Fans crowd-surf at SXSW 2016

Fans crowd-surf at SXSW 2016

Photo: Roger Kisby/Getty Images

News

Going Viral: The Music Industry Grapples With The Worldwide Coronavirus Outbreak

Facebook Twitter Email
With the unprecedented cancellations of SXSW and Ultra Music Festival this week, the music industry faces ongoing questions, fears and concerns surrounding the global spread of the novel coronavirus
John Ochoa
GRAMMYs
Mar 8, 2020 - 6:52 pm

Like the spread of the virus itself, the growing fear surrounding the coronavirus outbreak has quickly escalated on a global scale over the past three months. Its impact on international industries and business is far and wide: Airlines, pharmaceutical conglomerates, big tech companies, gaming businesses and tourism industries are currently experiencing or bracing for the economical effects resulting from the novel coronavirus. It was only a matter of time until the furor reached the music industry. 

This week, the coronavirus sparked several major blows to the international live music industry. On the same day, Friday, March 6, both Ultra Music Festival (UMF), the Miami-based EDM mega-festival, and SXSW, the annual multi-day music, film, interactive media and tech festival and conference in Austin, Texas, canceled their 2020 editions due to concerns over the coronavirus. (Miami's Calle Ocho Festival, a one-day street festival and cultural event part of Carnaval Miami, was also canceled as part of the UMF announcement.)

In the same week that UMF and SXSW were canceled, Tomorrowland Winter in France, an offshoot event of Belgium's globally attended annual Tomorrowland EDM festival, and Ultra Abu Dhabi, UMF's event in the Middle East, were both called off. 

The UMF and SXSW developments come on the heels of bubbling fears and recent cancellations and postponements of international music tours and prominent cultural events around the world since this January due to the coronavirus, including cancellations from major artists like BTS, Mariah Carey, Green Day, Stormzy, Khalid, The National and many others. 

The news marks the first-ever cancellations for both SXSW and UMF, which were each scheduled to take place this month. It's an unprecedented development triggered by an equally unheard-of event with potentially unknown ramifications on an industry-wide level. 

The SXSW cancellation alone has already impacted Austin's local food, live music and hotel industries, with its ripple effect causing similar consequences on the city's businesses, communities and grassroots music scene. While local businesses and governments and city leaders are banding together to help alleviate the aftermath, launching funds, initiatives and fundraisers, the music industry is now scrambling for real-time responses and preemptive solutions as it heads into the 2020 festival season. 

Currently, there is lots of talk in the music industry surrounding event cancellation insurance as the coronavirus outbreak continues to impact large-scale events around the world. Generally speaking, infectious diseases are not covered in cancellation insurance policies, but rather come at an extra added premium. Still, many such insurance polices may exempt the novel coronavirus, according to Billboard. For example, while SXSW had insurance policies covering several types of events and scenarios, the festival did not have "cancellation insurance relating to a disease outbreak or triggered by the city declaring a 'local state of disaster,'" according to a report from The Austin Chronicle.

Consequently, many are putting the onus of event safety during the coronavirus era in the hands of event promoters and festival producers. "Concert promoters might need to come up with some kind of new model for this period," Carnegie Mellon University professor George Loewenstein told Billboard. "It feels to me like we're at the beginning." University of Massachusetts-Lowell bioethicist Nicholas Evans adds, "If there's a Los Angeles Times story that says 'Coachella becomes a hotbed for coronavirus,' I don't think it's going to be the company that serves drinks at the bar that's going to be taking the hit for that one. It's going to be the festival organizer." 

The effects of the coronavirus on the music industry go beyond the live music sphere, with many music and entertainment companies taking stock market hits as early as February. Warner Music Group, which last month (Feb. 6) announced it was going public, delayed its initial public offering (IPO) "due to market turbulence caused by fears surrounding the spread of the coronavirus," according to Music Business Worldwide. Frankfurt Musikmesse, a major gear show and trade fair in Europe, postponed its 2020 edition, originally scheduled for April, due to coronavirus.

