My Thoughts and How We Can Help
Music has been a saviour for so many.
Now it is our turn to save music.
I don’t know where to start with this. All I know is that I hold an immense passion for music and I want to help in this pressing time. I hope that through writing, I will be able to do so.
Sadly, unless you have been living under a rock for the last few months, you will be more than aware of the current health crisis our world is facing. It is without doubt that this is a worrying and uncertain time for almost everyone, and honestly I am struggling to process it all myself. It feels as though we are in some dystopian universe. Unfortunately however, I am more than aware that this is indeed real. I am continually trying my best to remain positive amongst all of this chaos, but it isn’t proving to be an easy task.
Almost everywhere you look COVID-19, otherwise known as the Coronavirus, is being talked about. It has sent our world into a state of panic, and has had an impact on each of our day to day lives. In particular, a part of our world that I hold very close to my heart is being hit hard. The music industry, and at its very core, our independent venues and emerging musicians.
Many independent music venues exist as small businesses. With mass gatherings such as gigs being discouraged for the time being, they will struggle to survive. Recently many of them have made the completely selfless decision to close amid this health scare. They have put the health and safety of everyone above their businesses.
Other venues have no choice but to stay open, not for thoughtless reasons, but because heartbreakingly they have no other option for their future to remain intact. Officially the government haven’t yet forced music venues to close, which means that by closing, many will not be covered by insurance. They have been placed in a very awkward situation. Anger and vengeance are being directed towards venues if they close, and if they stay open, which is awful to witness.
Whether these venues close or stay open, is not what I want to dwell upon in this post, as I know this is currently a topic for debate. However, I urge that from reading this, you join myself and many others in helping to support these venues and emerging bands in whatever way we can. We are all music lovers, and when this all hopefully comes to an end, we have to ask ourselves – how will we feel if these venues cease to exist? Without venues there will be limited spaces for our emerging artists to flourish and we could lose a very big part of our culture too. That could be the harsh reality we are potentially looking at in the not so distant future.
Organisation such as the Music Venue Trust and Independent Venue Week are posting regular updates and information on how you can support venues at such a crucial stage. Each venue in your local area will also be keeping everyone up to date via social media too. It is worth keeping an eye on your favourite bands too, as they may be feeling a little lost, especially if they had a tour planned.
I have been scouring the internet and my brain for ways to help, and have compiled a little list of some ideas which we could try, to reach out and support music venues so that they remain loved and looked after during this difficult time. Likewise many bands have had their tours postponed too, so they will need lots of love and encouragement. Please use these tips for both.
♡ Follow, share and like their social media posts. Build up future audiences. Keep the momentum and love for live music going
♡ Look out for online gig streaming. Many local venues and bands are now looking towards this as an alternative to real life gigs
♡ Keep hold of tickets for shows that have been cancelled and rescheduled for a later date, instead of requesting a refund
♡ Sign the MVT Petition for our government to force music venues to close so that they will have further financial support
https://www.change.org/p/boris-johnson-cancel-the-festival-of-britain-save-britain-s-grassroots-culture♡ If you can afford to and fancy an addition to your wardrobe, buy their merch. Many of your favourite music hubs have t-shirts and merchandise you may never have known about. Now is the time to look. Bands will have vinyls and all sorts online too, so check out their websites.
♡ Organise or contribute to a fundraiser, again this one is only if you are financially happy to. Don’t feel pressurised.
♡ Keep talking about our live venues, don’t let them fade away into the background. Future dates outside of March/April are still in place for now. Hype up your favourite bands and music venues on social media! They will still have tickets to sell online.
♡ Love and support one another. If you don’t agree with a venues choice to close or stay open, then sending a torrent of abuse their way certainly won’t help anything. Support and encourage bands to keep writing and recording songs. We will never stop listening.
Always be kind.
♡ Blast your favourite music out LOUD! By doing this you are also supporting musicians in a huge way! We may not be able to go to a gig, but we can cheer ourselves up all the same.
Music is a powerful message.
Basically I am of the belief that we’re better solving this together than apart, despite the social distancing of course.
We’re all going to need each other in this situation. Music Venues, Venue Staff, Gig Promoters, Musicians… the list goes on. The Music Industry as a whole and fans alike, I’m talking to you. We all require our wonderful music community more so now than ever, so let’s remain a glorious crowd.
Music has been a saviour for so many. Now it is our turn to save music.
If you have any further suggestions on ways we can all help, please comment below.
I kindly ask you to share this post far and wide.
I’m sending lots of love to you all!
Together we can make a difference ♡
Becky and the Bands 