The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted Québec musicians in the industry. Canada’s “I lost my gig” survey recorded the cancellation of over 25,000 gigs, amounting to a loss of 16.6 million dollars (Jeanotte, 2021). With the majority of musicians depending on live shows and ‘gigging’, how have some artists found creative and innovative ways to earn a living?

I had a conversation with two Québec artists that have adapted their streams of income during the Pandemic. Their resilience and adaptability to change is a model for how other musicians can sustain their livelihood moving forward. 

Guillaume Jabbour, a musician raised in Lachute, a town in southwest Québec, suddenly faced, like many musicians, the cancellation of a long-awaited tour with his band Jabbour. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, approximately 30% of his revenue was earned from touring and from live performances or corporate shows.

Regarding how other musicians can sustain their livelihood he stated that “it is important for artists to have a safety net or plan B.” This statement has never been more true than during the COVID-19 pandemic, which amongst many things, has limited live shows and gigs. Pre-pandemic Jabbour already had multiple streams of income ranging from music royalties from satellite radio, touring, to school and community workshops due through the English Language Arts Network (ELAN). 

When asked how his music career has changed since the start of the pandemic, Jabbour says that he is now heavily involved in the digital arts. Instead of focusing on online shows that are unreliable at generating income (except for some tips), he has begun to create podcasts. His work at ELAN (specifically, Artists Inspire Grants), animating interactive music workshops to students at schools, has successfully transitioned completely online. 

“taking work not related to… (music) takes time away from your art”

With other musicians reaching out to ELAN, for contracts to teach music workshops at schools, he has been able to help other artists find work related to music. Jabbour expressed that many artists had to find work that is unrelated to their art given the precarious nature of the ‘gig economy’ that characterizes the music industry. He is grateful to be able to help some musicians continue to work in the arts, mentioning that “taking work not related to… (music) takes time away from your art”. 

Louise Campbell, a musician from Montréal, and ELAN ArtEd’s Public Relations and Communications consultant expressed similar sentiments towards the ‘gig economy’. As a musician and community-engaged artist, she enjoys playing shows without relying on these performances to generate an income. The majority of her income is acquired by facilitating music and participatory art workshops and consultant work for ELAN, the Canadian New Music Network, and other organizations. Her career development sessions teach musicians the necessity of developing ‘soft skills’ and a diverse work portfolio. These teachings explore ways to diversify musicians' streams of income. Skills that have become essential to earn a living during the COVID 19 pandemic. 

With reference to ELAN’s Artists Inspire Grants’ success at offering contracts to musicians to work at schools, Campbell explains that “people don’t necessarily perceive (workshops) as a performance and workshops translate well to an online format.” She shares that ELAN’s workshops were able to quickly adapt online because key people were available to help artists get up to speed on the skills necessary to respond to online programming. 

Ultimately, ELAN’s workshops have succeeded in adversity by offering more contracts to artists since the start of the COVID 19 pandemic, partially due to the demand for the online workshops. But Campbell remains optimistic about work resuming in person. She insightfully shares that the “COVID 19 will have lasting impacts on the arts, but I do not think… (performances) will stay… (online) because one of the things the arts does is bring people together.” A message we should all keep in mind during these tough times.

Learn more about Jabbour (Guillaume's band).

Learn more about Louise Campbell and her projects: Dark Sky Preserve & Stories of Care

Learn more about ELAN ArtistsInspire.