Making Music Work

Charlie Korch is the kind of drummer who lives his life in 4:4 time, the kind of southerner whose slight accent and acerbic wit out him as a native New Jersian and the kind of man who’s more than willing to make sacrifices in the name of following his passion. The 49-year-old father of two quit his job at IBM a decade ago to pursue a career in the Atlanta music scene, but you won’t see his name in lights above the box office at the Lakewood Amphitheater or on the homepage of LiveNation.com.

Korch is one of many local musicians working the bars, restaurants and one-room venues scattered across Atlanta, a class of workers who were uniquely vulnerable to the effects of pandemic-era citywide shutdowns and restrictions.

“Almost every place a musician can work was shut down for at least several months. Some of these establishments never opened back up, or have decided to stop paying for live entertainment to recoup some of their losses. I personally lost several regular weekly gigs because of this,” Korch said during a break between giving a drum lesson and packing up for a gig at Branchwater in Vickery. “Most of us that do this for a living are living as contractors without benefits of any kind. Most of us are living gig to gig to make sure the bills get paid.”

Finding hard numbers on the impacts of COVID on the Atlanta music scene is difficult due to its decentralized and informal nature, but the general — if unsurprising — consensus seems to be that the Atlanta music scene suffered greatly during and after the worst months of the pandemic. For every act and artist that sold out shows in huge arenas and made more than enough money to live off of while the pandemic raged, there are thousands of musicians like Korch who need steady work to stay afloat.

“The effects of COVID was more of a chain reaction for not only musicians, it affected venue owners and their staff as well,” said Michael Fermil, a local guitarist and vocalist. “Most venues closed their doors. Some temporarily and some permanently.” Surviving the pandemic as a working musician may not have been possible without assistance from the Federal Government.

The CARES Act, Paycheck Protection Act, and American Rescue Plan, and the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program extended enhanced unemployment benefits to a whole range of freelancers, and members of the community engaged in informational outreach with sites like musiccovidrelief and social media posts to inform eligible musicians of their benefits and how to claim them. And whether due to additional support or simple perseverance, the Atlanta music scene has survived.

Venues have begun returning to their normal schedules since COVID case numbers have dropped and restrictions have eased. Korch and his fellow musicians have been eager to make up for lost time, which helps explain the few gaps in Korch’s schedule between gigs, but the prosperity may take some time to filter its way down to the musicians who make up the foundation of Atlanta’s live music scene.

“Once the clubs started opening back up, they were offering less money, and in some cases offering a slot for a tip only gig. And tips are more scarce than ever these days due to most people having less expendable income,” said Korch in an email.

Despite the potentially reduced revenues and uncertainty surrounding the pandemic and how it may continue to affect their lives, however, some musicians are just happy for the opportunity to make their way back to the stage.

“Everyone here is super supportive, and shows have been better than ever since venues have reopened,” said Maggie Schneider, a local Atlantan and working musician. Marisa Williams of the band Tiny Banshee seemed to share Schneider’s exuberance, and predicted that entertainment could be on the cusp of a new “Roaring 20s” in an interview with Georgia Public Broadcasting.

It remains to be seen how the Atlanta music scene changes or stays the same in the coming months and years. As COVID’s shadow lifts from the city, however, it’s hard to imagine anything but a resurgence in its ailing but indomitable music scene. Spring has come to Atlanta at last, and with it comes a hope of new growth to replace and iterate on what was lost.