In the fallout of the SXSW and UMF cancellations, novel practices are starting to emerge across the live music and event industries. Many tech conferences and industry trade shows are taking their events and exhibitions virtual and online-only. In the music space, large-scale events are implementing advanced medical technologies and additional health measures such as “fever screening," a process by which festival and event attendees are screened for "exposure risks" via thermal-imaging cameras, as reported by Rolling Stone.

Read: Coachella Co-Founder Paul Tollett Talks Kanye, Safety, Legacy & More

Still, with the 2020 festival season on the horizon, questions, fears and concerns surrounding the global coronavirus outbreak continue to loom in the music industry. Days after the SXSW news, forecasts of future festival cancellations remain a hot topic. "I wouldn’t doubt over the next 20 days if we see a festival a day canceled,” Vans Warped Tour founder Kevin Lyman told Billboard in an interview prior to the SXSW and UMF cancellations. 

At the time of this writing, both Coachella and Stagecoach, the flagship festivals from music events and festival producer Goldenvoice, have not been canceled. Meanwhile, Riverside County, where both fêtes take place, today (March 8) declared a public health emergency after it confirmed its first coronavirus case.

As the coronavirus continues to spread, many are left wondering if those festivals, along with several major events around the world, will see their fates cut short during this festival season.

For more information and developments related to the coronavirus, visit the World Health Organization for ongoing news and updates.

Crowd shot at SXSW 2019

Crowd shot at SXSW 2019

Photo: Hutton Supancic/Getty Images for SXSW

News

How The Global Coronavirus Pandemic Is Directly Impacting Songwriters, Musicians And Artists

Facebook Twitter Email
With the worldwide concert industry now in flux, the coronavirus disruption has created a volatile environment for artists, musicians, songwriters and producers on every level
John Ochoa
Advocacy
Mar 13, 2020 - 3:35 pm

By now, the detrimental effects of the global coronavirus pandemic on the music industry are loudly heard. Major festivals around the world are postponing or outright cancelling their 2020 editions. This month alone, Coachella and Stagecoach, Ultra Music Festival, SXSW, Lollapalooza Argentina, Treefort Music Fest, Brussels' Listen! Festival and several other major events were called off or postponed due to the coronavirus. The aftermath has impacted everything from music conferences and award shows—this year's Winter Music Conference, ASCAP Experience, Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards and BMI Latin Awards were all cancelled or postponed—while the amount of cancelled national and international tours continues to grow seemingly on the daily.

As the coronavirus itself continues to spread, so too does its ramifications on the music industry. While industry experts and analysts are projecting that the live concert business could stand to lose billions, the financial fallout is virtually immeasurable at this point.  

But music's financial collapse is already taking its industry-wide toll. 

"You have people delaying on-sales for tours, and you have people who are going to postpone tours. It's chaotic and stressful, from agents and managers to artists, their families and their support teams," Allen Kovac, an artist manager who represents Mötley Crüe and other acts, told The New York Times.

The downfall of the live music space comes in the streaming era when the majority of professional recording artists and performing musicians rely heavily on touring and live performances as their main source of income. A 2018 survey by the Music Industry Research Association and the Princeton University Survey Research Center, in partnership with the Recording Academy's MusiCares, found that live performances were the "most common income source for musicians," according to Rolling Stone. (Pitchfork's in-depth feature on the booming music streaming market visualizes these financial percentages in a helpful graph.) 

Crowd shot at SXSW 2018

Still, even as the streaming industry continues to grow, with streaming accounting for 80 percent of the music industry’s overall revenue, the low royalty rates make it difficult for small and independent artists to even earn a minimum wage through streaming. And artists continue to make nothing from traditional AM/FM radio platforms (a major reason why Congress needs to pass the AM-FM Act). 

This all makes the live music industry all that more important for artists and musicians, especially for those considered to be non-superstar acts who rely on paychecks from touring and live gigs just to make a living. A coronavirus-sized pandemic that causes festival cancelations and cuts touring schedules short will undoubtedly impact the bottom line of artists and creators of every size on a global scale. Simply put: No shows = no paycheck. 

