Question: In the time of covid-19, how do you host a party when you are in lockdown with your family unit?

✔Nashville based singer, Ashley E. Norton: “Yesterday I was hired to play for a virtual happy hour, making me one of the only musicians I know with a paid gig.

According to the BBC, as of March 25, 2020, around 2.6 billion people worldwide are under lockdown, as a result of the covid-19 pandemic BBC [March 25, 2020].  By the time you read this that stat would have escalated.

For the vast majority of people, the abrupt loss of income, will mean that there is no money for luxuries. Others may want to still celebrate birthdays and milestone events and may be thrilled to hear about this solution for a bespoke music gig during covid-19.

Nashville based singer, Ashley E. Norton has shown how it can work. Her first virtual singing gig went out “live” – albeit “virtually live”- a few days ago via Zoom. It was fun. The client was thrilled and has told Norton that she is likely to be booked again.

The concept of #chooselive has been put on hold during the time of the virus, so I was intrigued at the notion of “a virtual live performance” when I read Norton’s post on Instagram @vagabondvoice. She enthused: “Yesterday I was hired to play for a virtual happy hour, making me one of the only musicians I know with a paid gig. So I put on my favourite purple dress, and set up for my show on my parents red couch. It brought me tears of joy to feel like I had purpose. Not only for me, but also the guests. By the end of it, almost everyone had tears. A group of friends that are used to an active social life got to laugh, dance; listen to live music, eat and drink. Feeling some sort of normalcy for just a couple of hours. What an amazing moment to be part of.”

Norton hails from Arizona. She moved to Nashville in 2010 and subsequently started a band Whitherward http://whitherward.com. She says: “We’ve been on a permanent tour for the past six years. I make my money playing live music but during the pandemic, live music came to a halt. I need to get crafty. So I launched a few online platforms.” 

How do you organize a virtual happy hour?

Norton: “The host creates a link on a platform such as Zoom. They send out an invite with a link, and everyone can just join. Your squares pull up like the Brady Bunch and pretty much everyone is talking at once. Which seems chaotic but somehow, it worked. You can hire your favorite musician too. And if you don’t want to front that bill, I’d recommend asking donations from your guests- the ones who still have jobs, anyway.”

Logistics of setting up a virtual gig

I asked Norton for more information as to the logistics: “Basically, the host sets up everything and just dials me in. The host would need to do on their end. But it can be catered to any occasion. Anyone can call me in for anything. Absolutely to a big party and absolutely be shared for a screen… So everyone tuning in can either be in different locations, or if they’re in one location, they can just skype or video call me in for a live concert. There are so many options that can be catered to anyone’s need. It’s a pretty cool technology world we live in.”

It is a cool solution for people who want to party during lockdown and it provides opportunity for creatives to generate income. Most practitioners work on a freelance basis in the domain of live performance. A virtual happy hour ticks multiple boxes – an opportunity to host a party and the opportunity for a creative to earn cash.

Rates for a virtual happy hour

Norton:  “I’m running a special right now at just $150 for 1-2 hours, since it’s online. And if you can’t pay for it yourself, I’d recommend asking donations from your guests. I normally charge much more for in person shows. I play songs to make you laugh and songs to make you sing along. It can be either background music or a full on concert, whatever you think your community will like best. It’s a beautiful experience for you and your friends or family. All you have to do is launch your zoom platform and e-mail me at ashleysart@gmail.com. And we can get things started. You can invite as many people as you want to zoom.”

Patreon – creatives supported by ‘patrons’

In addition to gigging on Zoom, Norton has a perch on Patreon– a membership platform – based in California. Members become ‘patrons’. Creators/creatives offer “a subscription content service”. Creatives generally pay a percentage of income to Patreon – unless another arrangement has been made. The advantage is that there is no middle person or manager and that the income goes directly to the artist. Productions costs are minimal. There is no promoter; venue hire, posters to print.  Each artist offers its patrons benefits –depending on the tier that has been selected. Norton’s deal: “I showcase one original song per week and it’s a lot of fun.” The pay in is from five dollars a week for content. Depending on the tier, patrons get access to add-ons and special deals. Link: http://patreon.com/thevagabondvoice

Image credit: KGallagher Photography – supplied.

Music advisory

✔To contact Ashley E. Norton, e-mail her on: ashleysart@gmail.com