How is everyone Macgyvering the quarantine?

[MathOfInsects]

Needless to say, this has been a financial meteor-hit. I make my way each month with a combination of playing, private instruction, and college teaching. I really need all three for things to work.

 

Playing went from 18 gigs in March to...I think 2. Obviously that well is going to be pretty well dried up for a while.

 

Teaching has taken a hit, but not a fatal one. I am converting most students to FaceTime, though for some families the financial implications of the COVIDiocy have meant suspending lessons. So, worse but not dire. Plus I picked up a couple of new students this way.

 

College is saving my butt right now. We converted to online, but are still going. It's not a lot of $, but it gives me some short-term comfort that we won't be on the streets just yet.

 

The plus side is that it forces us all to slow down and reconfigure. The two big developments for me are both online-related. The first is FaceTiming piano lessons for people--holy cow. How have I not been doing that all along? I can teach anyone, anywhere, that way. I am going to make that a permanent component of my teaching practice now. Do y'all already do this?

 

The second is that for online versions of my classes, I will need to create some youtube content. I have been meaning/wanting to do this anyway, and am not terribly upset that I will now essentially be forced to. But I am unclear how this might be monetized down the line. Anyone had any luck with this path?

 

As for in-person performing....I think for now I'll put some of my own tunes onto video and "release" them that way. Again, I've been wanting the kick in the pants to do this, and don't mind being "forced" to. But as for sideman stuff, which pays a good portion of my bills...so far I am feeling that the same considerations I would need to play live, should generally be in place for online performance as well. That is, what does it pay? If it's just playing for tips, that's not a job, and I'd be better off trying to find other ways to monetize that time. Have others found ways to turn this into sideman money yet?

 

In all, Corner, what have you been doing to replace the lost income and playing opportunities? Any life hacks or other tips? Any unexpected good coming out of this? Where are things $haking out for y'all?

[Baldwin Funster]

More like Matlock. Hopefully not like Quincy.

[Sam CA]

My full time studio job is going to pay me and others for a while, as long as we can work from home or in real small groups. Who knows how long this could last...probably not for long. Other than this, I have multiple sources of income. Church/Choir gigs are all affected of course. That's about $1200 to $1500 a month right there. The biggest unofficial pocket of money is my transcription service. I've been doing this for the Persian, Arab, Indian...etc...etc... community for a while now. There are hardly any publishing activities in these countries. Persians and Arabs in particular have this huge interest in their own folk and pop songs. There are no sheet music available for that community. For the most part, their song have been recorded without sheet music, so even the person who produced the album doesn't have anything for his/her own songs. Not even a lead sheet! It was just something I did long time ago, but then it turned into a pretty solid part time gig over time. Sometimes I get some terribly obscure recordings to transcribe. For those I quote a ridiculous price and hope that will discourage them from pursuing the deal. Some go for it, so I get stuck with that recording for 20 to 30 minutes but can't complain. I thought this gig would slow down too, but for some reasons I'm getting more orders now. Maybe people are staying home now and want to play more music? All I need is a laptop and Sibelius, so it's all profit. I also do arrangements and offer a range of other music services, but writing scores for existing ethnic songs is the easiest and most convenient music hack.

 

Being a flexible musician is the key I guess.

[PianoMan51]

House. Paint. Brush.

[Outkaster]

Sucks

[Stokely]

Main thing is, now that I'm basically isolated--except that other household members still have to get out and about, and we have people renovating the kitchen (it's not currently functional)--I haven't been watching much news. There's very little else I can do. I still pop into a couple science-related forums to see what the latest is but I stay FAR, FAR away from cable "news" in order to keep my stress levels down.

 

I'm also still very connected to work via online tools like slack so it's not like I'll be oblivious if something happens.

 

If we are 10 days or so behind Italy...this hasn't started yet, and they are still right in the middle of it. I don't know what effect if any our social distancing will make compared to them--did they do it at all and at what point did they start? So many factors involved, including the weather potentially.

 

My old bandmates are doing an online collaboration--not a money maker, remaking songs we wrote when we were 15!--but it's something to stay busy with and have fun.

[CowboyNQ]

I work part-time as a consultant and part-time as a musician. Both have stopped stone cold from an income perspective.

