How To: support musicians in 2019





Hey everyone!

Happy New Year!
2019 is here and ready to unfold.

So how many new years resolutions have you got on your list?
Mind adding one more?
It's not a big one, you know, like "exercise more" or "eat less chocolate" - because those are hard, right?
Instead, it's a fun one - one that helps out a lot of people.

Your favourite artists to be precise.

We would like to add "support music" to everyone's new years resolutions.
Creating art is an expensive and time/energy consuming task - yet the world would be so dull without art.
To support those who spoil us with songs to dance, cry and relax to, we would like to dedicate this year to helping musicians (and artists in general).

To make it a little bit easier to get started, we wrote this little guide on how to support musicians in 2019.


1) buy music instead of streaming
We all know that buying music from the artists will help them more than streaming it.
While the do get paid for streams, it's very little. Buying singles, EPs & albums helps them more - of course. Still distributors, labels, managements, etc all get a percentage of the money, but at the end of the day the artists make more cents than from streaming.

2) if you can't buy it, stream it - a lot
If the first point made you think "well, I don't have that much money to buy all the music I love" - I get it, I'm right there with you. 
Life is expensive and we all have our bills. So if you can't buy an album, just stream it as often as you can. Even if the percentage the artists receive is smaller, it's still money for them.

3) buy merch
Don't worry, not all of these pieces of advice will involve spending money - they are just the most affective, so we felt like sharing them first.
So yeah, buy merch. Whether that's the cool band shirt, the environmentally friendly tote bag, the cozy hoodie or the practical mug - if you want it and you have the money, buy it.
You'll be helping out your favourite musicians while getting something pretty cool at the same time.

4) support crowdfunding campaigns
They are a newer way of artists getting funding for their projects.
There are multiple website through which these can be hosted - but generally all of them work the same way: you pay a certain amount of money (you can usually decide yourself) - either monthly or just as a one time thing, you receive a reward for it and the artists can use the money to complete whichever project it is they are working on. (Examples are recording sessions, getting physical copies, funding a tour, etc.


5) go see them live - and share clips on social media
With this one you're completing three tasks at the same time! Efficiency at its best!
Go and see your favourite acts live - that way you support them with ticket sales, but you also support them emotionally - it's a win win!
For some bonus points - share a short clip of your favourite song with your friends & followers - maybe that way you can influence them to go and see the artists themselves.
Wouldn't that be cool? 

6) follow them online
Online being the key word here - don't be a creep!
Nowadays followers, subscribers & likes are a lot like currency. Creators depend a lot on their social media interactions, so you can easily help them out by finding their platforms and following them.
Write comments, re-tweet, like pictures and share their music when you can and you're helping to keep art alive.

7) tell them you care
It's 2019.
We've all got another year of hustling in front of us - and while that's super exciting, it can also be a bit intimidating without having a solid support system.
Artists, if they haven't reached the highest level of fame, are most likely under-appreciated. And as anyone would know, that can be pretty discouraging. So - reach out to your favourites - tell them you care, encourage them to keep going, tell them what their art means to you. You're going to be surprised by the replies you'll get.

- bonus - 

8) host living room shows
This one is optional, of course. But if you can - try hosting living room shows.
A lot of artists are looking for rooms to play in - they usually announce that via their social media platforms - one more reason to follow them.
If you have the space, invite a couple of friends and get the most intimate gig experience one can have.
(We've done it before and shared the experience with you.)


And those are the few tips we wanted to share with you!

Let us know what you think - and please also share any additional tips you might have.


Together we can keep indie art alive.





Thank you for your visit!
















Credits // Words & Image: Vanessa Jetwash

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