Cancelled gigs, no crowds, and playing to fans over the internet is a life no musician wants, and the prospect has prompted some eastern states musicians to temporarily relocate to WA where crowds are enthusiastic and opportunities are plentiful.

The bustling music scene in WA is in stark contrast to places like Sydney and Melbourne where coronavirus lockdowns have hit the music industry hard.

Folk duo Laura Kirkup and Tyson Richardson planned to spend just more than three months touring WA, before returning home to Victoria's Mornington Peninsular in mid-September.

But Ms Kirkup said they extended their tour to keep playing. 

"We started off thinking it would just be until October but the longer things go on, it looks like we'll be here to Christmas — maybe even longer," she said.

Mr Richardson said there were plenty of opportunities for musicians in WA.

"The whole state's thriving and it's wonderful to see," he said.

However, he said the freedom to play in front of a crowd was not something he took for granted.

"We're flat-out on the road at the moment and it comes with a sense of guilt that you're posting about these awesome shows that you're playing and venues full of people," he said.

Stu Harcourt has been a travelling musician for 20 years and hails from Melbourne.

When the virus shut down parts of the eastern seaboard, Mr Harcourt said he cancelled plans to tour Queensland, New South Wales, and Victoria and decided to temporarily relocate to Western Australia.

"With different lockdown situations on the east coast, it kind of dawned on me to take advantage of my time in WA," he said.

He said he now called WA's Kimberley home.

"I have been returning to the Kimberley for the past 10 years and it feels like my spiritual home."

WA's Kimberley 'a hub' for live music

In recent months, tourists have flocked to regional WA in droves and popular towns like Broome have become what Jodie Douglas called "a hub" for live music.

Ms Douglas manages the Broome markets and said she had been flooded with interest from bands wanting to play.

"It's probably double the amount that we have seen previously," she said.

"[In the past] a lot of the time we would have to reach out to people whereas we were able to schedule three months of music quite quickly.

Kimberley artist Paul Rider Boon said the region had also attracted international musicians.

"We've got all our amazing local musicians, but we have got a real mix of internationals, backpackers and so forth who are all providing the tapestry of our music landscape," he said.

Thriving on one side of the country, dying on the other

Thomas Freeman is the Perth-based representative for Musicians Australia and said WA's industry was booming.

"I would say it's thriving," he said.

"There are bands that are doing lots of runs up and down regional areas … [and] we've got no restrictions here in terms of capacity.

Mr Freeman said it was the opposite of what was happening on the other side of the country.

"Unfortunately that isn't the case in the eastern states," he said.

"It's a total contrast."