Live music sings the blues during COVID-19

Note: This article was published in the Spring 2021 print edition of The Berkeley B-Side.

Just over a year ago, the world went dark — the live music scene was silenced by the surging COVID-19 pandemic. Music halls with no music, venues with no lights, and hundreds of thousands of people out of work. Music lovers were devastated to see concert after concert and festival after festival canceled. Bands and artists who were unable to tour; their world had come to a standstill. However, musicians were not the people hurt most. Artists and bands earn streaming revenues and on average earn more than the people who make live music possible: venue staff, stage crew, and tour photographers. They are the lifeblood and labor of live music, yet their stories remain untold.  

According to Pollstar, a trade publication for the concert industry, in the first quarter of 2020, prior to the start of the Covid-19 Pandemic, ticket sales for live music events reached $39,000,000. In the first quarter of 2021, a year after the world came to a halt, ticket sales for live music events reached a mere $397,388. All across the country, small independent venues were forced to close their doors for good. The National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) conducted a survey and found that it was likely that ninety percent of their 2,000 members would have to close their doors permanently. NPR said that the live music industry sits “on the brink of catastrophe.” 

These are not just statistics. Behind every venue closure and every cancelled tour are the stories of thousands of hardworking individuals forced out of the industry that they know and love. These are human stories. 

Tour Photographer Brittany O’Brien, who has toured with Hippo Campus, Young the Giant, Imagine Dragons, and many others knows the live music industry intimately and has seen many of her friends lose their jobs or decide that they are done with the industry for good. Those out of work are often uninsured and receive very few, if any, unemployment benefits.

“There are very few protections in place for these workers. Many people are getting limited, if any, unemployment benefits and don’t have a strong enough resume to start over in a new industry. There are no 401k’s or health insurance benefits when you’re a contract worker, so you’re really on your own waiting for the pandemic to end,” said O’Brien. 

Jason Winfree, Project Manager for Production Resource Group (PRG), is one of the many people put out of work by the pandemic. Currently furloughed, Winfree shared that it is particularly difficult for those put out of work in the entertainment industry. 

He said, “I believe the entertainment industry in general has been hung out to dry by the federal government. For example airlines received bailout money and help, but most of the production companies and promotion companies didn’t receive a dime.” 

Jason’s family had to delay their plans to move out of their home by four years. Their lives were completely changed. Though the furlough has allowed him to spend more time with family, it has also caused Winfree a lot of stress. He said, “At first, I felt that I didn’t have a purpose because all I’ve ever done is this and I have ventured outside of my comfort zone seeking other opportunities, all while hoping I get my job back.” 

The ramifications of the standstill of the live music industry have not only been financial, but emotional as well. O’Brien says that the people behind our favorite bands and artists are rarely thought of, but that many of these “gig workers have been touring for decades and have gotten into a routine of life on the road. Having that sense of stability ripped away is pretty intense.” 

Chris Gott, a production manager who has worked behind the scenes for artists for over 30 years provided further insight into the industry’s current state. Gott said that the live music industry is not all partying and fun like many people believe it to be. In fact, working in this industry is often intense and grueling. 

“There are many times you load in for a show as early as six in the morning, and you often don’t leave until late at night. You’re often working 18-hour days,” Gott said.

He went on to recount the true size and scale of a single concert, noting the strength of the crew behind each show. On his tours, they often travel with 9 buses and 14 trucks. “This is a smaller tour,” he tells me, “There can be up to as many as 100 trucks.” Each of these buses and trucks holds all of the crew members who are no longer touring right now. The man power behind the scale of these productions is at a stand still, left with nothing but continuously rescheduled shows

“It is not the management being hurt. It is not the artists being hurt. It is the base, the people who need the entertainment industries to support their families who are being hurt,” concluded Gott. 

No matter how devastating, the fate of live music is far from sealed. Individually, we can help support the live music industry by going to the website MusiCares, donating to organizations like Save Our Stages, and by paying for streaming virtual concerts put on by our favorite artists. 

The most important thing you can do, though, is tell these very real and very human stories. “Reminding those around you that it exists and talking about concerts will continue to keep the spirit of the industry alive and well,” concluded O’Brien. 

Article by Anna Armstrong

Photo by Alexandre Dulaunoy via Creative Commons