Photo: Retha Ferguson for Pexels
No industry is immune to the sudden rise of the stay-at-home economy—and the music industry is no exception. With people around the world practicing social distancing, self-quarantining, and sheltering in place, concert venues have been shuttered, music festivals have been postponed, and album tours have been canceled in a concerted effort to flatten the coronavirus curve.
To find out how the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic is impacting the music industry, we chatted with artists, record-label founders, and even the music partnerships manager at Instagram. Ahead, they fill us in on how they’re adjusting to the new normal, how they’re pivoting to adapt during this period, and what fans can do to help support the industry, even if they don’t have a dollar to spare.
Lizzy Plapinger, aka LPX, Co-Founder of Neon Gold Records
“A
rtists will continue to create and be mirrors and loudspeakers to the world around us, they/we can be light in the darkest of times, or a friend and voice in the void.”
—Lizzy Plapinger, aka LPX, Co-Founder of Neon Gold Records
How are you handling the news as the co-founder of a record label and as an independent artist? Are you able to work from home?
While I’m generally a pretty productive person and regular self-starter, it’s been challenging to go about “business as usual” because nothing about the world is “as usual” right now. I’m grateful that, while not ideal, it is actually possible for me to work from home and that I’m still able to freely pivot between my roles at Neon Gold and as LPX throughout the day, but it is a huge adjustment emotionally and mentally.
Right now I’m focused on regularly checking in with my artists to see how they’re doing and how/if I can help provide them with resources to create, listening to their music and providing feedback. Writing new music as LPX and going through old demos while trying to finish up new releases I have slated for the coming months. Exploring more sync opportunities. Reaching out to people for collaborations, remixes, production edits, features etc. Deep diving on new music for both pleasure and business. Looking at music grants to apply for and share with my community for anyone in need, including myself. Getting creative with DIY video projects. Putting deals together for new artists to make sure we’re continuing to sow seeds of opportunity for the future. Encouraging myself and more women to try their hand at producing and engaging on the more technical side of things. And potentially most importantly, talking to friends, artists, family (and myself) off the ledge in those understandable moments of *wtf is going on.*
Allowing myself, my colleagues and my artists the space to cut themselves some slack and give them the support they need for their mental well being has and is an important piece of this. In the end, we’re only human and these are unprecedented times. Finding the balance between carrying on and finding a new normal for what a constructive day looks like while also taking care of oneself is going to take a minute to figure out.
How has social distancing and the cancelation of festivals, concerts, tours, and live events impacted your business operations and financials? Can you share some ways that you've pivoted to adapt during this period?
With the live side completely shut down, it feels like losing a limb. Shows, tours, and festivals are a CRUCIAL part of this industry. To take that out of the equation is a detriment to everyone involved (the artists, the fans, the agents, the promoters, and the labels). Financially, it’s a hit for everyone. And an enormous loss to the artists and their fans.
As LPX, I had two tours on the horizon supporting Maggie Rogers and Carly Rae Jepsen and a headline tour of my own (and two more for the fall to be confirmed), which are now all up in the air. I rely on those opportunities to make money, sell merch, engage new fans and connect with an audience. It’s also the most sacred and important aspect of being an artist to me, so on a personal level, it is emotionally, artistically and financially gutting.
The emphasis is now on engaging fans on the social side and continuing to release music and take advantage of the people (artists, producers, mixers, writers, etc.) who might have otherwise been too busy or unavailable. Some of our artists are doing live streams and we’re trying to get creative in ways that are genuine to both the artists and the fans. Whether that’s an acoustic set, inviting people into the studio with them, releasing live videos of old performances, showcasing other sides or talents they have on social media. It’s cool to be let into people's creative process or to see a song in the raw etc. But for me it doesn’t come close to replacing the live side—nothing could.
But artists will continue to create and be mirrors and loudspeakers to the world around us, they/we can be light in the darkest of times, or a friend and voice in the void. I have always felt purpose in music, from both sides, and now more than ever. Nothing will take that away, not even the indefinite halting of shows.
What advice can you share for fans who want to help support the music industry right now?
There are SO many concrete ways to help support the artists you love, financially and otherwise, and it is NEEDED right now more than ever. Below are a number of ways you can really help the music industry and artists you love:
STREAM their music. A song has to played for at least 30 seconds for it to register as a “play,” and every stream helps show the DSPS (Spotify/Apple/Amazon/Pandora, etc.) that there is a fan while also helping to pay the artist, labels, and publishers. It will also help get them placed on more playlists which will help get the artist more exposure.
ADD songs to your playlists (public and private). This registers behind the scenes in a way that is super helpful for the artist.
SHARE and PROMOTE the songs and artists you love on socials and TAG them. Introducing new fans to their music is crucial and you are their best and most important asset in doing that.
BUY MERCH if you can afford to. This helps put money back in the pocket of the artist directly (where they usually sell on tour) and in a lot of cases right now artists are using that money to help give back to their band and former road crews who are currently out of work.
BUY MUSIC online, vinyl, cd, tape if you can afford to.
COMMENT/LIKE/FOLLOW/SUBSCRIBE on all socials across the board: Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, etc.
Noelle Scaggs of Fitz and the Tantrums
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Our entire industry is taking a hit, so we are all in it together in figuring out ways to support our crew members, the venues, and back-end business representatives.”
How are you handling the news as an artist? Are you able to work from home? How have you pivoted to that schedule?
As far as the social distancing aspect of all of this, oddly enough, it’s not so far off from my lifestyle anyway. I pretty much stay in the house and work from home, especially when I’m not on the road. I think the main factors for me have been the uncertainty of how long this will realistically be, how it’s going to affect our ability to pay our staff that we keep on retainer when we will actually be able to tour, and when we can have sessions in the same space as other human beings without worrying.
