We know managers are feeling the pressure of their artists having to cancel tours, pull out of festivals, and lose in-person connections with fans. Stem knows some of the people experiencing the most turmoil right now are independent musicians and their teams. The impact of this reaches beyond just singers, producers, songwriters – it reaches agents, business managers, creative directors, film producers, and everyone in between.
Stem is here to support managers and independent artists.
We know that managers may already be familiar with many of the platforms we reference below; that being said, they may have not made sense for an artist thus far, but are potential ways to maintain a relationship with an audience since artists cannot physically play shows.
Reaching out to fans through content can help artists continue to engage audiences without being able to reach them IRL. The below are ways to fund creative content without touring:
Patreon
- Patreon is a platform that allows creators to fund their content, whether that be music, video, photography, writing – or any medium. Your fans can sign up as members to receive exclusive benefits and access, like new music!
Artists like M.I.A. and Cautious Clay have utilized the platform, as artists can host virtual meet & greets, concerts, or direct message fans.
Twitch
- Twitch makes it easy to live stream with fans and monetize that interaction. Artists can live steam and users can easily donate on the page; it is a super versatile platform and can be used for anything from DJ sets to letting fans watch a session. The head of music partnerships at Twitch, Jimmy Whisenhunt, sent out the tweet below and is available if musicians would like help in reaching their fans!
Recently, NYC collective Discwoman hosted a livestream on Twitch with 9 DJs, many of whom are QPOC and make most of their income through nightlife. Listeners could donate directly through the Twitch page. Link here.
Youtube Live
- This is another good option for creators looking to monetize off live streaming. Youtube Live allows for in-app tipping, memberships, and alternative ways to sell merch.
- Last week, Diplo dropped a one hour live mix with singer Rhye via Youtube Live. Link here.
L Devine recently launched a ‘URL tour’ as a response to having to cancel her IRL one, streaming on a different platform every night, including Youtube, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter. Link here.
Cameo
- With Cameo, artists can create personalized paid content for fans.
Rappers like Juicy J and Flava Flav utilize the platform! See all of the musicians currently on Cameo here.
We know that while monetizing content is an alternate strategy to generate income, it’s also important to continue to engage with listeners. There are a variety of live platforms that artists can utilize to engage with fans when they can’t perform IRL. See a list of those below:
Instagram Live
- Many artists are already using Instagram as a way to connect with their fans, and live is a feature where you can get closer to them. While you cannot currently monetize on Instagram live, you are able to chat with fans or perform live, which is especially helpful if you have had to cancel an upcoming tour.
Earlier this week, Keith Urban used Instagram Live to do a livestream for fans. Link here.
Facebook Live
- Facebook Live can connect you with fans who already follow you on Facebook.
- Artists like the Indigo Girls, the Young Fables, and Garth Brooks are all doing live shows on Facebook. The Indigo Girls are even doing a Q&A for fans via Facebook live. Garth Brooks performed a personal show, taking and playing requests from fans!
SofaKing Fest
- SofaKing was created as an emergency response to COVID-19. Sign up here if you are interested in being a part of the live stream.
We know that artists are feeling the financial impacts of this pandemic, so below are a list of funds available to creatives coping with the impact of COVID-19 fiscally.
Patreon has created a grant to support artists affected by COVID-19, apply here:
https://patreonforms.typeform.com/to/SptV8y
MusicCares provides support to artists in trying times, see all their services below. They also have a specific COVID-19 fund, link here.
https://www.grammy.com/musicares/get-help
The creator fund offers artists financial assistance for food, medical, healthcare, etc:
Scale – If an artist has songs out with Stem, they may be eligible to get funding from us to help work through this tough time:
Sound Royalties offers advances to artists up to $25k:
The Association for Electronic Music is updating a list of funds available to artists:
An FAQ on if musicians qualify for unemployment:
Below is a list of a few other resources available to the general creative community.
Here is a list of resource for freelance artists, updated often:
Here is a list of resources created by incredible writer Cherie Hu – it includes resources, tools, and dialogue about artists live streaming as an alternative:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/11wWL_7I4BG76t0V2kw1a4yIeWxUSfGwMQFYdUWAgSnA/preview
Stem is here to support artists as much as we are able to during this difficult time. We will continue to update this page as new resources come to fruition.