Covid 19: The Value of Passion is Purpose
COVID-19 hit the world pretty hard, in the music world. From rising infection rates, to global lockdowns, to steady tension. Through it all, we stayed strong and found peace in the simple things that truly matter.
People were able to spend more time with family and loved ones while focusing on their true passion. A multitude of people came to us and expressed their true passion for singing and it made us think that some good did come out of all of this.
What was holding people back all this time?
What sparked the fire within them all to decide that now was the time to get back to what they actually love doing. Perhaps it was the boredom of staying indoors all day just staring at a computer or television scream. Or maybe it was a great form of stress relief, to think about something other than germs traveling from hand to hand.
In the I think we all realized how much time there is in a day when you’re not at school or work for 8 hours a day. Whatever it was, we were elated to meet more singers!
As a singer beginning to take your artistry to the next level, you want to pay attention to how the music industry has been affected by the pandemic. Will this change the trajectory of the industry as far as how artists make their money?
Let’s take a look at some facts.
Live performances are 75% of an artists revenue leaving recorded music at only 25%. Because of the regulations on large crowds, many concerts were cancelled until further notice. Of course live performances will come back eventually, but until then artists and record labels are losing big time. We also don’t know when that will happen so for right now, artists should focus more on recorded music, social media presence (especially if you are new,) and creative music video content.
Why have Music Streams Increased after Covid-19?
Music video streams have increased but music streaming decreased due to the change in people’s everyday routine. Most people stream music on applications like Apple Music and Spotify while they are at the gym, sitting at their desks, or taking a walk through the city.
Digital music streams are expected to bounce back but the circumstances in which people stream music may look different.
For example, there was an increase in relaxing music streams. Is music taste changing as well or is it just a phase?
The World Economic Forum projects that recorded music will continue to accumulate more revenue than live music:
Artists have turned to social media platforms like Tik Tok to engage with their supporters and keep up with their image. This shows that content creation and social media presence is increasingly important as an artist. You are able to engage with your supporters from wherever you are but without close contact. There’s also an opportunity to gain even more supporters, read about how to do that here.
You could even think of a way to monetize your live streams in place of the lack of live performances. Take advantage of the spike in music video streams and create something memorable, read this blog for how to put together a music video.
Last but not least…
Continue to record music you and your supporters love. Be positive, be daring, be yourself. Don’t forget to hold on tight to what truly makes you happy and keep pursuing your passion. Keep watching and analyzing the changes in the music industry so you will know where you can fit in and be successful.
Who knows when things will go back to “normal,” but if normal means being consumed by the world again in a way that we forget about what we truly love to do, then we should just throw that normal in the trash and manifest a new one.
Written by: Airis Kemp
Insta: @ULoveAiris
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/05/this-is-how-covid-19-is-affecting-the-music-industry/