Resources

9 ideas to keep your music activity going during Covid-19 pandemic

So many artists have to postpone or cancel shows & other obligations which lead to confusion & stress. Some of the results and thoughts are: less income coming in, being afraid that a music project might not receive the attention it deserves, not having enough content to share, losing the audience’s interest, not knowing how to entertain the fans and keep them waiting until things go back to « normal »,…

It is definitely a challenging time but as an optimistic person, I do believe that it is a blessing in disguise & an opportunity to explore new ways to express our creativity as well as rethink any business strategy. Because yes, being a musician is being an entrepreneur too. You are the CEO of your music career.

Being resourceful and flexible is necessary, no matter what you want to achieve.

Below you will find some ideas you can use during the pandemic (and not only during this crisis of course!). You can use all of them or just pick those that resonate with you and/or that you can actually apply. These ideas are also a way to encourage you to tap into your own resourcefulness.

They have different functions: to make you & your fans happy, to create content, to allow your audience to continue growing & engaging with you, to make money from your music,…

Remember that it is necessary to be giving without expecting to receive something in return. Your actions should come from your heart and not from fear. If the things you are doing are not coming from an authentic place, people will feel it and won’t be responding the way you want them to.

Idea n°1:
Make an exclusive intimate acoustic live show of at least 30 min that you can post on your YouTube channel.

Why on YouTube? You can actually make money with YT notably with the number of views you can get on your videos which is not the case on other platforms. Read this post for more info about YouTube monetisation. However, it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t post the video elsewhere. I recommend to post snippets on your socials to let your audience know, promote & redirect to your channel. You can also create an event using YouTube Premieres: it is a feature that lets you and your viewers watch and experience a new video together, much like a movie or TV show premiere. You can even interact with them during the premiere with a chat. It doesn’t have to be a big production, do with what you have. But make sure the quality of both the image and sound is neat. This can be a nice way to give a gift to your audience if you had to cancel or postpone upcoming shows due to the pandemic. It’s also a way to display your talent as a performer, promote your music, reach more people, create content, and also increase your income.

Idea n°2:
Continue to release music.

It can simply be an acoustic, a remix or a special version of a song you already have. You can suprise your fans this way, and give them something while they are waiting for new music that might be on the way or postponed for instance.

Idea n°3:
Do covers of songs you like to post on YouTube & your social media profiles.

You can create a kind of series and ask your audience which songs they want you to cover. Then, you can either post full versions on YouTube and snippets on social media, or just make 1:00 min videos to post only on social media like Instagram. This is a good way to create content, practice and engage with your audience.

Idea n°4:
Organise a giveaway for your fans offering exclusive content.

The price can be new merch, signed items, an exclusive song they would get for free and before the official release, a phone or video call, a personalised video, tickets to a future show,… be creative!

Idea n°5:
Plan live events on social media.

It can be for a Q&A or perhaps a short live performance?! Anything is possible. It can help you encourage engagement from your audience and also increase your visibility on social media.

Idea n°6:
Promote the work that is already released (!)

Yes, that might sound a bit basic but many (manyyy) don’t do it. You can create content (posts, videos, stories) to promote released songs, encouraging people to buy or stream them; same with merch, you can take photos and/or make videos of yourself wearing your merch. And redirect your audience to your different platforms and website.

Idea n°7:
Create new merch.

Even if the new designs can’t be produced and delivered at the moment, you can still work on it and create a buzz, promoting in advance and creating a waiting list which is also a good way to build your mailing list. Same with new music!

Idea n°8:
Collaborate with other professionals & fellow musicians.

Of course, with social distancing, you won’t be able to meet anyone in person at the moment. BUT! We have Internet, computers, mobile phones and amazing technology to use! This could be the right time for you to reach out to some fellow artists you’ve been willing to contact for a while?! It can either be for a specific project or just for fun and make collabs like covering a song together live on social media. There’s no limit.

Idea n°9:
Create your own challenge with a personal hashtag on a chosen platform.

It might not have an impact as big as the #fliptheswitch challenge on TikTok, but it doesn’t matter. The objective is to engage with your audience in different ways. And it will also increase your visibility, and most likely grow your audience. Start the challenge on a platform of your choice, you can always repost the content on your other profiles after. It’s an opportunity to be creative & just have fun.

What is your favourite idea? Are you already doing some of these things? If so, which one? Do you have more ideas you’d like to share?
Let me know in the comment section below!
👇🏼

⁂ Here are other articles that could be of your interest ⁂

Create a music website: why is it so important?
8 ways to make money from music
6 steps to get radio airplay
SoundCloud: an ally for musicians + 6 tips to make the most of it

Virus Madness: my vision about this crisis

Hello creative soul! Thank you for being here, and I hope you are fine. As I write this, the world is somehow in a state of crisis. People are scared — and maybe you are?, because of the Covid-19 (coronavirus).

