In the eight months since Covid hit, families and businesses alike have suffered from the economic problems caused by the pandemic. Businesses in particular have had to adjust to measures given to them by the CDC and WHO. Restaurants have moved to take-out only or indoor dining at a limited capacity. Businesses have moved their stores online. But the live music industry has had nowhere to turn. How will live music survive the remainder of the pandemic?
The simple answer: technology. Several artists expected to perform and tour in 2020 have turned to virtual concerts and social media to keep afloat and relevant. Some artists have held more frequent live streams on their social media platforms to continue to interact with fans while unable to see them in person. Other artists have hosted actual live concerts or streamed previously recorded concerts for free. For example, BTS held BangBangCon and BangBangCon: The Live over the summer as their Map of the Soul world tour was canceled.
At the end of the show, Jungkook, one of the group's vocalists said, “I looked at a lot of videos of our concerts with you... I missed all that so much...Though ARMYs aren't physically here with us, from all over the world, you gave us the strength to perform. We're counting the moments 'til we meet you all again." It’s clear that artists and musicians miss performing as much as their fans miss seeing them.
Some even see live music moving virtually full time, even after the pandemic has ended. Tour organizer Harry Parslow says, “Pandemic or no pandemic, musicians and bands have a deep-rooted passion to engage with an audience. Whilst many took to social media to connect with fans during lockdown, as the social distancing rules have progressed, we’ve seen a huge number of requests from artists to take their virtual offering to the next level.” For people who may be unable to attend live concerts for physical or other health reasons, a virtual performance may be better for them overall.
Although musicians have been turning to virtual settings to continue performing, that means nothing for the independent venues they would have performed at. These independent venues, much like small businesses, are struggling without COVID relief. Some are even turning to Live Nation and AEG, the two largest live music promoters, to save their businesses. Kevin Mach, a writer for the Wall Street Journal, writes, “For many distressed independent venues, acquisitions are a fraught compromise. While acquisitions stave off bankruptcy, venues could lose their ability to curate shows and events.” These independent venues will struggle to get through the remainder of the pandemic without any revenue, or aid.
So, when will live music resume as normal? According to Dr. Kim Kilby, a family and preventive medicine physician and senior leader at MVP Health Care, “For concerts to be as safe as possible, you’d need to have herd immunity established...To achieve this, experts have suggested that 75% of the population must either have received the vaccine or survived the infection.” The United States is nowhere near herd immunity, but several vaccines will soon be submitting for emergency approval to the FDA. Experts also assert that a vaccine may not be a perfect solution, as the virus will not “disappear” once herd immunity is reached. Masks and various other checkpoints will likely be in place for a while after a vaccine has been distributed. Additionally, outdoor concerts will likely resume before large indoor concerts.
As with most things surrounding the pandemic, the future of live music is uncertain. Some experts assert live music will be back by summer 2021, and others believe live music will never be the same. But many believe no matter the outcome, the pandemic will only make the industry stronger. Harry Parslow said in an interview, “I also think we are going to see some major positive changes within the industry as live streaming could well allow a secondary global audience to enjoy an event.” Things will be difficult in the coming months as outdoor venues cannot hold many events due to the weather. But, again, in this pandemic, patience is a virtue.
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