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The Best Apps & Tools For Recording And Monetizing Music In The COVID-19 Era

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Here's a rundown of some easy-to-use apps and tools for recording and monetizing your music in the COVID-19 era
GRAMMYs
Jun 9, 2020 - 3:04 pm

We are currently living in an unprecedented era around music creation and touring. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, all business has been forced to become remote, making it difficult for artists to maintain their usual level of activity. Of course, though the music landscape looks totally different right now, artists are finding new and innovative ways to get their music heard, be it through livestreams, engaging with fans via social media or launching subscription models that offer exclusive content to fans. To that end, here's a rundown of some exciting new apps and tools for recording and monetizing your music in the COVID-19 era. 

Recording Tools

There are plenty of social media options for getting your work out there: Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and Twitch are just some of the possible platforms you can use to capture your recording. 

There's also a new all-in-one app called RMusic, which allows songwriters to collaboratively write music on the go. Not only does RMusic let you to record ideas directly onto a virtual project file, but you can punch in new lines, edit takes, invite other collaborators from your address book, type lyrics, undo takes and communicate with project members from within the app.

Live Broadcast & Streaming Channels

Facebook: According to a new Remote Musicians Handbook put together by the Berklee College of Music, Facebook is the best venue for livestreaming if your audience skews a little older. 

Instagram: Meanwhile, Instagram, which has a feature that allows other people to join your live stream as guests, is ideal for younger audiences. "Based on your social media engagement on each platform, you can make an informed decision about which platform will be best for your fans," the handbook writes. "Both of these are well-suited for unannounced livestreams as notifications will go out to engaged fans, as well as letting your fans know ahead of time when you will be streaming."

YouTube: Then there's YouTube, which offers a number of monetization options and scheduling tools, such as pre-stream and in-stream ads, donations and merch sales. YouTube will even notify your followers when you go live and will allow you to schedule a live stream ahead of time. And as the stream takes place, YouTube lets viewers ask questions and interact with the streamer. 

TikTok: If you're on the super music-friendly app TikTok, did you know that you can activate a live stream if you have more than 1,000 followers? Once watching your livestream, viewers can purchase stickers, and a portion of the money is donated to the streamer. According to the aforementioned handbook, on TikTok these purchases are made using "coins." Coins start at $0.99 for 65 coins and go up to $99.99 for 6,697 coins. In turn, users can buy stickers, called "Virtual Gifts," for anywhere from 1 to 100 coins.
     
Twitch: The video game streaming platform can be useful for engaging new fans. Because this app hosts as many as 4 million viewers at once (according to TwitchTracker) actively encourages discovering new streamers, artists can show up under Twitch's "Music & Performing Arts" section (with 2.3 million followers). Here, according to the handbook, "the music ranges from metal to violin covers to singer-songwriters, and is generally more diverse genre-wise than more mainstream platforms."

If you want to monetize your work on Twitch, know that streamers get paid when new subscribers follow them and viewers donate to the streamer. Some streamers use new followers and donations as mechanisms to unlock new content or segments. Some will take requests at certain follower count or donation levels, others run merch giveaways, or give followers access to exclusive content.

OBS Software: OBS (Open Broadcaster Software) is free and open source software for video recording and live streaming. Stream to Twitch, YouTube and many other providers.

Nugs.net: Get live music on demand. Nugs.net offers a collection of more than 15,000 full-length concert recordings from the likes of Pearl Jam, Widespread Panic, Umphrey’s McGee, Dead & Company and more. Try it free with a 30-day trial.

Houseparty: This social networking service enables group video chatting through mobile and desktop apps. Users receive a notification when friends are online and available to group video chat. 

StageIt: Founded in 2009, Stageit is a web-based performance venue that hosts paid livestreamed performances. Artists choose when they want to perform, for how long, and how much they want to charge. 

Crowdcast: This video platform hosts live video Q&As, interviews, summits, webinars and more.

Streamlabs: This streaming platform can stream audio to Twitch, YouTube and Facebook. 

BandsInTown: Use BandsInTown to promote your live stream shows. You can even engage new fans and monetize shows through BandsInTown's Twitch partnership.

Fan & Membership Platforms

Patreon: Patreon gives fans access to exclusive artist content for a monthly fee, might be the first option that comes to mind when it comes to fan and membership platforms. But Patreon is only the beginning. Gumroad lets creators offer digital and physical products for sale, while its dashboard provides insight into how your sales are doing and how fans are consuming your content.