I felt like I should do something to help you face this unusual situation & also help you find other ways to get your music out there, whether you are at an early stage of your career or not.

In another post, I am soon going to share with you some ideas you can use to continue to create content, grow your audience and engage with it, and more, even during these odd times.

But first I have to share my vision regarding what is going on. Here it is:

There is no coincidence in life. If we are going through these events, it is for a purpose. We might not be able to see it yet, but we will soon. And I believe it has to do with the collective consciousness. 2020 marks a time of big changes. There is a massive energy shift happening and we are entering a new era.

The last decade has been intense at many levels. But now, something new is starting. And for the new to enter, we need to declutter, and get rid of the old and clear what needs to be released.

I believe that this is happening to allow the collective consciousness to be elevated to new levels and to find a new balance. It is time to get back to what is essential, to remember to live in the present moment, to remember that we are One and also, to slow down.

Way too many people are self-centered, and selfish. And are focused on their physical appearance, & on how others perceive them. Social media have emphasized these traits that, I believe, are not natural to us. These platforms are powerful tools that should be used for better things than serving our ego, making us feel miserable and isolating ourselves from others, don’t you think?

Our well-being — mental & physical, needs to be taken care of. Same for our loved one: it is necessary to find the right balance between resting, getting things done, getting into alignment and spending time with our loved ones. It is also important to stop being focused on the material world and embrace our spirituality & natural power as spiritual beings living a physical experience.

Life is made of cycles, which means it constantly changes. Very soon, all of this will belong to the past. And for this to happen faster, it is necessary for all to remain calm & optimistic.

Change is uncomfortable. Great things happen at the end of our comfort zone. Just calm your mind, listen to your heart. It’s guiding you.

What do you think of this crisis? How do you feel about what is going on? Let me know using the comment section below or send me a DM on Instagram (@iamyasminem).

I am sending you lots of love, light & healing energy. ✨💛

Yasmine

Protect your creativity from stressful situations

Hey, hi creative soul!

Thank you for being here, and reading this post. If you follow me for a while, you already know that I come from Brussels and that one of my biggest projects was to move to London, UK.

I finally did it. On Wednesday 27th March 2019, I took the Eurostar for London. Leaving my family, my friends, and a part of me behind.

Continue reading « Protect your creativity from stressful situations »

Tori Kelly: Inspired by true events

End of July, I have been invited to attend Tori Kelly’s intimate show at Islington assembly and her album playback the day after, in a private venue in Central London.

I was mostly there to take photos and make videos of both events, and to film an interview of the artist. You can see the interview filmed by yours truly (b roll included) below — video edited & published by Max A.
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Tori was lovely, open and sweet. I really had a good time with her and her team. And her new album, Inspired by True Events, is a gem. My ultimate favourite song of the album is called Coffee and talks about long distance relationship. In Your Words and Before The Dawn are two other songs I like.

Tori & I after her album playback, in a private venue in Central London

Have you listened to Tori’s album? What is your favourite song? Let me know in the comments!

12 affirmations for creativity, confidence & success

Hello creative soul! Thank you for being here on Sweet Madness. This time, I wanted to share with you a great tool that every successful person uses: it is called Affirmations. I use it myself and it really is powerful!

And I have been inspired to create these 12 affirmations tailored for music artists just like you. These affirmations will boost your creativity and confidence and will motivate you to get the success you desire. Continue reading « 12 affirmations for creativity, confidence & success »

8 tips for songwriters (beginners or not)

Hello creative soul! It took me a long time to give birth to this article but it’s finally here! YAY! lol Actually, I created the content weeks (not to say months) ago.

As you may know from my latest article, things have been quite hectic for me lately — that’s why I slowed down posting content here on Sweet Madness as well as on social media. However, I’m slowly but surely finding a new balance and I do my best to stick to it.

And with this article/podcast, you’ll learn 8 tips to help you with songwriting, whether you are new to songwriting or not. These tips are for both beginners and experienced songwriters, so enjoy!

Continue reading « 8 tips for songwriters (beginners or not) »

The very basics of Online Music Promotion in 5 easy steps

This article has been written by Maurice Hissink — Owner/Founder of AniMouseMusic for Sweet Madness.

So you want to start sharing your music online?

Great! If you are an Independent artist, you should!

If you want to start to share your music online, then you have to do a couple of things to make the best possible online music promotion.

There are a couple of things that are easy to do and a couple of things that are difficult.

Don’t worry, we’re going to dive right into it so that you can start as quickly as possible with your online music promotion. Continue reading « The very basics of Online Music Promotion in 5 easy steps »