As bars and concert halls to close because of the April pandemic, René Kladzyk and his music label was deciding what to do with his latest recordings – release them on a new album as planned in the fall or wait.

“We had a lot of discussion about whether to hold the exit until it was possible to shoot,” Kladzyk said. “Because it’s so much harder to sell records and… even break a release if you don’t spin it. “

Kladzyk is not the only one in this conundrum. The music industry is still figuring out how to move forward during the pandemic with live performances, for the most part, always canceled. Bars where a lot of bands have played have a limited capacity, if they are open at all.

For so many musicians balancing art with side concerts to pay the bills, the economic crisis caused by COVID-19 has complicated matters further. As Kladzyk debated her album release, she lost one of those side gigs – the waitress – to the pandemic.

And although music streaming has become more popular in these last months, most of this income does not reach independent artists like Kladzyk.

Many artists have had to adapt. Eric slick, drummer with rock band Dr Dog, returned to teaching, which he has not done for years, let alone remotely.

After the pandemic hit, Slick went out of work. He says it was hard to get used to teaching Zoom lessons. “With the battery in particular, it’s very difficult to diagnose issues, with people’s play or their technique through a camera screen,” he said.

Some artists are starting to perform live outdoors. Smash Mouth’s performance at a motorcycle rally in South Dakota in August went viral for all the wrong reasons: The rally has been linked to several hundred Case of covid19.

Slick says Dr. Dog isn’t trying to court controversy with an in-person gig. At most, he has done live virtual shows, mostly for charity. “You know, I have ups and downs,” he says. “There are days when I feel like I don’t know if I’ll have a career in live music again.”

Kladzyk released his album, “True Romantic,” last month after all. She just doesn’t know what to do with it now. She is not going to tour and does not like the feel of virtual shows.

Kladzyk has a new job: writing for the site Questions from El Paso. She says she feels lucky to have an income. “Music will always matter to people, and people need music during the global pandemic. Maybe more than in less stressful circumstances, ”she said.

But at least for now, that won’t be how she pays her bills.