The coronavirus cancellations will also trickle down to songwriters, who depend on performance royalties from the live performances of their songs. A decrease in shows unquestionably equates to a decrease in potential gains via live performance royalties.

Then, of course, there's the legion of audio engineers, sound and light crews, backstage teams, tour managers and other behind-the-scenes hands who have doubtlessly lost work due to canceled tours, conferences and festivals. As DJ TechTools, a DJ- and gear-centric outlet, points out, audiovisual technicians are reporting a massive wave of job cancellations as more and more music conferences are cancelled in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. 

With the global concert industry now in flux, the disruption has created a volatile environment for artists, independent musicians, songwriters, producers and the like on every level. As tours and festivals continue to cancel, these same industries are, too, impacted, leaving session players, live musicians and all sorts of creative workers to face potentially empty touring and recording schedules for months on end. Worst of all, there is no end in sight just yet. 

Still, as the coronavirus story develops and the world continues to adapt, so will our beloved music industry. The artist and musician community can tap into the national and local resources available to alleviate any financial, mental and social distress caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

If you are an artist or music professional who has been impacted by this unprecedented circumstance and are in need of assistance, please visit our MusiCares page to learn more about the financial, medical and personal emergencies services and resources offered by the Recording Academy.

For more information and developments related to the coronavirus, visit the World Health Organization and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for ongoing news and updates.

Going Viral: The Music Industry Grapples With The Worldwide Coronavirus Outbreak

Coachella 2019

Coachella 2019

Photo: Rich Fury/Getty Images

News

Report: Coachella Postponed To 2021

Facebook Twitter Email
As parent company AEG lays off 15 percent of its workforce, the festival's officials are considering a potential limited-capacity event next April or a higher-capacity event in October 2021
John Ochoa
GRAMMYs
Jun 10, 2020 - 12:10 pm

Update Thursday (June 11) at 6:09 p.m. EST: In a press release, Goldenvoice officially announced the rescheduling of the 2021 installments of Coachella and its country music festival counterpart, Stagecoach, stating, "Under the continuing health guidance of the County of Riverside, Coachella and Stagecoach 2020 will not take place this October as previously rescheduled. This is not the future that any of us hoped to confront, but our main focus remains the well-being of our fans, staff, artists, desert partners and everyone involved in the festival." The press release states Coachella is scheduled to now take place across two weekends next April, with the first weekend happening April 9–11, followed by weekend two on April 16–18; Stagecoach will take place the following weekend, April 23–25. According to the announcement, all festivals will feature new lineups and all 2020 passes will be honored for 2021. 2020 ticket-holders will receive an email about refunds or ticket rollovers Monday (June 15).

Update: On Wednesday (June 10), the 2020 editions of Coachella and Stagecoach, both of which are Goldenvoice festival properties, were officially canceled "due to county and state restrictions" related to the coronavirus pandemic, Billboard reports. "I am concerned as indications grow that COVID-19 could worsen in the fall," Riverside Public Health Officer Dr. Cameron Kaiser wrote in an official statement from Riverside County where both festivals take place. "In addition, events like Coachella and Stagecoach would fall under [California] Governor Newsom’s Stage 4, which he has previously stated would require treatments or a vaccine to enter. Given the projected circumstances and potential, I would not be comfortable moving forward."

After being rescheduled from April to October, this year's installment of Coachella has been postponed once again to 2021, largely due to major financial problems caused by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. 

According to Billboard, which broke the news Tuesday (June 9), officials at Goldenvoice, the organizers behind Coachella, are determining whether the festival will return next April, potentially in a limited capacity, or as a higher-capacity event in October 2021; the three-day festival typically attracts 125,000 people per day across two weekends.

At the time of this writing, Coachella has not made an official announcement about the postponement. 

The cancelation follows a major wave of cost-cutting initiatives at AEG, the global concert promoter and parent company of Goldenvoice. On Monday (June 8), AEG laid off 15 percent of its workforce, furloughed more than 100 employees and instituted significant pay cuts, which collectively mark the "deepest staff cuts in the company's history," as noted by Billboard.

