Thinking about the changes
I woke up thinking about how much COVID-19 changed my profession. Some things are returning to normal, but others have changed permanently (or as permanent as such things are).
I was showing a friend my desk set up. I no longer give in-person lessons so I’m set up to do online lessons. I have a very nice microphone plugged into my computer, and I’m flanked by a pair of monitor speakers and a pair of video lights so I don’t end up looking like I’m in a FBI witness protection program. Next to my desk is my music stand. All I need to do is swivel my chair and I’m ready to go. To be sure, I was doing some of this before the pandemic, but most of my teaching was done at a music school and what little I did online was kind of a makeshift approach. Now it’s all online and my set up is very purposeful.
A guitarist that I follow online posted a picture this morning of her home set up as she was preparing to shoot a video for YouTube. She teaches and performs so it is absolutely imperative that she posts on social media regularly. She has an impressive amount of what looks to be high quality equipment in her NYC apartment.
Another friend released his debut CD last summer. Although it’s on a prestigious label, he did all of the recording himself. He did a lot of research and purchased all of the gear he needed and then found a local church that would let him come in, set up, and record on certain evenings. It took quite a bit of time but he was able to create a recording that sounds amazing. In subsequent conversations we’ve talked about several other, high profile musicians who do much the same.
I was chatting with an old friend over the weekend. He owns a very nice but small project studio. I recorded all of my CDs and other specialty projects there. I’m not sure he’s big enough to record an entire band for commercial release, but he has everything that a solo guitarist would need for a proper release. I didn’t need a large studio with truck loads of equipment. And his hourly rates are proportional to my needs. However as we chatted I mentioned that my current reasons for recording are not to make a CD but to help my students and occasionally put something on social media. So I record sitting here at my desk. The quality isn’t quite as good as I get at his studio, but it’s cheap and convenient and good enough.
In the process of setting up my work space I watched a lot of videos (YouTube University) and got some great ideas about what I would need. It seems a lot of people are doing things by themselves now. My friend said as much. Apparently many small recording studios have gone out of business because of the DYI approach to small recording projects.
In a recent podcast I listened to two guitarists were discussing the importance of a musician being able to make a quality recording. Their ability to make and sustain a career in today’s atmosphere is dependent upon that as much as their musical talent. I’m pretty sure this would have happened without the pandemic, but I’m sure this sped things up quite a bit.
When I interview a guest for my podcast one of my questions is, “How has the pandemic changed your art and the way you do business?” There are as many answers as there are artists but I’ve never heard, “It hasn’t.” There are always changes directly related.
Extreme events always force change and they always have. Those who are able to take advantage usually make out pretty good. But there are always those who wait for things to get back to normal without realizing that “normal” has changed. I’ll let others decide if this is better or worse, but for the moment in seems to be here to stay.
