Stuff To Do In a Quarantine
We are entering week three of what will forever be known as The Quarantine. It’s fucking weird man. There’s a sort of insane fear that we are all living under and I think none of us really know how it’s going to go from here other than that – it can’t continue like this without people starting to go well and truly crazy. As we adjust to quarantine life I wanted to talk about several key non-musical activities you can be doing to help grow your band that are even quarantine friendly! It’s going to be important to stay busy in the next few weeks so I wanted to outline how giveaways, trying your hand at music journalism, engaging with people directly on social media and learning new skills can really help push your band forward in what is a trying time for everyone in the world.
4. How Giveaways Can Help!
Right now people are REALLY bored and they are looking for just about anything to do. One thing that you can do which is going to get a lot more eyeballs on your band and get the ball rolling a little bit more is going to be running giveaways for your band. This can be anything from just posting on your Facebook that you’d like to giveaway a few LPs to doing something more in-depth. My favorite is to find 3-4 other bands you’re friends with, each put an LP into the pool for a giveaway and then direct everyone to the same landing page. This means that everyone is borrowing from everyone else’s fan bases and we are maximizing our ability to grow our respective lists. Who wouldn’t want something like that?
3. Why Not Try Music Journalism?
If you start doing stuff as a music journalist now you are going to get access to people. By engaging in music journalism you are going to have the chance to interview all manner of musicians who are doing more interviews than ever because again – they are BORED. You need to appreciate this and take advantage of it as much as possible. The people who engage in music journalism are able to make a ton of friends, not just with bands too. It’s a great way to do favors for managers or booking agents in a way that isn’t corny. Instead, you are offering something people are genuinely grateful for (Press coverage) and not asking for anything in return – just improving your general standing.
2. Engage Now More Than Ever!
Again – as a result of people being at home and bored it means that now more than ever you can engage with people at scale and in a meaningful way. People who might never have spoken to you before are a lot more likely to open up in the DM’s. Why? Because they have nothing else to do and we are all in this together. People are showing each other a level of compassion that’s really encouraging to see and means that if you want to establish relationships in a way that isn’t trying to take advantage of people then now is a great time to do it. This is the moment where you can really make friends and show your compassion to others. Everyone needs a shoulder to cry on right now so start trying to connect a little bit harder.
1. New Skills To Tackle
This one plays on your newfound free time. With all that time you would be going to the bar or out to eat or whatever – why not focus on learning a new skill while in quarantine? There are so many to learn. I personally am studying SEO and German both skills that I think would really help my career in the long run. Other people I see are studying Facebook ads, photo editing or business. There’s so much you can teach yourself just by buying a few books or watching some YouTube videos. Make a point of spending an hour a day on self-education and improvement – I think it will lead to some very real personal growth that you are going to be grateful for in the long run!
Point being – each of these points above can seriously help your band – so dig in, fall in love and educate yourself!
MATT BACON
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Matt Bacon is a consultant, A&R man, and journalist specializing in the world of heavy metal. Having worked with everyone from Glam Rock icon Phil Collen of Def Leppard, to post Black Metal titans Alcest, by way of legendary thrashers Exhorder as well as labels including Prophecy Productions and Ripple Music, he has dedicated his life to helping young bands develop. Having started his own blog at the age of 14 he views his career in artist development as ‘a hobby that got out of hand’. In 2015 he formed Dropout Media in order to better support the artists he loves. We sit here now, years later with countless tours booked, records released and deals signed, and loving every minute of it.
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