"It is clear now that live events with fans will not resume for many months and likely not until sometime in 2021," Dan Beckerman, a chief executive at AEG, wrote in a note to employees ahead of the layoffs, according to Billboard. He also said every employee worldwide "will be impacted in one form or another" by the staff cuts, calling the decision "agonizing" but "necessary" for the company's long-term success. 

Read: Recording Academy And MusiCares Establish COVID-19 Relief Fund

According to Billboard, approximately 40 percent of Coachella ticket-buyers requested refunds for this year's festival. AEG officials believe they can produce the festival next April at 60 percent capacity, but they will not commit to rescheduling the 2021 event until they know more about the pandemic's trajectory.

The festival's postponement and the company's staff cuts come as the coronavirus pandemic has virtually shut down the global concert business following strict stay-at-home orders and closures of nonessential businesses worldwide that have caused many live music venues and events companies to shut their doors—some permanently.

Rumors surrounding Coachella's 2020 postponement first surfaced in early March, just when the COVID-19 pandemic began to severely impact the music industry. Since then, businesses and several U.S. states have begun to open their doors nationwide. The live music industry has since implemented novel ideas, such as drive-in concerts, virtual festivals, and socially distanced events, but large-scale festivals and gatherings are not likely to return this year. 

Read: Lollapalooza 2020 Canceled, Along With Other Chicago Summer Fests, Due To Coronavirus Concerns

AEG could potentially begin to reintroduce concerts across its many venues around the world as early as the fourth quarter of 2020 or early 2021, Billboard reports, which will help the company rehire its furloughed employees once it locks in a timetable and solidifies an approach. 

"It is our responsibility as a management team to protect our company and make sure that we are positioned for long-term success, and we are focused on this critical objective," Beckerman wrote in the note to staff, according to Billboard. "The world is slowly re-opening, and our industry will re-open later and more slowly than most. As a result, our organization and workforce have to adapt and evolve to meet the demands, challenges and economic circumstances we are likely to face when we emerge from this crisis."

The Best Apps & Tools For Recording And Monetizing Music In The COVID-19 Era 

Ultra Music Festival 2018

Ultra Music Festival 2018

Photo: Sergi Alexander/Getty Images

News

2019 Music Festival Preview: Noise Pop, Coachella, Ultra & More

Facebook Twitter Email
With next year’s lineups dropping left and right, we've created a helpful roundup to help you decide which music fests to attend (or livestream from your couch)
Ana Monroy Yglesias
GRAMMYs
Jan 1, 2019 - 9:51 am

Music festivals the world over have been releasing their 2019 lineups for a hot minute. Such an abundance of choice can be overwhelming, so to help you prepare, we organized an overview of some of the biggest events you may want to snag tickets to.

From the desert-set musical smorgasbord that is Coachella, to Ultra and Electric Forest's laser-filled dance floors, to SXSW and Noise Pop's up-and-coming indie events, read on to narrow down which music fests you’ll travel to (or livestream from the couch) in 2019.

West Coast

Coachella Valley Music And Arts Festival

Tupac's iconic lyrics are just as relevant as ever: "California knows how to party." It's definitely the case when Coachella lights up Indio, Calif. every April. The iconic desert fest always brings an exciting and stacked mix of artists both big and rising across genres—and the upcoming 20th anniversary event more than lives up to the hype.

The headliners alone are enough to get excited about, with this year's lineup featuring GRAMMY winner Childish Gambino and GRAMMY nominees Tame Impala and Ariana Grande. Even more impressive, Grande will be the fourth-ever solo female headlining artist at the event, following in the footsteps of GRAMMY winners Beyoncé and Lady Gaga.