 

My wife has a full-time job which she is luckily able to do from home. Despite and in part because of the current goings-on her short to medium-term employment outlook is secure. Combining this with belt-tightening and falling back on cash reserves we"ll get through it with careful planning.

 

If the situation becomes extended for a number of months I"ll find alternative employment if need be.

[J. Dan]

Local musicians are scheduling online streaming with links for viewers to "tip" for support via PayPal, venmo, or gofundme type options. I've seen some businesses that offer sound stage facilities to provide services to stream shows including methods to charge admission online.

 

If things haven't bounced back in time for my original band's May 2nd show, we are already making arrangements to livestream our 2 newest unreleased tunes. Luckily we have free after hours access to a soundstage as long as we can figure out how to get around the firewall for the streaming part.

[Outkaster]

I don't get the live stream thing. I can't see doing two sets of music with my band in a living room. Part of the whole thing is crowd and energy. No thanks.

[ElmerJFudd]

I love live concerts recorded in HD that have been mixed well. stations like https://qello.com

On the cheap, some you tubers collect live shows. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLD6BF044AE5B386D2

 

So I can dig the live concert from home/studio for local acts. I have friends who do slow nights - like a Wednesday at 9:00PM.

I will tune in, better than anything else that's on TV. and honestly, now that we can stream what we want when we want - you can watch the next episode of whatever netflix show whenever.

 

Live playing over internet with others is the pipe dream. If the internet ever gets quick enough for that to feel good - that will be the end of shlepping for a rehearsal.

[Josh Paxton]

I did my first in-house livestream Monday night, and it was surprisingly successful on all levels. Link here for those interested: https://www.facebook.com/antoinereynaldodiel/videos/o.593768474539798/10163763567370144/ (Best tune starts around 39:45.)

 

Setup was minimal and simple. Me and a singer. Singer's vocal mic went through a powered speaker, and the rest was just my iPhone's internal mic capturing the sound of the room.

 

Here's to forging our way through this brave new world!

[jazzpiano88]

.

[EricBarker]

My gigs just shut down today, as I knew they would. Thankfully the majority of my income is done doing sound design, which is a solitary job, and in need now more than ever. So finances aren't in jeopardy. I can't say this hasn't taken its emotional toll though. My parent are both elderly and immunity compromised, so I think about them night and day. And though I'm a bit of a home-body already, I feel stifled and like I'm in a space station without an airlock. I finally grabbed my ukulele in the middle of the night to play under an empty bridge. No one there, wonderful. I'm sure all song writers are going nuts right now. It's such a strange time to be alive.

[yannis D]

I'm working shifts in my main job (Radio statio). If i'm not live on air, i prepare my lists from home, send them to the radio data base, go to the radio house and record my voice on. And then I tie things together within the radio's system and put them to be broadcasted on air as a backup show...

Gigs are totally off for the foreseeing future.

Therefore, i got plenty of time to work on my classical chops (Bach, Scarlatti, Rameau), read some books and see some films or series on NTFLX

And BTW

I spend time with the fam. They seem good people (It's a common joke that started off in italy some days ago)

[SamuelBLupowitz]

I don't get the live stream thing. I can't see doing two sets of music with my band in a living room. Part of the whole thing is crowd and energy. No thanks.

I also prefer playing to an energetic crowd, but lord knows there have been plenty of times where I've hauled all my gear out to some bar and realized mid-set that I would have better off keeping my gear set up at home...

 

Several of my original-music projects have been talking as we planned for the year about how we can minimize the number of gigs-for-gigs-sake (no money, no crowd, no fun) and still keep moving forward and being creative and performing our music. As some folks have said above, this crisis sure is forcing us to put our money where our mouths are... though I will say, being separated from my bandmates has been one of the big emotional tolls of quarantine. We're trying to work on studio stuff remotely, and we're all doing some online videos and livestreams on our own. I will say, I enjoy "eight friends from all around the country are watching and reacting" in a virtual space more than "the same three friends are here watching while the rest of the mostly-empty bar ignores us."

 

But I'm looking forward to once again having the option of the latter, as I know we all are.

