DJS and bands that used to perform at the clubs have had to look for alternative jobs to sustain themselves in the last 18 months as the Covid-19 pandemic puts paid to their regular gigs and income.

Some have become fitness instructors and cryptocurrency traders. Others have gone into business.

While some are earning substantially less, others found themselves doing surprisingly well in their new ventures.

Clubs and pubs have been closed since the first movement control order was issued in March last year. The nation once again went into a full lockdown on June 1 and will remain so until June 28.

Aizad Fauzi, the drummer for the band Arjuna, said he takes odd jobs such as house painting and teaches drums to make up for lost income.

“I’ve had to resort to different odds jobs. Some related to music, most not. My income is up and down, but the household income is still okay.

“Luckily my wife is also working; on her part it is okay, but my income has good days and bad days,” Aizad told The Malaysian Insight.

Aizad was a full-time musician. He had been playing with Arjuna for more than two years, making about RM1,500 a week performing at the pubs, when the coronavirus struck last year.

The band performed at Tom, Dick and Harry’s in Ara Damansara and Bangsar, and The Tree House in Solaris, Mont Kiara, prior to the health crisis.

Aizad, who has two kids, said he had some money set aside.

“For now I take music-related work that I can do from home, such as live-streaming. People also hire me to programme music. I can do this in my studio at home.”

His two bandmates have turned to studio work such as mixing albums for singers and working at a music store.

Melissa-Jo Lim, who has manned the turntables at such clubs at Kyo in Mandarin Oriental, Wicked at W Hotel, and Dragonfly, said she pivoted to become a full-time fitness instructor to make ends meet.

“During the first lockdown (in March 2020) I did a few online shows for Kyo, nothing after that. Three months into the lockdown and clubs and gyms weren’t allowed to open, I started training to become a full-time instructor. I also got certified as a personal trainer. Now I’m into fitness full-time” she said.

Lim is now working at Flyproject, where she teaches weights training, high-intensity interval training and spin classes online.

But Lim said she is struggling financially as her income has taken a severe hit.

“It’s quite impossible to reach what I was making as a DJ, especially when you’re used to the lifestyle. My lifestyle now is very different. I have to really watch (my spending),” she said.

Lim said in the past 15 months, she has lost at least RM100,000 in income – money she would have made from DJ gigs at home and overseas.

Cryptocurrency and bread sells

Guitarist Michael Eric Peris of the band Kaya can count on his cryptocurrency investments to tide him through the pandemic.

“I had some savings, also I had investments in cryptocurrency. That has helped a lot.

“My mum got breast cancer last year; I’m living with her right now so I’m looking after the family,” he said.

Peris, formerly a real estate agent, committed to being in the band full time as it was making him decent money.

“We decided to commit to the band because it was sustaining us quite well, more than what the nine to five was paying. Between the five of us, we make between RM3,000 to RM4,500 a month in 2019,” he said.

The band used to play at The Iron Fairies KL, Le Noir and Pisco Bar. They also performed at weddings and corporate events.

Peris’ other band members have taken up jobs as graphic artist, music teacher and opened up a pop up store to make ends meet.

He said when the entertainment industry finally reopens, the band cannot go back to relying on it as a steady source of income and will have to look for side hustles.

“We plan on keeping our weddings and corporate events. We actually have a few weddings that have been postponed since last year and we are also working on our original materials online.

“Collectively, we still have to think of a side hustle. We can’t just rely on the band for at least the next five years. We can’t rely on one job, that’s what we’ve learnt from this pandemic.”

Lau Hoe Yin, popularly known as Blink, was the entertainment head at Zouk KL who DJ’d on weekends prior to the pandemic.

He is now in the food and beverage business, which has taken off in a big way.

“Christmas last year I opened a cafe called Hijau in the Gasket Alley in Petaling Jaya. One of our pastries - matcha (green tea) polo bun – blew up and went viral.

“That’s super popular and we just launched our hojicha polo bun a few days ago and it is also popular. We sellout in 10 to 15 minutes,” he said.

Blink said he was able to sustain his business due to low overheads and support from customers.

“Running this small cafe in the Gasket Alley, I have fewer workers and the rent is lower. It’s a lot more kind to me, that’s why I can survive. We have good supporters who support us from home. Our orders throughout MCO 2.0 were quite healthy.”

Three years ago, he started a creative company, 33.3 specialising in drones to make art.

His company was commissioned by the Culture, Arts and Tourism Ministry to organise the drone show to usher in the new year in 2019. It also did work for Disney on the last Avengers movie.

Though his businesses are doing well, the pandemic has cost Blink more than RM100,000 in lost income as a DJ.

“Club DJs earn RM350 to RM600 an hour, and my rates were more than that. I also play around the world as well. I have played at Tomorrowland in Belgium, Ultra Music Festival in the US and Djarkata Warehouse Project in Indonesia.

“It’s disappointing for sure (to not be able to DJ); that’s my main income. It’s a massive job but (the break) also gave me a chance to focus on what I had always wanted to do back then but couldn’t because there was no time.” – June 27, 2021.