True Believer: An All-Inclusive Term

– DISCLAIMER: I, the author of this article, have played two of the livestream shows discussed in this article. When mentioning the artists involved, I am not referring to myself. I have tried my best to remain impartial in my writing of this article. –

The pandemic threw the state of (among everything else) music into intense disarray. Touring became impossible for eighteen months and the rise of streaming over the past decade and a half has made most digital means of consuming music (shoutout bandcamp.com) impossible to materially support musicians. Beyond this, the widespread shutdowns upended the financial situations of many working musicians. Without shows, the internet was the only way for people to find new artists, and for new artists to unleash their music on the world. With this, however, came the rise of livestreamed concerts performed from the various bedrooms of musicians on Twitch, Youtube, Instagram, and any other platforms artists could harness to perform. These livestreams could be enjoyed by any and everyone with a semi-stable internet connection, regardless of location. Allston, Massachusetts-based tape label Disposable America (fans of which are known as “true believers”) was one of many to join this wave, but one of few not to drop it. When summer of 2021 rolled around, and the low case and high vaccination rates allowed many to return to in-person performances, DA’s then-weekly, now-monthly Tuesday Night Live persisted, supplying those who couldn’t – or simply did not feel comfortable – join in the music industry’s joyful reappearance with some semblance of live music. Fall came, and with it the rise of the Delta variant – once again halting artists’ touring plans and inhibiting the organic growth of smaller artists. Through this, however, Disposable America was maintaining TNL, highlighting more and more artists of wide-ranging genres. 

Tuesday Night Live, however, was not just a means of maintaining live music in a pandemic; along with chat commands to link performers’ bandcamp pages, each stream featured commands to donate to that night’s charity of choice. One such charity was Half-Access, an organization dedicated to making live music more accessible, a necessity this pandemic has both highlighted and exacerbated. The continuation, in some capacity, of livestream concerts – be that bedroom recordings, venue-provided streams of in-person performances, or even the Hate5Six method of professionally recording and uploading full concerts – is crucial to this mission. The state of safety in music, and indeed the world, is in disarray. The uncertainty surrounding in-person gatherings and performances can turn the oft-joyous occasion of seeing your favorite, or maybe a new, artist into a stress-filled endeavor of quickly-sipped drinks and unsure, unenthusiastic crowds. This is not the return to live music anyone wants, nor is it one everyone can enjoy. While the return of in-person concerts is absolutely a net good (and one I have more than taken advantage of), the pandemic is not yet over, and the concerns of those who aren’t able to risk the crowds should be top priority, not thrown to the wayside while the rest of us get to mosh carefree. 

Disposable America is one of relatively few outlets keeping this trend alive post-vax, and it’s heartening to see them do it. They, as well as the artists they highlight, deserve your attention and support. You can find their next stream here on April 5, 2022 with what is bound to be an eclectic, exciting cast of artists. 

Article By Walker Price. Photo courtesy of Disposable America.