Squarespace: Offers subscription products in their store, integrating directly with your website and can be sold alongside your other merch products. 

Shopify: For $40/month, Shopify offers apps that allow you to offer subscriptions from your Shopify ecommerce store, which is helpful if you are offering physical goods as part of your subscription. 

Bandzoogle: Sell music, merch, downloads  and tickets, commission-free. Once you add a store, you can start selling music, downloads, tickets and band merch. Monthly fees start at $8.29.

Ghost: With Ghost, which is free to join, you can publish content online, grow an audience with email newsletters and make money from premium memberships.

Memberful: Memberful helps independent publishers, educators, and creators sell memberships to their audience and build sustainable businesses. You can integrate with Wordpress, send email newsletters, create private podcasts and more. Pricing is free to start and goes up to $25 or $100 per month.

Digital Production Marketplaces, including licensing and sell music, samples, and custom sounds:

Splice: Splice Studio gives you access to millions of royalty-free samples, MIDI and presets on mobile, web and desktop for $7.99/mo. 

ScoreAScore: This music production, licensing and supervision company puts producers in need of original music directly in contact with the composers who create it.

Beatstars: Beatstars is an online marketplace to buy and sell beats.

Putting The Plan Into Action

Now that you have the tools, all you need is to put a plan into action. The Remote Musicians Handbook suggests that you first analyze your audience to get a sense of their social media profiles. Then, you may want to run an unnanounced test live stream, just to get a sense of who's showing up. Then, schedule a series of announced live streams on the platform(s) of your choice. Once livestreams are part of your routine, consider partnering with artist friends on YouTube where you can cross-promote each other's work. From there, consider monetizing your work on Patreon with exclusive content. All the while, to engage new fans, hop on music-discovery tools TikTok and Twitch.

Now that you have the resources to build a fully functional music online platform from the safety and comfort of your home, the rest is up to you. Good luck!   

How Musicians Are Staying Positive & Productive Amidst A Pandemic

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OP-ED: How Music Can Help Lead Recovery

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Music—as an amenity and an economy—can play an active role in recovery, but to do so it requires a city being intentional with how it supports, governs and interacts with music
Shain Shapiro
GRAMMYs
May 14, 2020 - 8:54 am

The recorded music industry grew by 8.6% in 2019, according to the IFPI. Before the pandemic, global ticket sales for concerts amounted to $25bn, according to PwC. We enjoy a sector that has grown, pre COVID-19, at more than twice the rate of the rest of the economy. As the crisis has impacted the business, it has not hampered our access to, and use of, music. Its ubiquity is as prevalent as it has ever been. Global Citizen utilized musicians to raise $127m for the World Health Organization, many of them Recording Academy members. Music Instrument sales are surging. Even the World Economic Forum is singing music’s praises, declaring that Beethoven can help us combat social isolation.

But while we’re all listening to more music, or using it to connect with friends, how music functions in governance is in crisis. The sector is in significant decline. Over 1000 music venues in the U.S. are threatened with closure. 92% of U.K.’s independent music festivals are threatened. Many of these businesses and their staff do not qualify for assistance programs. This is because there is a disconnect between our usage of music—enjoying what is created—and creating systems to support, remunerate and regulate those responsible for it: the creators. If this crisis demonstrates the importance music has to all of us, then we must change how it is treated in governance. 

This happened nationally in the United States in regards to copyright, with the passage of the Music Modernization Act. Some music businesses are also benefiting from CARES. But at a local level, there’s next to no governance, policy or intentional strategies to support music making, music businesses and music ecosystems. This crisis gives us an opportunity to change that. 

That’s why I am launching #BetterMusicCities, a campaign to ensure that music—in all its forms and functions—is represented in civic decisions around recovery. Music—as an amenity and an economy—can play an active role in recovery, but to do so it requires a city being intentional with how it supports, governs and interacts with music. This is because music ecosystems are interlinked. A more robust music education system produces more songwriters; such demand increases the value and need for professional recording studios or music venues. More content increases the chances of some of it being commercially successful, which generates direct and indirect economic benefit and taxable receipts for the city, and so on. 

