Coronavirus Victim #000: The Music Industry

When I went out last weekend to see one of my favourite artists live, I had no idea that it was the last event that I would be experiencing for a while. 

Fears of coronavirus have swept the country, and although no industry has been entirely immune, arguably one of the heaviest-hit has been the Australian music and entertainment industry. The summer of 2020 has been a rollercoaster for the arts, to say the least. Starting with hopeful beginnings as the controversial lockout laws were lifted on January 14, to the collective efforts of the wider community to drive donations for victims of the devastating bushfires, and now to the current challenge of COVID-19, where the impulsive governmental response has seriously impaired an industry that was just making its comeback.

This is to say that a lot has changed in the last week. Concurrent to the heightening fears of the coronavirus crisis were increasing doubts around whether highly-anticipated festivals, concerts, and gigs were to go ahead. On Wednesday March 18, NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard announced that, under the Public Health Act (2010), there was to be an immediate cancellation of major events — a prohibition of mass gatherings of 500 people or more in outdoor spaces, and 100 people or more in indoor spaces. This was seemingly the final nail in the coffin for what was a vibrant community rebuilding itself. With individual penalties of up to 6 months imprisonment and fines of $11,000 plus a further $5,500 fine each day the offence continues, it’s a guaranteed death sentence to any business who fails to comply — a total blanket ban.

In the span of a couple of days, social media status’ were shared and the crying emoji became my most used, as major events my friends and I were looking forward to for the next few months were cancelled or postponed one by one. The list is endless: annual festivals such as Bluesfest, Splendour in the Grass, Groovin the Moo, Download as well as concerts such as Tame Impala, Stormzy, Jamie XX, Hayden James, Touch Bass, Cub Sport, and even the annual Sydney Royal Easter Show and Formula One in Melbourne. This isn’t even including the weekly DJ events and gigs at clubs and bars that comprise much of Sydney’s diverse nightlife. 

Yes, we as the general public are worried about whether our tickets will be refunded, but the larger concern should be on what the government will do next to support and value the displaced workers in the industry — a community that, only a couple of months ago, were a key force in mobilising support for the victims of the bushfires through free events that drove large donations.

Overnight, more than $100 million in wages across the live music industry literally evaporated according to ILostMyGig, an initiative which lets art workers self-report their earnings. People have not only lost their job security, but their stream of planned income for the next few weeks, months, and even the year have dried up. The gig economy means no income protection insurance, no sick or paid leave, and no safety net, and overnight, it has left a lot of arts workers feeling exposed and vulnerable.

When speaking to a friend in the music industry, he describes that above all, the most frustrating part is the uncertainty. Not just for themselves and their career, but uncertainty for the future of Sydney music: “It feels like [we] are taking 3 steps forward but are knocked 10 steps back”. He describes how the last few months have felt like a ramp-up period to rebuild Sydney and that there was buzzing excitement to put Sydney back on the map as a global hub for music and culture. And although artists, DJs, and performers are ‘out of work until further notice’, in an industry that relies solely on people and where there is a team of 20 people behind one performer on stage, the new government decrees have added salt to a preexisting wound and dug a deeper hole for the industry to climb out of.

It’s been interesting to see bands and artists turning to YouTube, livestreams, and IGTV as alternative ways to engage with their audience, proving that there are still channels through which we can connect to music in these times of ’social distancing’. However, although listening to streaming services is easy, the return is minimal. If you’re reading this snuggled up in bed wearing PJs, don’t underestimate your power to make a difference.

Alex Lahey, a Melbournian singer-songwriter advises that if you want to financially support your favourite artists, places like Bandcamp are particularly great at getting an immediate deposit of money across to artists directly with low overheads (Click here to view Junkee’s article on Alex Lahey’s Instagram post on the topic). Buying artist merchandise is super effective as well. But if you want to do more, go straight to the source and donate to an artist’s GoFundMe page or Patreon, or for smaller local artists, she says there is ultimately nothing wrong with sending them a direct message asking “What’s the best way to support you at this time?” 

In more immediate developments, the community itself has responded to the call of support for music workers. Just yesterday, an Australian Music Industry Taskforce of record labels, radio stations, government groups, and promoters announced the ‘Sound of Silence’ campaign, a joint effort to provide crisis relief services to artists, roadies, and music workers who are directly affected during this time. If you are in a financial position to do so, I strongly urge you to donate to the Support Act.

Here are some suggestions of how you can help, according to the Sound of Silence campaign:

These are very strange times we’re living in, but never before has there been a more direct channel through which we can make a real impact for the artists and labels we love most. If you know anyone who has been impacted by the lockdown of live music, give them a call, send them a text! And if you’re streaming yet another live video on Youtube or listening to a Soundcloud mix from your favourite local DJ, see if you can implement any of the actionable above and join the nationwide movement. If we all band together to provide some kind of safety net, music workers can bounce back easier once the pandemic has passed. Let’s not let coronavirus take our music scene as its latest victim. I for one, am going to buy some merch from the local artists I was going to see in April. Stay safe, and remember music sounds better after a silence.