Brother Dege – Photo: Zoltan ACS
Needless to say, in 2020, we face new challenges. I’ll cut to the chase. Here are some ways the live performance industry is changing, and obstacles we may face going into 2021.
Musicians have quickly adapted to live streaming, if they weren’t doing it already. In my case, I’d streamed casually over the past few years. The recent free time home, off from the road and rehearsals, allowed me to upgrade my stream quality as many have done. Most musicians already have everything they need for a stream upgrade. A cheap audio interface is enough to improve your sound from the phone or laptop mic you may be using. You can add a few lamps from around your home for lighting. The only thing I bought was a normal vocal microphone, and if you sing, you already have that, too. My old mic was stolen years ago. I needed one for background vocals anyway, so I bought a mic I can use anywhere. My Facebook Live improved and gained traction immediately. A big part is due to the fact that people were actually HOME on Friday and Saturday nights, looking for streams to watch and ways to socialize.
Image: SANDIE WARD PHOTOGRAPHY
For this tech-savvy bass player, I think it’s great that artists embraced technology. Gamers and YouTubers have used Twitch as a career for years, why not musicians? This is the line in history where if we’re not careful, we could enter a future reminiscent of a “Black Mirror” episode. If we take away live performance in person, in crowds and theaters, we also take away a huge part of what it means to perform music. The audience is part of the performance, and musicians feed off of that energy. Performing with your band to a bunch of cameras “live” is just not the same as playing to a room or festival full of people. But it brings joy to those who are stuck at home or too far away to attend a show.
Our festivals in Louisiana haven’t stopped, they went virtual. Every April, “Festival International” draws tourists and artists from around the world. Next to SXSW, it was one of the first festivals to make the tough choice to cancel. The way they handled the event in a short time period could not have been better. They produced a free, high quality 3-day virtual festival, with local buzz, community support, new “live” performances, and highlights from the past 35 years. While people stayed in, many watched from near and far with festival-themed food and drinks in hand, sharing their experiences on social media. In my opinion, it was an outstanding example of virtual festival presentation.
Brother Dege – Photo: Brendy Wijdeven
One of the artists I tour with is Brother Dege, who had SXSW, Festival International, and several other spring dates canceled. He has been busy doing live broadcast features and is using this time to finish his next album months ahead of schedule. We have a tour in Europe booked in April, 2021, and it will be interesting to see how other territories handle their venues and stage performances. We hope by that time, that our tour will not be affected. Nobody knows.
Here, in the second half of May, real shows are starting up again. I’ve had 3 gigs since May 15th, 2 with public audiences allowed, and only 1 was not live streamed. Some places serve food, some are broadcast-only events, some are a mix of both with audiences. Every state and country has its own approach. Going forward, I’m curious to see how many venues and artists will continue to stream in addition to their live shows. As we soft open society back to normal, people will be watching less and getting out more. Where does this leave artists who can’t tour until 2021 or later? Are virtual tip jars and ticketed streams enough? Was this a temporary opportunity for musicians, or is the tech leap forward that occurred, here to stay?
There are so many unknowns that all we can do is move forward. Everyone is having their own unique experience, and I hope when I look back on this time in history, that I will remember the positives just as much as the negatives. Families coming together. Reconnecting with nature. Slowing down and appreciating. As a wise musician once taught me, the dirt is the best place to plant a seed.
-Kent Beatty
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