There are plenty of other gems on the lineup, with Latin music artists making big waves beyond the Spanish-language market: Latin GRAMMY and GRAMMY nominee Bad Bunny, Latin GRAMMY winner Rosalía and Latin GRAMMY winner/GRAMMY nominee J Balvin are on board for Coachella. Plus, plenty of rising stars are represented, including first-time GRAMMY nominees H.E.R. and Ella Mai, viral teen sensation Billie Eilish, indie/electro R&B artist Blood Orange and GRAMMY-nominated dance/pop duo Sofi Tukker.

The 2019 event will return for two three-day weekend events, on April 12–14 and 19–21. Tickets and more info can be found on Coachella's website.

Noise Pop Festival

While you probably can't rock your denim cutoffs in San Francisco in February, you can get your live music fix early with Noise Pop Festival, which runs from Feb. 25 to March 3. The 26-year-old event specializes in up-and-coming indie acts, with a solid sprinkling of well-established fan favorites. Noise Pop prides itself on bringing "early exposure to many emerging artists," with plenty of previous acts going on to become household names, including GRAMMY winners The White Stripes and The Flaming Lips and GRAMMY nominees Death Cab for Cutie and Modest Mouse. Additionally, the event takes place at venues across the San Francisco Bay Area, making use of the historic venues around S.F. and beyond, giving attendees the ability to not only explore all the area has to offer, but to also pick and choose which shows they want to see.

Noise Pop 2019 will include performances from indie rock/folk darlings Beirut, The Strokes guitarist Albert Hammond Jr., Bob Mould of '80s alt-rock group Hüsker Dü, along with electro/dream-pop artist Baths, indie-pop singer/songwriter Caroline Rose, Aussie electro-R&B duo Kllo, Latina rapper Princess Nokia and more.

All access passes are available for purchase, as well as individual tickets for specific shows. Check out Noise Pop's website for more info.

CRSSD Festival

If warmer weather and dance music is more your scene, check out CRSSD in San Diego, Calif. The electronic music-focused festival hosts an event every spring and fall by the ocean in sunny Southern California. Their spring 2019 event will be held on March 2–3 and features some big names, including GRAMMY nominees ODESZA and dark electro-pop duo Phantogram, as well as plenty of popular underground house and techno favorites, like Luttrell, The Martinez Brothers, Avalon Emerson and more.

Head to CRSSD's site to snag tickets and view the full phase one lineup.

South

SXSW Music Festival

The week-long extravaganza of SXSW Music Festival will take over Austin, Tex. From March 11–17 with hundreds of music acts in venues across the city. Similar to Noise Pop, SXSW populates its lineup with up-and-comers from around the world, plus features a handful of established stars—like Prince—popping up in intimate venues: The late GRAMMY-winning icon gave a small crowd of lucky fans an almost three-hour show at SXSW 2013.

While there are countless unofficial SXSW shows all over the city, the SXSW official 2019 lineup boasts over 480 diverse acts so far. Some of the showcasing artists announced are GRAMMY-winning rapper Wyclef Jean, who will also be a featured speaker, Los Angeles-based (by way of San Francisco) psych-rock group Thee Oh Sees, and Chicago-based electro R&B duo DRAMA. There’s also plenty of international talent on the docket, including Argentinean Latin trap star Ecko, Netherlands-born, Australia-based pop songstress Wafia and Nigerian Afrobeat singer/songwriter Mr. Eazi.

To pore over the extensive lineup, check out ticket options and more, visit SXSW's website.

Hangout Music Fest

If you're looking for something where you can chill in one spot, perhaps by a body of water, Hangout Music Fest in Gulf Shores, Ala. may be more along the lines of what you're craving. The 10th anniversary, which the organizers have coined a "music vacation," will take place on May 17–19 on the beach.

The stacked lineup of over 50 acts is pretty diverse among artists and genres, with big names in dance music such as GRAMMY winner Diplo, GRAMMY nominees Mura Masa and Sofi Tukker, along with Detroit hero GRiZ and dance festival favorite Alison Wonderland.

Meanwhile, artists in the pop/indie-rock arena include GRAMMY nominees Hozier and Bebe Rexha, as well fan favorites The 1975, Walk The Moon and Jimmy Eat World. 