But we lack a blueprint. A handful of cities—Austin, Nashville, Seattle, New York, Chicago—have music officers, or public support structures to support musicians. The U.S. alone has 310 cities over 100,000 people and thousands more smaller than that. If music had a voice across a city, town or region’s economic development structure, a wider set of incentives, employment initiatives or training schemes could be created. If music was intentionally strategized in tourism, more artists would be included in campaigns and paid for it. If music was part of an inclusive growth, health and wellbeing framework, most after-school music programs would exist, more music would be included in care homes and more community festivals would emerge. All this requires a strategy regardless of size, location or social structure. This is why I have written a Music Cities Resilience Handbook.

The handbook outlines nine strategies all cities create a better music ecosystem as part of a recovery plan. They are:

  1. Put Artists To Work: Incentivise Creation From Crisis
  2. Convert Creativity Into Community Investment Vehicles
  3. Create a City Music Registry
  4. Start A Cultural Infrastructure Plan
  5. Create Emergency Preparedness Plans (Venue, Event, City-wide)
  6. Ensure Music, Arts and Culture Language Is Included In Policy Frameworks
  7. Commit to Genre Agnosticism
  8. Plan and Develop a Night Time Economy Policy
  9. Set-Up City-Wide Artist Compensation Policies, Music Liaison Services & Fair Play Schemes

The principles are simple. Ensure that artists—no matter the discipline—are paid fairly for their work. This can be done by working with PROs to create a local music registry, setting up a city-wide artist compensation policy, or committing to fair play and fair ticketing practices. It requires cities to democratize any support offered to the sector, so no genres are prioritized over others. It requires deliberate, specific and intentional policy to be written, voted on and enshrined in council ordinances, frameworks and resolutions, outlining what one’s music ecosystem is, how it is best supported and how to best manage it. It requires a city or place to map—and keep updated—its cultural infrastructure so residents and policymakers know what they have, where it is and how it fits together. 

This is an ambitious framework, but it is doable. It requires a change in mindset. We need to prioritise the external value of music, rather than focusing on its internal value. If we outline the value of music to society, to our health and wellbeing and to the economy as a whole, it’ll demonstrate a need to reform the relationship between music and cities—to create a new set of music cities who embrace music as a recovery tool.

Think about music like a public park. Parks are for everyone, but they require investment, maintenance and structure. Some parts can be closed off for private endeavours, while others satisfy certain sections of the population, such as playgrounds. But we all accept parks are part of life and that they need to be paid for. We all use parks, like we all listen to music. If we value music—across genre, discipline and sector—we should be treating it both as an amenity and an economy. This requires policy, process and structure.

The report is your guide. Join me to help build #BetterMusicCities.

How The Global Coronavirus Pandemic Is Directly Impacting Songwriters, Musicians And Artists

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Courtesy Photo: GRAMMY Museum

Courtesy Photo: GRAMMY Museum

Courtesy Photo: GRAMMY Museum

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#DoorsClosedMissionOpen: GRAMMY Museum Staff Curates Daily Playlists To Soundtrack Your COVID-19 Quarantine

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The daily playlists are part of a larger digital initiative from the GRAMMY Museum during the location's temporary closure, which includes never-before-released free digital content from the archives
John Ochoa
GRAMMYs
Apr 2, 2020 - 10:42 am

Like many other businesses, arts organizations and museums around the world, our beloved GRAMMY Museum home base in Los Angeles is currently being impacted by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Since mid-March, the GRAMMY Museum has temporarily closed its doors until further notice for safety and health precautions in light of the coronavirus pandemic. 

But while the location may be physically closed for now, the GRAMMY Museum's mission of cultivating a greater understanding of the history and significance of music remains wide open and alive online. And they're keeping that mission at the forefront in the best way they know how: music. 

As part of their ongoing digital initiatives, the music-loving staff at the GRAMMY Museum is sharing exclusive Spotify playlists to soundtrack your daily life during this time of social distancing. Updated daily at 10 a.m. PT, the playlists are curated by staff members from across the GRAMMY Museum team in an effort to keep all employees engaged with each other and with the Museum's followers and patrons during this closure. 

Featuring selections from everyone from guest services and security team members to the executive team and spotlighting everything from disco hits and Afrobeat to classic rock and Latin trap, the playlists highlight the wide range of personal tastes reflected in the Museum's diverse staff and honor the genres and artists both the Recording Academy and GRAMMY Museum celebrate every day in our missions.

