There is no doubt that the Peoria Area music scene and anyone connected to it has been hit hard by the pandemic and related shut-downs. Some artists are live streaming and some are waiting it out, looking forward to upcoming shows when life gets back to normal.

While I understand the reasoning, I have to say, nobody should be sitting this out, especially if they count on their income as a musician to make ends meet.

Not live streaming means fans are being left on the couch and money is being left in their pockets now. But it also means a future revenue stream is likely being cut off, or at the very least delayed. The sooner artists & bands become comfortable with live streaming, the better.

New Normal of Live

More and more fans are getting used to connecting with their favorite artists online. Yes, they are seeing the concerts, but they are also seeing other videos that are about more than just sharing music. They are seeing more personality, more behind the scenes content, and enjoying the possibility of an increased chance that the connections they make will be mutual… as in, “They said my name when I complimented them.”

Fans won’t want to stop just because we’re finally able to see a band perform in person. In fact, seeing someone on a live video is more likely to make them come out to a show when it is possible again. Increasing an online audience now, will very likely increase the in-person audience in the future.

What I referred to a couple years ago as an “I saw them back when” moment will, in the future be a “they responded to some of my comments back before anyone else knew who they were” moment.

Revenue isn’t Just About Tips

Artists who go live should absolutely have a way for people to send tips virtually. Whether asking fans to support the band, tip with requests, or reminding them about the merch page, artists should have as many easy ways for fans to donate as possible. Right now PayPal, Venmo, and CashApp are the most popular.

If you don’t have CashApp yet, you can support Peoria Music Live by clicking this link and setting it up! CashApp will give us both $5 if you use it to pay anyone!

Virtual tips are fantastic, but there are more ways to increase income than just playing and reminding fans there is a virtual tip jar available.

Artists consistently reaching a good number of people should also consider seeking out sponsorship, which is a really flexible option that can look different for everyone.

Sponsorships can come in the form of money, but they can also come in the form of free food or a business gift certificate. Maybe a local business will pay an artist to wear their t-shirt and mention them a few times throughout the show. But maybe its a restaurant who will trade for food instead. Many smaller, locally owned businesses would be interested in trading goods or services for advertising. (And if they are sponsoring a show, it only makes sense they would share the love stream on their social media as well.)

Imagine an artist ordering a giant tenderloin on a livestream and when it arrived they showed everyone and then had to end the show because it looked & smelled so amazing? Maybe the artist gets the food for free and everyone else who is sitting at home watching and hungry is realizing where they are ordering from next.

If an artist runs their own business, their show should absolutely be sponsored by it. They don’t need to pay themselves anything (although they could) but the business gets free advertising from the show! For those of you who don’t know already, I own Hire A Housewife, a Peoria Area cleaning service. That’s why HAH sponsors so many things at PML!

One of my favorite ideas is offering a drawing for free merch if people order from the place who is sponsoring the show. The thought of having and shipping merch might give an artist pause, especially if the sponsorship is for food vs money, unless of course…

Offering Merch Doesn’t Mean What You Think It Means

Sure, t-shirts and koozies and CDs are awesome… but they come with drawbacks, especially for a smaller or newer (or poorer) band. Luckily for those artists, virtual band/artist merch has never been hotter. I can and probably will write a post solely about virtual band merch at some point, but here are just a few ideas.

• Song Downloads

• Printable Art Downloads

  • With a release for it to be printed at their local printer.

  • If you have band posters you can print and sell, you also have band posters you can sell and they can print.

• Personalized Videos

  • If you haven’t seen the app Cameo, check it out. You can offer videos like these directly to your fans.

  • *Artists sending Personalized Birthday Videos, should make up their own birthday song since “Happy Birthday to You” is copyrighted.

• Access to an online after-show experience

  • Artists can give fans a Zoom code and have them come hang out there for an hour after the show. (You can charge a certain price for it, but also give a few away.)

• A video of outtakes

  • Fans love seeing their favorite artists being silly

• An ebook of song inspirations.

  • Fans also love when artists get personal and real… and they love having access to something not everyone else has.

When merch is virtual, artists can give more away as part of building their fanbase. Because Facebook Live tells page owners so much about their analytics, artists can choose to hold drawings for virtual merch for everything from sharing the live stream, to liking their band page, to tipping.

Summer Camp 2019 performer Andy Frasco went live every Thursday for a few months earlier this year and had viewers tip $4.20 to be entered into a drawing for a guitar. Giveaways don’t have to be big though!

Livestreaming on Peoria Music Live
Last week I reached out to local bands and artists with an offer to live stream on the Peoria Music Live Facebook page. That offer is still open to anyone who wants to go live. You can read more about that by clicking the picture below.

You can find our current calendar of live performances here.
(Tell your favorite artist you’d love to see them fill the empty spaces!)