It’s no secret, coronavirus has derailed the touring industry in a few short weeks.
Across the world, majority of the biggest festivals have been delayed or cancelled entirely. Coachella, Download Festival, Dark Mofo, Under The Southern Stars, the list goes on. The same goes for national and local gigs and smaller events.
We’re flooded with more cancellations every single day, and it’s not really clear as to when they’ll stop. It’s assumed October but really, that just depends on a myriad of unknowns.
It’s devastating for lots of reasons, of course (both financially, and in the interest of public health). In a campaign spearheaded by Support Act – I Lost My Gig Australia – the current tally sits at $100million in lost income from cancelled events, 380k jobs impacted and more than 65,000 events cancelled.
With an industry model that focuses a lot of investment on touring and less so on album sales, and with streaming the dominant choice for many consuming music, musicians are particularly vulnerable and it may be some time before they can begin to make a financial recovery and commit to future touring options.
It’s now that musicians needs us and our support more than ever.
The best and fastest way you can do this is by picking up a shirt, vinyl, a CD, a sweatshirt, or anything else they’ve got on offer, from one of their online stores in lieu of cancelled or refunded shows. These sorts of funds are the ones that pass through to a band the fastest and could mean the difference between food in theirs or their children’s mouths, and none.
You can visit the merch section of your favourite artist website and buy one of theirs online, otherwise there are dedicated websites such as bandtshirts.com.au, 24hundred.net and sound-merch.com.au.
Another way you can support your favourite artists and bands is by paying for a download of their music online, streaming their music, make playlists, pre-order an upcoming album, and share the love with others on social media.
If you have bought tickets to a gig that has been rescheduled, you could keep your ticket instead of requesting a refund. Unless you really need to spend that money, let it stay with the band as they most likely have spent the money on marketing or touring costs, or they will need that money in order to survive over the coming weeks and months.
Do your part to keep the live music scene alive in Australia. If you’re in the industry and need some help, don’t forget you can reach out to Support Act who cater to helping artists, crew and industry workers during this difficult time.
We encourage all of you to look after yourselves properly, maintain hygienic practices and social distances, and pay attention to all governing and medical advisories.
If you or anyone you know needs help with their own mental well-being call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636 or find your closest Suicide Prevention/Crisis Support Organisation on Google.
