How Musicians Can Advance Their Careers Despite COVID-19

The Coronavirus, otherwise known as “COVID-19”, has swept across the globe, infecting more than 700,000 people according to Worldometer, as of March 29, 2020. What started as a simple media scare has quickly evolved into a pandemic. Quarantines, business shutdowns, and lockdowns in entire countries are the new norm.

Billions of people are told to stay home at all costs to slow the spread of the virus. For many people, this means working from home for the first time. For those who already work remotely, they don’t have to change much about their work routine, other than make room for their family members becoming their new home office co-workers.

While millions of Americans are still able to work despite social isolation, what about those who depend on social gatherings to make a living, like musicians? According to a recent poll by the UK’s Musician’s Union, UK musicians have lost an estimated 13.9 million euros in earnings, or just over $15 million US dollars due to the coronavirus.

Estimates on when the virus will stop spreading range from a few weeks to a few months. This means musicians could be stranded at home without a way to pay the bills.

So what should you do as a musician?