For more info and to see the complete list of artists, visit the Hangout Fest website.

Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival

Founded in 2002, this down-south outdoor fest once specialized in all things folk and jam band. Nowadays, the lineup's diversified a bit, welcoming artists of nearly every popular genre.  

This year's Bonnaroo will take place June 13–16 at Great Stage Park, a 700-acre farm and event space in Manchester, Tenn., 60 miles southeast of Nashville. In its 18th year, the festival will feature a wide range of artists performing around the clock across more than 10 stages. Festival organizers also promise an array of new features and improvements this year, including upgrades to the site's communal areas, known as Plazas, with free public WiFi, showers, charging stations, medical and safety stations, and more.

The festivities kick off On June 13 with Grand Ole Opry Featuring Special Guests. Friday, June 14 headliners include Phish, Childish Gambino, Solange, The Avett Brothers, Brockhampton, Courtney Barnett, Gojira, K.Flay and more. Saturday, June 15, will showcase Post Malone, Odesza, Hozier, Musgraves, The National, ZHU, John Prine, Maren Morris, and more, while Sunday, June 16 will see Phish return with two sets, plus The Lumineers, Cardi B, Carlile, Walk The Moon, Mac DeMarco, King Princess, The Wood Brothers, and many more.

Also new for 2019, Bonnaroo will feature a "Sanctuary of Self-Love" campground experience curated by none other than Paramore's Hayley Williams. There will also be circus acts, immersive cinema shows, theme parties, and Bonnaroo's first-ever Pride parade.

Tickets for Bonnaroo go on sale Thursday, Jan. 10 at 12 p.m. EST exclusively via the festival's website.

East Coast

Woodstock 50th Anniversary

In the summer of 1969, a dairy farm in Upstate New York hosted one of the most renowned music festivals of the 20th century, the Woodstock Music And Arts Fair. Now, as Woodstock approaches its 50th anniversary this August, the excitement to relive the summer of '69 returns, with two music festivals aiming for just that. An official Woodstock 50th music festival has been announced by one of the iconic gathering's original promoters, Michael Lang. It will be held at a different location, further upstate in Watkins Glen, complete with glamping. The Bethel Woods Center For The Arts, located on the site of the original event, has also announced that they will host an unofficial celebration—the Bethel Woods Music and Culture Festival on Aug. 16–18.

There's no lineup announcement or tickets offered for either event yet, so we’ll just have to wait to see if any living Woodstock legends, like the GRAMMY-winning group Santana, who launched their career on the famed Woodstock stage, will return.

Ultra Music Festival

The EDM-centric Ultra Music Festival is returning for the 21st year of their flagship festival in its home base of Miami on March 29–31. The dance music mecca's new oceanside venue on Virginia Key will allow the 2019 offering to host more attendees for longer hours. The artists this year are sure to get you moving, with a wide range of dance music favorites, from big room house to some more underground acts.

Some of the big DJ/producers on the list include GRAMMY winners Afrojack, the Chainsmokers, Dubfire, David Guetta, Tiësto and Zedd, plus GRAMMY nominees Alesso, Armin Van Buuren, Deadmau5, Galantis and ODESZA. Underground faves include The Martinez Brothers, Maceo Plex and Tale of Us.

To scope the complete lineup and ticket options, check out Ultra's website.

Governors Ball

Governors Ball Music Festival is returning for their ninth year on Randall's Island Park in New York City on May 31–June 2. Governors Ball 2019 will bring The Strokes and GRAMMY nominees Tyler, the Creator and Florence & the Machine as headliners.

The three-day event of music, art, food and fun certainly brings an N.Y.C.-inspired melting pot approach to their musical lineup, and this year does not disappoint. Other musical highlights include: GRAMMY winners Lil Wayne and Kacey Musgraves, GRAMMY nominees SZA, Nas, The Internet, Jorja Smith, Bob Moses, Charli XCX, ZHU, plus Vince Staples, BROCKHAMPTON, Blood Orange, Clairo, Bazzi, MØ, Major Lazer (DJs Jillionaire, Walshy Fire and GRAMMY winner Diplo), Noname, Kaytranada, Gesaffelstein and King Princess.