[Mr. Nightime]

Luckily for me, I work in an industry that can easily transition to work from home. So that means no downtime, and can stay safe.

 

Gigs were nothing more than a part time job, worth some extra cash. I never really counted on that money, as a large number of gigs here in Florida are outside gigs, and at the mercy of the weather. But, I will feel the hit.

[Winston Psmith]

I don't depend on my Music for my living, which is a good thing, right now.

 

I'm a semi-retired landscaper, essentially a personal gardener, so my real work hasn't taken a hit, as yet. I go out to my clients on a weekly basis, and prune this or transplant that, pull weeds or rake leaves, none of which require that I meet fact-to-face with anyone. We stay in touch via phone & email. Not spending on anything for now, so if work dries up, I'll have some money set aside.

[allan_evett]

My live, in-person gigs are on indefinite hold, like most of us here. That part sucks, badly; had some good gigs coming up April - June. Already some fests for early summer have been cancelled. It would help greatly to have gigging start up again mid-summer, but I'm not counting on that. The store/studio where I teach is still open, and still doing in-person lessons (with social distancing; which works with a fairly small operation like ours). Several of my students have moved onto Skype and Hangouts, which is something I'm strongly encouraging. A few people have bailed altogether on lessons though. The church gig is transitioning this week, going all virtual this weekend. There will be a skeleton crew onstage, with plenty of space; just no audience. Our district of the Methodist Church has directed us to stay virtual until at least April 19, which I suspect will be extended. I did just get a strong indication that an unrelated source of income, tech-related, is very likely to happen. If confirmed tomorrow by a scheduled virtual meeting, that would help a lot. I definitely plan to study Jim Alfredson's post on virtual performance, as I could start adding that too.

 

Meanwhile I'm getting to know the Fantom 7 rather well. It's a real shame the instrument got off to a rocky start; a lot of folks seemed put off by that. Still a couple of loose ends, but the company has been listening. OS 1.5 helped a lot; bet the next one does too. I've just started to explore the groove/production part of the Fantom, having spent the majority of time organizing it as a hands-on player's instrument. And at that it's a monster; tons of thoughtful features now. Like what I did with the MODX-8, the Fantom became a condensation of instruments that were sold off. Certainly a lot of Roland history is present in the Fantom. And the sound quality is off-the-charts good.

[Ken Beaumont]

I have a day job writing software for NASA's CALIPSO satellite. So its natural to be able to telecommute and we are setup for that. As for my gigs and practices, they are cancelled. I'm also finding a lot of time staying in my house. It can drive you crazy. Luckily I ordered an MPC One which arrived last week. So I have been delving into that. I'm currently testing it to work with my RADIAS and D-05 modules. It is a steep learning curve for a 60 year old who has never owned a groove box of any type. It is a good time sink though. You can spend hours just experimenting.

[Rusty Mike]

I've been working from a home office for the better part of the last 15 years, so this is no biggie. I retired from my corporate day job and am now doing independent consulting work. I just started a new contract with a client, and spent exactly one day in the office. Fortunately, part of that time was spent setting up remote access. So it's business as usual for me.

 

I don't make money playing anyway, so there is 0 financial impact there. The loss is more social than anything else, as our community big band gets together once each week, and another casual group once each month. I will miss seeing my music friends until this blows over. I practice almost daily, depending on my daily workload and what's on my mind.

 

My wife is now working from home, and it's a new experience for her. I've been her partial tech support getting her set up with a remote desk, Zoom conferences, etc. We are empty nesters and there is plenty of room in the house.

 

We've been doing a small bathroom renovation lately so it's keeps us occupied as well.

 

I'm more concerned about my piano teach as I haven't heard from her in a few weeks. She traveled to Japan in February and emailed me when she came back saying she was ok. But I've emailed her since then and have gotten no response. I feel bad for her and her family, as her husband is a full time musician as well. I'll keep trying.

 

One of my sons lives in Manhattan, but we talk often and he seems to be set for hunkering down. Aside from walking his dog and the necessary trip to the supermarket, he has no need to go out. His job has gone remote as well and he's all set.

 

I also check in with my son in Colorado every few days as well.

