I don’t have to tell you what Covid-19 is.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, I don’t have to tell you what Covid-19 is.
And If you’re any way musically inclined, the you’ll have felt the effects that Coronavirus has had on the industry.
Now, whether you just listen to music in your daily life or working in the music industry is your livelihood, I'm sure you’ll agree the negaEve effects on the music and creaEve industry as a whole have been devastaEng to say the least!
Mentally and financially, Coronavirus has swiped the rug out from under many people's feet- the several government furlough schemes will aJest to that. The new “job support” measures put in place for the winter lockdown focus on “viable” jobs- a great deal of those in the creaEve industries do not fall under this new category.
What about the wellbeing of the freelance? A campaign group by the name of Excluded UK have esEmated that 3 million UK taxpayers have been unable to get the financial support they deserve during to this ongoing crisis. InteresEngly enough, several of those leS without the financial backing are the ones behind the entertainment that kept us all going during the strangest year of our lives. From sound and lighEng, producEon managers and mix engineers, not forgeUng the performers themselves and whole record of other roles- it's fair to say they’ve been leS in the dark. No wonder they painted the town red!
Music is a lifeline for people, simply being able to go to a concert is shown to increase one's feelings of self-worth, closeness to others and mental sEmulaEon by 75%. For many, it’s the only Eme they get to socialise outside of work or school, regular concert goers said they felt more included- music literally brings people together.
That begs the question... what now?
During the pandemic, findings have shown streaming pla[orms have struggled because people are not listening to the latest music, why? Because there isn’t any being made. Streaming pla[orms aren’t the only ones struggling- music journalists are finding it harder to write about new releases because they're in such short supply and if you look at the billboards, most of the music is going on three months old.
Yes, the industry has had a rough year but the show must go on!
At the start of lockdown, we saw the accelerated growth of streaming concerts online, a sector of the industry that was already winging its way to the front. The RSNO adapted their annual takeover to an innovaEve, bedroom zoom producEon and pla[orms like Bandcamp created new iniEaEves to bring fans closer to the arEst whilst sEll being socially distanced- it takes more than a pandemic for the creaEve industry to shut down completely.
Music is known to help people in the face of adversity, it’s now Eme for us to help music. Stream, donate and share as much as you can- a like doesn’t cost a penny. If anything, Covid
has shown just how resilient the creaEve industry actually is. Despite being considered an “unskilled workforce”- they have proven repeatedly that even under the hold of a global pandemic, they will sEll put on a show- even if it’s over a zoom call.