Read: Recording Academy And MusiCares Establish COVID-19 Relief Fund

"Once we made the decision to temporarily close our doors, it was a priority for me that we maintain staff engagement as much as possible," GRAMMY Museum President Michael Sticka said. "Asking each member of our staff to curate their own playlists has been one way that we've been able to do that. For me personally, I have loved getting to know our staff better by listening to their music choices and hearing their personalities shine through! I'm proud that we have been able to build a digital museum that properly continues each pillar of our mission, including public programs, education and virtual exhibits. Our digital museum has been a key element of our strategic plan for some time now, so I'm happy that all of these initiatives will continue after we re-open our doors. For the time being, our doors may be closed, but our mission isn't and we look forward to continuing to bring music content to the general public during this time and into the future."

The daily playlists are part of a larger digital initiative from the GRAMMY Museum during the location's temporary closure, which includes never-before-released free digital content from the archives. The newly announced lineup of April 2020 programming includes exclusive content from Tanya Tucker, Ben Platt, Common, Los Tigres del Norte, Courtney Barnett and many more. They join previously announced programs featuring Billie Eilish and FINNEAS, Greta Van Fleet and Kool & The Gang, making this April a can't-miss event for the GRAMMY Museum's digital content public programming. 

This month, the GRAMMY Museum will also debut the Digital Exhibit Series, exhibit slideshows featuring past exhibitions and museum installations, featuring Jenni Rivera, Whitney Houston, Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald. 

The Museum's Public Programs digital series features intimate sit-down interviews with artists and musicians in its 200-seat Clive Davis Theater from past programs. Since the Museum opened 12 years ago, it has offered more than 900 Public Programs.

Additionally, the Museum continues to release digital educational content and lesson plans titled GRAMMY In The Schools Mini-Lessons, continuing its mission of paying tribute to our musical heritage and bringing our community together through music.

In all, the Museum is releasing new content every day of the week, with GRAMMY In The Schools Mini-Lessons on Sundays and Tuesdays, Digital Public Program Series on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday and Digital Exhibit Series on Friday. Thursdays are Member Engagement Nights. Exclusive for Museum members, these special nights include an Album Club, which is an interactive experience similar to a book club, except members listen to music instead of reading books.

To experience all the Museum At Home digital content and to view the full programming schedule, visit the GRAMMY Museum website, where you can also find more information about the organization and its programs.

GRAMMY Museum's April Online Lineup: Tanya Tucker, Ben Platt, Common, Los Tigres Del Norte & More

GRAMMYs

Photo: Liu Jie/Xinhua/Getty

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Coronavirus Relief Bill Includes Assistance for Music Creators

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The bill extends small business loans and unemployment insurance to music makers, plus gives a boost for the National Endowment for the Arts amid COVID-19
Nate Hertweck
Advocacy
Mar 26, 2020 - 9:23 am

The Recording Academy applauds Congress and the President for stepping in and providing some much-needed economic relief and protections for music creators. Late last night, a stimulus bill of over $2 trillion passed the Senate and is expected to soon pass the House and be signed into law. The even better news is that the bill includes many priorities that covers music creators and other self-employed workers.

Reeling from the devastating economic effects of the Coronavirus, music creators are in need of increased economic relief following wide-spread closures and cancellations of tours, performances and gigs. Like many freelance or self-employed workers, music creators typically don’t enjoy the normal employment protections afforded to salaried or hourly workers, which puts them in jeopardy of not having access to many key protections in the relief package. Fortunately, thanks to the Recording Academy’s extensive advocacy, the spending package includes protections and provisions that put music creators in a better position for immediate and long-term relief.

Among these key protections, the Academy worked to grant new eligibility for self-employed workers to apply for “paycheck protection” loans from the Small Business Administration that can later be forgiven if they are used to provide income support. The bill also incentivizes traditional small businesses to use these loans to continue payments to independent contractors they work with. Self-employed individuals will also be able to apply for special Emergency Injury Disaster Loans.

The Academy also successfully lobbied for new pandemic-related unemployment insurance to be included in the bill, and to ensure that eligibility requirements were extended to self-employed workers. Music makers who qualify will now be entitled to four months of unemployment insurance through their state of residency.