 

I'm waiting for the weather to break here in NJ so we can at least sit outside and enjoy the sunshine. Tomorrow is supposed to be warm, so we can pull the chairs out for a while.

[timwat]

I'm doing fine and very grateful and humbled. I'm in a better place than I deserve, having landed a full-time, tenure-track position in January, and having a couple concurrent adjunct roles as well.

 

Like a few here, gigs this year are part-time income, and several (weddings) have postponed rather than outright cancellations.

 

So far my focus has been on several things but not music - as we work out a new normal in terms of rhythm and schedule, I hope to dive deeper in on things I've sidelined for some time (for one, composing), but this is a weird time for everyone in the house.

[BluesKeys]

It has been bit of a whirlwind of shows cancelled. I rely on music and have played 170 shows a year for the last several years. So this has me looking for new ways to create income. It has forced me to tune my 6'10" K Kawai grand tuned so I can do some live shows from my livingroom. I will ask for tips/donations to cover my income loss. I have no idea what it will produce, but it really the only thing I can do until this eases up! I will have to sell some things as well.

[TommyRude]

I have a day job writing software for NASA's CALIPSO satellite

Unfortunately now you have to kill us all

[Ken Beaumont]

I have a day job writing software for NASA's CALIPSO satellite

Unfortunately now you have to kill us all

If it were a DOD satellite you might have a point. But no we just measure aerosol particles in atmosphere using LIDAR. But then it is a space "laser"

[mcgoo]

My day gig of doing music & audio post-production has been doing ok. I've actually been pretty busy, but I know of at least 1 upcoming shoot that's likely to be on hold, which means no audio post on that for a while. My weekend church gig has gone online only. I'm still needed for that, but most of the paid portion of my praise team has been laid off. Gigs of course have all gone away. Fortunately, this is my slow season, but I've still lost a chunk there. Since I work from home, it hasn't been much of an adjustment for me. My wife, however, is going stir crazy. The dogs however are digging having the whole pack home.

[Steve Nathan]

It's gotten pretty dire here in good old Music City. Full timers are in trouble. Tours cancelled, clubs closed, and sessions grinding to a halt. None of these can be done by teleconferencing that I know of. FB is full of Studio musicians pitching remote overdubs and Skype lessons. What we do is not likely to be covered in any Stimulus Package either. At least I've got my Pension until Jan 2021.

[David Emm]

There are several angles from which to consider the viral wave. One is obviously how this will play out socially and financially AFTER the initial shock, such as your loss of gigs. (Very sorry, gents.) The main one is that I have no magic wand. Leonard Bernstein was asked how he and his musicians coped with all of the horror in the world. He replied "We respond by creating more beautiful music."

 

I don't give a rat's about the new TROLLS movie & I can barely remember anything that doesn't include Scarlett Johansson. America needs the streaming bandwidth elsewhere. I do have at least FIVE compositions that are all within throwing distance of... half-finished. What a slug! So I think I'll extend my composing hours and make some headway there.

 

I hope you will all be able to weather this with only a few greenstick fractures at most and hopefully no compound ones. Above all, keep practicing and especially composing. I expect a few major works will appear because of the overall hit the world is taking. Its a dark source of inspiration. Time to go all Dies Irae on the pipe organ for a bit, gulp!

[Tom Williams]

Having a teacher-like contract, the state is treating me quite well -- no interruption in pay or benefits while I spend inordinate amounts of time at home. Last week was big on setting up parking lot Wi-Fi for my schools.

 

Biggest problem right now is that it's so easy to leave the house -- and to become a danger to myself, my wife, and/or others.

 

To fill the in-home time, since I am living in a "new" house -- renting with hopes to buy -- I am doing lots of setup in the basement (first ever workshop) and the music room. I'm a hair's breadth away from multitrack recording, and if I get that going I hope to advance to making some instructional videos about expressive synthesis.

[Markay]

Now we are going into lockdown,writing lame lyrics to existng tunes.

 

Exhibit 1;

 

To the tune of a popular Cliff Richard's song 1st verse -

 

"We're all going on a self-isolating holiday, no more working for a week or two, fun and laughter on our self isolating holiday, no Coronavirus for me and you, for a week or two. "