Although it may not be the most heart-warming of topics, I wanted to start this column series off with a subject that anyone can relate to. Doesn’t matter if you’re a music nerd, casual listener or, somehow, have no interest in tunes whatsoever. Everyone can empathize with the state of music in the age of COVID-19, because it is something we are all living through.
Along with the travel industry (and literally any other industry that involves being in a room with more than one person), the music industry has been one of the institutions most heavily effected by the recent pandemic. The industry as we know it didn’t exist the last time a worldwide pandemic shook the Earth (looking at you, Spanish Flu), so nobody could have foreseen the effect this event was going to have.
Since the rise of iTunes downloads in the 2000s and the even higher rise of streaming services in the 2010s, artists have found it harder and harder to make any money from selling their music. At this point, musicians practically give their music away for free, making the rest of their dough from touring and gigs. The pandemic has put a stop to this entirely. Artists are now in a very precarious position, one where they are forced to rely solely on selling their music to get by. And Spotify’s measly amount won’t pay no electricity bills.
The pandemic has also derailed the festival season (the time of the year when most musicians make their money), resulting in huge festivals like Mad Cool and Glastonbury cancelling their annual weekend of music and mayhem. We also cannot forget that it is not only those who play the music that are suffering. Roadies, managers, festival organisers, technicians, food providers and everyone else whose role is somewhat linked to the live music scene have all been put out of work.
But we’re not here to lament and cry over the unfortunate circumstances that are completely out of our control. As I would like to achieve with this column going forward, I am going to find the light amongst the dark.
Firstly we are far more technologically advanced than in the time of the Spanish Flu. Social media and the Internet have made creating and fostering a career in music far easier than it has ever been. Artists have continued to have a presence online, releasing music or promotional material through Instagram and Facebook. Big names like the Strokes, Dua Lipa and Lady Gaga have released monumental albums during quarantine, despite the fact that they can’t support their release. Smaller bands have continued to record and release music as per usual, with some now finding more time for songwriting.
Some artists have taken this a step further, creating a whole body of music during the course of lockdown. Thus, the quarantine album was born. Regardless of the quality of the music within, these creations act as a time capsule to the times we live in, capturing the circumstance and essence of quarantine in musical form. Alternative pop singer Charli XCX made the most lauded effort in this field, setting herself a month to create a brand new album entitled ‘How I’m Feeling Now’ from scratch, even enlisting other artists and fans to create the artwork for the singles. Although Taylor Swift’s more recent surprise release of ‘folklore’ will probably be remembered as the antithesis of the quarantine album as her uncharacteristically alternative-sounding host of acoustic tunes became the most streamed album of the year so far.
That’s all well and good, I hear you say, but what about the fact that musicians have no way of making the majority of their salary by playing live? As humans have always been, there is a knack for finding solutions when faced with hardship. Arena sized concerts and multi-day festivals may be out of the question, but this hasn’t stopped the music playing.
Drive-in concerts first opened up in Denmark, with singer-songwriter Mads Langer selling out a 500 ticket, open-air venue back in May. His songs were broadcast straight into each car’s radio system, minimising the risk of contact as every attendee was safely inside their cars. This idea was eventually applied to some gigs which allowed for punters to be out in the open air, but still socially distanced from their fellow music fans. Although it is nobodies preference, socially distanced concerts are definitely a possibility.
Rapper Travis Scott chose to set up his live scene on an even stranger platform. To debut a brand new song, the hip-hop star took to the virtual stage, performing in the video game Fortnite, raking in over 12 million viewers. It just goes to show that the platforms that we consume music through are constantly changing and evolving. Who would’ve thought 10 years ago that a major artist would have to resort to performing in a video game, and have it be wildly successful to boot?
The future is forever uncertain, especially these days. But even when faced with adversity, musicians, doing what they love, can be strong enough to find a solution. So I say to you, support the artists you love, big or small. We’re all going to need that little bit of extra support to get through this together.
I will also be recommending a set of five recent songs for each of my columns which I implore you to listen to.
MY FIVE RECCS
1. Spotlight by Jessie Ware
2. Feels by Zachary Leo
3. Lemon by Kenshi Yonezu
4. Televised Mind by Fonatines D.C.
5. Where You Gonna Go by Eastbound Buzz