In addition to supporting music creators with these individual protections, the stimulus bill also included a $75,000,000 boost to the National Endowment for the Arts. This big win for music and the arts marks a 50% increase from the 2009 stimulus package, and will go to provide funding and grants to state arts organizations and help fund new projects across the country   

These important victories follow the recent surge of support for music creators to be included in the stimulus, led by the Recording Academy's letter to Congressional leaders outlining the need for relief efforts for the music community. In the letter, Academy Chairman and Interim CEO Harvey Mason jr appropriately stated, "music is the original 'gig economy.'"

The Academy also sent letters with leading entertainment industry organizations, associations and unions outlining a set of shared priorities impacting workers in music, television, film and theatre. The Academy also joined dozens of non-profit arts and culture organizations to advocate for key provisions for artists and arts organizations.

The message to the Hill was amplified by Academy members and music fans via the Academy’s call-to-action online tool, which sent tens of thousands of letters to Congress in support of providing critical assistance and relief for creators..

Members of Congress, heard that call, and weighed in, writing letters of their own advocating for creators' rights. Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), along with 36 of his Congressional colleagues, sent a letter to Speaker of the House Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Republican Leader McCarthy (R-Calif.) urging Congressional action for creators. The Congressional Arts Caucus and the Congressional STEAM Caucus co-signed a letter to House Leadership with more than 50 signatures.

Additionally, both House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler and Congressman Doug Collins sent separate letters to House leadership urging support for the creative workforce. 

Last week, the Recording Academy’s Chief Industry, Government, and Member Relations Officer Daryl P. Friedman appeared on SiriusXM’s P.O.T.U.S. Press Pool with Julie Mason. On the program, Friedman discussed the impact of coronavirus on creators, including the cancellation of big and small concerts, the financial impact on artists’ bottom line, and the potential solutions Congress could enact that would add some financial relief for creators.

The Recording Academy and its affiliated charitable foundation MusiCares continue to raise funds to benefit creators in need. Leading music streaming and tech companies Amazon Music, Facebook, SiriusXM and Pandora, Spotify, TIDAL, and YouTube Music have announced that they are contributing to the MusiCares COVID-19 Relief Fund to support music industry workers in need.

If you are a creator facing financial hardship due to this global pandemic, please visit MusiCares’ COVID-19 Relief Fund page here.

If you would like to support the relief fund, you can donate here.

Learn More About Issues & Policies Important To Music Creators

Hands in the shape of a heart representing MusiCares Covid-19 campaign.
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Major Streaming Services And Tech Companies Join MusiCares In Support Of COVID-19 Relief Fund

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Amazon Music, Facebook, SiriusXM and Pandora, Spotify, TIDAL, and YouTube Music announce generous contributions to MusiCares' coronavirus relief fund
MusiCares
Mar 24, 2020 - 9:00 am

In a bold statement of unity within the music industry, leading music streaming and tech companies Amazon Music, Facebook, SiriusXM and Pandora, Spotify, TIDAL, and YouTube Music have announced today they are contributing to the MusiCares COVID-19 Relief Fund to support music industry workers in need.

"The music community is in great need so The Recording Academy greatly appreciates the collective support and emergency aid that this coalition of music industry and tech leaders has provided," said Harvey Mason jr, Recording Academy Interim President/CEO. "We hope these partnerships inspire other organizations to stand behind the music community in this time of great uncertainty. We continue to encourage our peers to embrace the collaborative power of music and to support impacted industry professionals in both trying and good times."

The COVID-19 Relief Fund was established to provide monetary support to the thousands of music creators and industry professionals who have been most affected by the Coronavirus pandemic due to the unprecedented cancellation of music events and work opportunities. Since the fund’s establishment last week, MusiCares and the Recording Academy have raised millions more than the initial $2 million to start the COVID-19 Relief Fund, thanks to its esteemed partners, but more is needed.

With this fund, music industry professionals including artists, production crews, technicians, and anyone impacted by the loss of income due to live music event cancelations, can apply for basic living assistance.

Beyond the initial donations, all Recording Academy Chapters have committed to fundraising in their local communities. Additionally, the Recording Academy appealed to Congress to further protect musicians, performers, songwriters, and studio professionals such as self-employed gig workers who are impacted by cancellations due to the ongoing pandemic. Further updates and announcements regarding additional partnerships will be announced in the coming days.

If you wish to support our efforts to assist music professionals in need, visit: https://www.grammy.com/MusiCares/CoronavirusReliefFund

If you are a member of the music industry in need of assistance, visit: musicares.org.