COVID-19 financially crippled many hundreds of Bay Area arts-and-entertainment performers over the past year.
The âstarving musiciansâ category swelled exponentially, for example, because many lacked digital skills needed to overcome gig loss triggered by in-person venues closing. Noteworthy exceptions exist, however.
Pianist-singer Mike Greensill draws roughly 1,000 viewers each Monday, Wednesday and Friday to his livestreams on Facebook. They take a lot of time, he says. I have to plan and plan.
His viewers ante up via PayPal and Venmo for shows that extract tunes from the 20s to the early 60s. Greensill says he s been doing well, but it s up and down. Some weeks, he makes a lot, while during others, he makes practically nothing. Even so, he enjoys streaming.