If you’re out of school, you know it can be hard to find performance opportunities. Luckily, almost anyone can set up an online concert.
Then, you can continue to share music with the world. You may even be able to turn it into a small income stream.
Before we get into the tips, this post contains affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy to learn more.
Choose Your Repertoire
First, you’ll want to decide what you’ll play on your online concert. To help choose repertoire, consider what you like playing. You can also think about if you’ll give a solo recital or if you’ll have collaborators.
Another option is to choose a theme for your concert. Maybe you want to perform music by minorities. Or you might look for pieces that are all about certain things, like birds.
If you want to perform soon, you may want to stick to music you’ve already played. That can help you narrow your search for repertoire to include. Then, you can start practicing the rep.
Find Your Collaborators
If you want to play with others, you should find those people now. That way, you won’t get to work on repertoire only to learn you can’t play it. Ask other musicians you know if they’re willing to participate.
Then, you can choose music that works for everyone. You can also schedule any rehearsals that you’ll need before the online concert.
Of course, you don’t have to play with other musicians. Giving a solo performance is a bit more flexible. But do what works for you and what may help you meet your goals.
Figure Out the Location
Just because the concert will be online doesn’t mean you can ignore the venue. Of course, you can set up a camera and perform from your bedroom or practice studio.
But if you’re playing with others, you may want to perform somewhere else. That way, there will be space for everyone. And you may need to play in another venue if you’re playing with a pianist.
If you don’t have a good piano in your home, you have to go somewhere. You can ask your collaborators for options. Or you can ask local churches and community centers if you can borrow the space.
No matter where you give the recital, you’ll need good lighting and a good internet connection. That way, your audience can see you. And if you want to allow in-person viewing, you’ll need space for that.
Select a Date
Next, you need to decide when you’ll give your online concert. If it’s just you, you only have to think about your schedule. But with collaborators, you need to know when they’re available.
In any case, you should consider how long it will take to learn the rep. If you’re playing music you know, you can give the performance within a month.
But when you’re learning all new music, it could take longer. Think about how much time you have to practice. And of course, consult with your chosen venue to see when they’re free.
Decide on a Digital Platform
Another important part of an online concert is how you’ll stream the performance. A common option is to use Zoom, YouTube, or both. For my second graduate recital, my professor set up a Zoom link.
The university also streamed it on YouTube for anyone to watch. Zoom is free, but you can’t have multiple people watching for more than 4o minutes.
YouTube is free to use as well, and I don’t believe there are any limits. But you can use other software, like StreamYard, especially if you want to interact with viewers during the concert.
Set a Price
Something that can affect the platform you use is if you’ll charge for the concert. If so, you may want to stick to a private Zoom call. But you can also give the concert for free with a public YouTube stream.
Charging for concerts is a very personal decision. On the one hand, you may want to get paid. But you also might want to use the concert to expand your audience, so playing for free can be smart.
You can also offer a free concert and accept donations. That way, people can support you if they choose. However, they can watch without paying if they can’t afford to pay.
Make a Practice Plan
Of course, you can’t give a successful online concert without practicing the music! At this point, you need to figure out when you can practice and for how long.
Make sure your practice schedule is realistic for the music and the date of your performance. Give yourself time to refine the music after you learn it so that you can do your best.
If you’re going to have collaborators, you should schedule rehearsals with them. That way, you can work on the pieces together, and you can work through any kinks.
Market Your Online Concert
Another essential step to take before the event is to market your online concert. Social media is an excellent option because it’s free. You can share the details with people who follow you and who want to hear about your projects.
If you don’t have much of an audience, you can start to build one. I’ve used Instagram to promote a lot of my music projects.
Be sure to create plenty of content about your concert. You can even preview short clips of the music you’ll play to help get people interested. Then, you may get more ticket sales.
Do a Test Run
As the concert date gets closer, you should do a test run. For one, this is a good chance to go through all of the music in order and without stopping. However, you should also practice the technological part.
Make sure you have all of the necessary accounts for the platforms you want to use. And if you need to upgrade to a paid Zoom plan, you can do that now so that you don’t kick people off during the concert.
Ask some family or friends to tune into your test run. Get their feedback on what it’s like to watch the concert. Then, you can make any adjustments before you do the real thing.
Give the Performance
You’ve practiced and scheduled everything. Now, you’re ready to enjoy yourself and perform the best online concert of your life.
When the day arrives, I’d recommend taking it easy before the concert. Drink some water, but not too much to where you’ll have to pee all day.
Have some calming foods, like bananas. If you’re performing outside of your home, get to the venue plenty early so that you can set up. When the time arrives, you can perform for people all over the world.
How to Make Money With an Online Concert
Giving an online concert can be an excellent way to make money. Now, it may not be the most lucrative, at least not at first.
However, you have a few monetization options to consider. If you want to increase your earning potential, test at least a couple of them.
Sell Tickets
The most straightforward way to make money with a concert is to sell tickets. You can sell them for $5 or $10, so you don’t need to break the bank. Most people can afford that amount.
However, some people may not want to pay for a concert. This is especially true if they don’t know how you sound or know if they’ll like watching you.
But if you have experience or have shared your recordings for free, you might be able to make some money from paid tickets.
Become a YouTube Partner
Another option is to work to join the YouTube Partner Program. Your channel needs at least 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch time hours in the last year. Then, you can earn ad revenue on all of your videos.
That includes livestreams, and you can leave your concert up for people to watch later. You can continue to make money off of all of your videos, and you don’t have to charge people.
The program lets you create channel memberships as well. So you could create exclusive content for members. Maybe you give a pre- or post-concert talk, but you only share the video with members to encourage people to join your channel.
Promote Yourself
An online concert can be the perfect way to promote yourself. If you want to get more performing gigs, you can share that you’re a performer. Maybe you get a local church director to watch your performance.
They could contact you after and ask you to play at their church. Or they could connect you with engaged couples getting married there. Then, you could get some wedding gigs.
This strategy can also work if you’re a private teacher. You can share that you offer lessons, and any students watching may contact you to learn more.
Find Sponsors
If you have a decent-sized audience, you can get a brand to sponsor your online concert. Creators in other fields do this all the time with videos. You can negotiate a flat rate that the brand pays you.
Then, after you give the concert, the brand can send you a check for your work. Depending on the agreement, you may only need to mention their name once. Or you might talk about them in the description or in your promos leading up to the concert.
If the concert goes well, the sponsor may want to work with you again. Then, you can get more work and money for performing.
How Will You Give an Online Concert?
Giving an online concert can be a great way to get performing experience and make a bit of money. Be sure you take the right steps now to set your concert up for success.
Then, you can increase the chances of doing a good job. That could help you get more work in the future.
If you need some flute sheet music for your next concert, head to Flute Files!
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