Coronavirus is killing the music industry
While musicians are losing out on touring revenue, those who work behind the scenes are at a greater risk financially.
Since COVID-19 reached the United States, the music industry has faced a plethora of hardships — cancelled tours, loss of jobs and a general fear of the unknown.
These setbacks are expected to affect the industry for the indefinite future.
LiveNation just announced artist pay cuts out of concern for cancellations in 2021.
While no industry has been untouched by the pandemic, the music industry has been hit hard in a way that is different from most.
Its employers already have odd schedules dependent on when there is a concert or event to work, and a lot of industry jobs are based on who you know, not experience. That makes these jobs unpredictable as is — with coronavirus in the mix, the future is shaky.
March was when the country started to see shutdowns and cancellations. Some happened quicker than others.
A story by Vulture shows a complete list of cancelled tours and festivals, with Billie Eilish, Elton John and Madonna among the mix.
Taylor Swift cancelled her “Lover Fest” dates and Coachella got moved to 2021, but some festivals, like Bonnaroo and Tortuga Music Festival, still have the green light on for their rescheduled dates in the fall.
When cancellations were peaking, Songkick hosted a three-day online festival in April for 72 hours straight in support of the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund for the World Health Organization. It brought thousands together as they watched their favorite artists — like Cardi B, Twenty One Pilots and Panic! At the Disco — on their screens.
While musicians are losing out on touring revenue, those who work behind the scenes are at a greater risk financially.
A New Jersey based photographer and videographer has been out of work since March 2. Their clientele includes Three Days Grace and Diamante.
“I had a tentative tour offer for April, but it was cancelled. I should be on tour right now,” they said. “I was supposed to be gone May through September, but that tour didn’t even get a chance to be announced.”
A new study by the National Independent Venue Association, which includes almost 2,000 members, says 90% of independent venues report they will close permanently in a few months without federal funding.
Without venues, shows cannot return at the same rate they were going in 2019 and prior years.
However, some artists are experimenting with drive-in concerts as a temporary solution to the lack of live music. This could help a handful of large-scale venues.
According to Billboard, Alan Jackson, Keith Urban and Andrew McMahon are just some of the artists playing these socially-distanced events.
Photographer David A. Smith photographed Alan Jackson’s drive-in concert in Alabama on June 12. It was the first concert he photographed since March 7.
Smith said it “was very similar to shooting an outdoor festival” regarding media regulations, and “that people were acting as if there [is not] a pandemic,” despite fans being instructed to stay in or near their cars.
“There were merchandise lines on both sides of the festival grounds, at least 100 people deep,” he added. “I hardly saw masks. I didn’t see all [of] the crowd, but the sample size I saw told me all I needed.”
As more drive-in concerts begin to pop up, it appears that photographers on assignment may not be impacted for much longer.
As for the future of music photography, Smith believes that his experience in Alabama is expected for the short-term future, at least.
“The saving grace was that at least it was outdoors and, from a photography perspective, we didn’t have to be around a lot of people. Indoor shows with hundreds or thousands of people in a small space … well, that shouldn’t be happening for a while,” Smith said.
With music industry jobs being up in the air, many touring and freelance artists have had to take up second and third jobs.
Some have started to work for UberEats, started working retail and customer service jobs and are making masks to sell to stay financially stable during the pandemic.
However, not everyone was impacted as badly.
Acacia Evans, music photographer and videographer from Nashville, said things are very slowly picking up again while the city reopens.
While Evans was supposed to be on tour with New Found Glory right now, she has been taking on random video editing gigs and portrait sessions throughout the shutdown.
“This week, I’ve been shooting with New Found Glory to promote their album release. [I’ve] been doing some other fun promo for the album and prepping for a huge interactive livestream on June 19,” she said.
Although everyone in the music industry has shared their sadness for the lack of live music, there have been various events held online in place of concerts.
With major tours and festivals being cancelled until 2021, fans and industry workers alike are still not all that hopeful for their return to be when they are rescheduled for.
Dr. Fauci stated that [the United States] is still in the first wave of the coronavirus, leaving many not hopeful for music’s return in the next year.
Evans, however, is “surprisingly hopeful. I know we will get back one day ... We just have to be innovative for now.”
