playlist may inspire!

Collaborate with Other Musicians

We all know that relationships are incredibly important in the music industry. It’s hard to get face-to-face to network the old-fashioned way. News flash! Just because we have to social distance doesn’t mean you can’t connect with other musicians. Online collaborations can be just as productive and fun as it once was. Some musicians are even creating “quarantine projects” by themselves or collaborating with others in a virtual jam session.

Working with other musicians not only serves as an excellent way to network and make new connections, but it also challenges you to create something different. It’s highly likely something new will get created if your collaborator’s music is of another genre than yours. Both of you could benefit from gaining new fans who might not have come across your music if it wasn’t for the collaboration. When you start your search for collaboration opportunities, try the local scene first. And if that doesn’t yield great results, try searching on social media or signing up for post-a-project sites.

Live Stream a Concert

Where there’s a will, there’s a way. Although the virus has canceled most highly anticipated shows this year, it’s brought a rise in another kind of concert: virtual ones. Streaming is a terrific way to engage your fans and gain some new ones, even though you can’t be there with them. It’s also a fun way to keep yourself productive and creative. Many artists are using live streaming to explore their creative side with streaming platforms like Instagram and Facebook Live, Twitch, and YouTube live, finding new ways to make their music stand out.

What makes these concerts so well-received is that they add a level of intimacy that you wouldn’t get at a larger show, plus fans can ask questions and interact with you in ways unlike before. You can record covers, take requests from fans, share new songs you’re working on, or freestyle to the delight of your fans. Of course, these streams don’t always have to be about music, either. You can also do storytelling or Q & A streams. If your fans want more, then don’t hesitate to make it a regular gig!

Don’t forget to include your Venmo or PayPal links so that fans who want to donate to support and say thank you can.

Learn a New Instrument

The temptation to veg out on your sofa is real, but you’ve got to keep your brain sharp! So, why not pick up a fun hobby like learn to a new instrument? Got an instrument you’ve wanted to learn how to play? Now’s the time. If you don’t have an instrument, your voice counts, too.

There are plenty of reasons to learn another instrument, aside from the fact that it’s just plain fun. It can help you build your resume, help you better arrange your songs, and expand your harmonic knowledge. However, we’re not saying that you have to dedicate your every waking moment to learning this new instrument. A couple of hours a day is practice enough.

But let’s say you don’t have a new instrument you’re looking to learn. It’s just as impactful to increase your mastery of an instrument you already know how to play.

Take a Mental Break

Like many others in the world, we’re sure the current conditions have made you feel less like yourself these days. To be as productive as our list suggests, you have to take time for yourself, first. If you need it, take a personal day or two and do something unrelated to music. Seek help from a therapist should you need to and try to move your body to help your mental and physical health in check. If the lack of gigs has brought financial struggles, there are countless musician’s relief resources that you can apply to help you make ends meet.

Teach Fans and Fellow Musicians

While you’re sidelined from touring, you can lend your talents to bringing others joy in a different way: teaching. With the help of services like Zoom, Skype, or even live features from social media platforms, you can still provide an experience that’s easily similar to being in person.

As the teacher, you can decide the curriculum you want to teach, and it can be anything you deem useful in helping up-and-coming musicians to soak up. Show them how to play your most popular songs, give them songwriting advice, and give technique tips. Your fans will cherish the opportunity to learn under you, and even develop newfound respect and loyalty. And who knows, it might even be something you continue to do after the pandemic ends.

Mirada Media: Keeping You Productive

Finding the will to stay productive and continue creating music can be a struggle during these uncertain times, but you’ve got a friend in Mirada Media to help you see it through. One of the goals you set can be to create an electronic press kit (EPK), which is similar to a musician’s resume. With the help of our one-sheet creator, you can drag and drop essential details about you or your band, including music samples, bio, reviews, and other forms of press. Thanks to SecureMedia, all of the documents and info you shared are secure.

Want to learn more about our one-sheet creator and other services we offer? Contact our team today!