Money’s tight for everyone. If you’re lucky enough to be working from home you’re ahead of the game but just about everyone aside from remote workers and essential services have found their livelihoods curtailed. Including, lest we forget, music artists and other performers. It’s tough to make a living when your business model relies on getting large numbers of folks into the same venue.

Music app JOOX has an initiative running at the moment that hopes to help artists out a little. Called Gig 2 Earn, the program isn’t a new one. It’s been around for some time but it’s become more important than ever. JOOX currently offers artists R1,500 for a 30-minute live performance on its app, streamed out to users. Which, before you say it, isn’t a whole lot of cash. But it’s a start and, with enough support, that payday might just go up. Live-streamed performances may be with us for a while, after all.

How can I take part?

Actually, there are a couple of ways for you to get involved. You can watch the gigs as they take place, inside the JOOX Music app. The first major event takes place tomorrow evening from 8 PM and features Cassper Nyovest, but other big-name artists are also on the roster in the coming weeks. Plus, if you miss a live performance, you can catch up later via the app.

If you’re an artist, you can head over to the Gig 2 Earn website and sign up — but be aware that, right now, the service is fully booked. Keep an eye on matters for when there are more openings, however. There will be more slots along but there is a vetting process that you’ll have to clear. It’s not just a case of ‘sign up, get slot’. You’ll need to be able to back up your ambitions in order to score one of the (for now) eight nightly slots on the service.

And if you’re a business or a brand who actually still has some income coming in, you can support the initiative financially. JOOX is looking for sponsors to help fund the lockdown-alleviating program, with 100% of donations going towards artists. More money means more slots for performances, perhaps a larger payday for artists and more live music for South African fans — even if we’re all stuck at home for the foreseeable future.