We sent a question two weeks ago asking musicians if live gigs have now increased, compared to the time immediately before Covid. Result: About one third said it has increased, one third said it is worse, and one third said it’s about the same. Check out the variety of some replies:
The gigs have been fair. But not as much as before. We have to do more footwork in order to get gigs now. Everyone is standing back a bit, meaning clients, because the money is not there like it was before. It’s just slower for commercial gigs and also private. I think it will take a good while for the economy to kick back in,
People paid to have cable TV and stayed home more after Covid. Many are getting past 55 now and most say they dont drive at night. I started doing my shows starting at 7pm and the closing acts end at midnight instead of 2am like before so this has helped.
Some of my touring buddies have not gone out as much but others can barely stay off the road because they are so busy. The music hustle is what you make of it for each individual.
I've performed in casinos since 1982. After 2020, most of those gigs have dried up. We talk to people all over and it's a different world now. All the rules have changed. Lounge gigs are disappearing and replaced by tribute acts in the show rooms making about the same that lounge bands used to make. Hopefully things will change but right now it doesn't compare to pre 2020.
Business has steadily improved after covid, but not back to pre-covid level. I play at mostly retirement communities in Florida, and those venues got hit hard during covid. The post-covid gig economy has recovered to about half of what it was before.
It's returned to about the same since all the gigs were canceled in 2020 but, some of the acts that are getting gigs out there are not what I would consider the best the Northwest has to offer….
I don’t know about local levels because obviously that can vary from city to city but on a national touring level it has definitely gotten back to normal if not increased more. Look at all the bands going out on tour this year. Stadium shows and residencies. Quite a bit going on.
For original bands gigs are no better than before Covid but I suppose for cover acts that could be different.
It has been hard for jazz bands. Solos and duos seem to be able to get most of the gigs. Pay is lousy. Worse than before pandemic.
All the places on the East Coast that had entertainment before covid got back up to speed after covid and hired musicians again. But this last year, everything is starting to slow down because of the capricious economy (most of the employers of musicians here are restaurants and some of them are going out of business). But some concert venues in nearby cities are getting bigger-name acts than they had been able to get before. Musicians used to retire from touring when they got to be middle-aged but in the last 25 years, many bands that retired from touring have geared up and gone on the road again to pay their mortgages.
I always swore I’d never play in a tribute band but they are the ones making money. I finally realized that most are simply glorified top 40 bands. So now I’m in one and we are doing better than before stinking Covid!
Hustling gigs is like anything else – the more you hustle and hype the more action you will get. My band is getting more jobs now, or at least the same, as before Covid, partly because we hustle, and partly because I think there are actually less good bands out there competing for the same gigs, because some of them vanished or gave up during and after Covid.
Thanks to all of the others who replied to our newsletter.