I think with the shift of musicians having their own home studio spaces and making music without having to go to pay hourly locations has made it easier to continue to be creative, COVID-19 can’t really stop that ship from sailing. So where I may pivot from collaboration in the same space as others, I’m able to do a lot of work virtually, it’s just a learning curve because I am forced to engineer my own sessions, which can be frustrating but liberating.
How has social distancing and the cancelation of festivals, concerts, tours, and live events impacted your business operations and financials?
We were very lucky in that we got through the majority of our summer tour. A lot of my friends were not so lucky and are having to revise their plans. At this point, all any of us can do is wait it out. Personally, I’ve been trying not to wrap my head around things I cannot control and allowing our teams to strategize and figure out how to best plan the rest of the year.
However, I am working to help support initiatives that help others. Our entire industry is taking a hit, so we are all in it together in figuring out ways to support our crew members, the venues, and back-end business representatives. I know that the entertainment agencies are working to get some sort of stimulus in order. A lot of bands and artists are rescheduling tours for later in the season. It’s really a wait-and-see at this stage. IG Live has become a popular tool for many of us, including DJs who can’t work due to venue and event cancelations.
What advice can you share for fans who want to help support the music industry right now?
I think, monetarily speaking, people can donate to organizations like Sweet Relief Musicians Fund, Music For Relief (which currently has a COVID-19 response fund running to support industry professionals who are most vulnerable to the economic crisis, as well as funding public health efforts), and Plus1, which also has a COVID-19 Relief fund running. Other simple ways are buying band merchandise, especially merch from smaller baby bands and independents, and yes, buying music still matters.
I think people can support in non-monetary ways by supporting artists’ posts, watching their live feeds on IG and FB, commenting just letting us know that you appreciate us, and spreading the word about causes we are trying to support. I would also say by being compassionate towards artists who have to cancel shows. Keep things positive. It is really hard to let our fans down, even harder when we have to read negative comments on our pages. Above all STAY HOME, so we can get through this sooner!
Lola Plaku, CEO of Lola Media Group & Founder of Girl Connected
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Don’t just listen to a song or an album or watch a YouTube clip; share that with someone, even if it’s just two or three people in your immediate circle. Hopefully, your one view can turn into 10, that 10 can turn into 100, that 100 into 1000, and so on.”
—Lola Plaku, CEO of Lola Media Group & Founder of Girl Connected
How are you handling the news as the founder and owner of a leading artist management and branding company? Are you able to work from home?
Over the past year, I have spent most of my time working in the office growing my business and my team. Many of the marketing ideas we execute are online, so working during this time hasn’t been much different.
The methods have shifted slightly, so we’re constantly figuring out how to best deliver messages to consumers without over saturating them. Some ideas we were hoping to implement have been halted due to social distancing and businesses closing down temporarily, so that’s been a little bit tough for the artists and projects that require creative asset delivery.
How has social distancing and the cancelation of live events impacted your business operations and financials? Can you share some ways that you've pivoted to adapt during this period?
Social distancing has mainly affected the creation of certain content like photo and video shoots, in-studio interviews, and any other creative that requires several individuals to work together. I haven’t had to deal with booking cancellations for talent yet, but I’m sure as the weeks pass we’ll have to plan and adjust accordingly. The company’s Girl Connected initiative for women in the entertainment community produces quarterly events for over 400 attendees, so we have put those events on hold for now and will offer online tools and resources to our group of mentees and community members.
What advice can you share for fans who want to help support the music industry right now?
I think people are finding ways to create and support from home, and conversation and consumption are two of the biggest driving factors of an artist's success. Conversation is you telling your friends, your family and your immediate and social network about something or someone you like. Hopefully, 10% of those people engage with what you are saying and tell their social circle about that artist, song, album, movie, show, etc. as well. And the circle continues.
If you and the people you are communicating with also decide to stream/watch/talk about said artist, then you have created a domino effect that can turn into financial income for the artist on the backend. While you’re at home, share what you’re doing with others. What are you listening to? What are you watching? Where are you getting information from? Don’t just listen to a song or an album or watch a YouTube clip; share that with someone, even if it’s just two or three people in your immediate circle. Hopefully, your one view can turn into 10, that 10 can turn into 100, that 100 into 1000, and so on. Artists, writers, producers, and managers can make money off streams, publishing, and sales from projects and content that have already been delivered to platforms!
Fadia Kader, Music Partnership Manager at Instagram
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I suggest not only supporting your favorite artists by streaming their music or purchasing merch, but also by being kind to one another and sharing uplifting messages with other fans and the artist directly.”
—Fadia Kader, Music Partnership Manager at Instagram
How are you handling the news as the music partnership manager at Instagram?
Going with the flow. It’s important for me to stay on top of the news and find a way to engage with music partners to keep them motivated during these times, which in turn, keeps me motivated and creative.
Are you able to work from home? How have you pivoted to that schedule?
I am very lucky to have the kind of role that allows me the flexibility to do my job remotely, so the working-from-home adjustment hasn’t been too bad for me, but I do miss interacting with my colleagues in the office. Sticking to my daily schedule gives me a sense of normalcy.
What trends have you been seeing across Instagram and how have artists been using the platform to their advantage?
With artists not being able to connect to their audiences and fans in person at shows, it’s been really inspiring to see them connect in real-time on IG Live. More than ever, artists are getting more and more comfortable with the feature and realizing the value of connecting directly with an audience in real-time.
What advice can you share for fans who want to help support the music industry right now?
I suggest not only supporting your favorite artists by streaming their music or purchasing merch, but also by being kind to one another and sharing uplifting messages with other fans and the artist directly. Encouraging artists to stay their creative ground and practice self-care in these times. We are all in the same boat and all we need right now is to be there for one another. Even if it's virtual.
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