More info on tickets, as well as the complete lineup and event details can be found on the Governors Ball site.

Electric Forest Festival

The annual Electric Forest Festival likes to keeps things interesting with a solid mix of jam bands and electronic acts among the forest in Rothbury, Michigan. The 2019 fest will take place on June 27–30 and lists ethereal electronic duo ODESZA, tropical house DJ/producer Kygo and bass music heavy hitters Bassnectar and Zeds Dead as the headliners.

Other artists range from GRAMMY-nominated deep-house duo Bob Moses, Detroit house legend Claude VonStroke, female bass powerhouses Alison Wonderland and TOKiMONSTA, who is a first-time GRAMMY nominee this year.

The jam bands are led by The String Cheese Incident, an Electric Forest mainstay, who will be doing three performances over the weekend, along with the The Floozies and STS9, who blur the line of electronic music, psych-rock and hip-hop.

GRAMMY winner T-Pain represents the smaller hip-hop contingency, along with rising female rapper, and first-time GRAMMY nominee, Tierra Whack.

For more info on tickets, including on the VIP lodge camping offering, check out Electric Forest's site.

No matter your musical and venue taste, there are plenty of festivals this year to keep you dancing all year long. Stay tuned to grammy.com for updates on new lineup releases, along with exclusive behind-the-scenes artist interviews from the biggest events as we approach festival season.

Ed Sheeran, Mariah Carey & More Broke Big Music Records In 2018

GRAMMYs
News

The Best Apps & Tools For Recording And Monetizing Music In The COVID-19 Era

Facebook Twitter Email
Here's a rundown of some easy-to-use apps and tools for recording and monetizing your music in the COVID-19 era
GRAMMYs
Jun 9, 2020 - 3:04 pm

We are currently living in an unprecedented era around music creation and touring. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, all business has been forced to become remote, making it difficult for artists to maintain their usual level of activity. Of course, though the music landscape looks totally different right now, artists are finding new and innovative ways to get their music heard, be it through livestreams, engaging with fans via social media or launching subscription models that offer exclusive content to fans. To that end, here's a rundown of some exciting new apps and tools for recording and monetizing your music in the COVID-19 era. 

Recording Tools

There are plenty of social media options for getting your work out there: Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and Twitch are just some of the possible platforms you can use to capture your recording. 

There's also a new all-in-one app called RMusic, which allows songwriters to collaboratively write music on the go. Not only does RMusic let you to record ideas directly onto a virtual project file, but you can punch in new lines, edit takes, invite other collaborators from your address book, type lyrics, undo takes and communicate with project members from within the app.

Live Broadcast & Streaming Channels

Facebook: According to a new Remote Musicians Handbook put together by the Berklee College of Music, Facebook is the best venue for livestreaming if your audience skews a little older. 

Instagram: Meanwhile, Instagram, which has a feature that allows other people to join your live stream as guests, is ideal for younger audiences. "Based on your social media engagement on each platform, you can make an informed decision about which platform will be best for your fans," the handbook writes. "Both of these are well-suited for unannounced livestreams as notifications will go out to engaged fans, as well as letting your fans know ahead of time when you will be streaming."

YouTube: Then there's YouTube, which offers a number of monetization options and scheduling tools, such as pre-stream and in-stream ads, donations and merch sales. YouTube will even notify your followers when you go live and will allow you to schedule a live stream ahead of time. And as the stream takes place, YouTube lets viewers ask questions and interact with the streamer. 

TikTok: If you're on the super music-friendly app TikTok, did you know that you can activate a live stream if you have more than 1,000 followers? Once watching your livestream, viewers can purchase stickers, and a portion of the money is donated to the streamer. According to the aforementioned handbook, on TikTok these purchases are made using "coins." Coins start at $0.99 for 65 coins and go up to $99.99 for 6,697 coins. In turn, users can buy stickers, called "Virtual Gifts," for anywhere from 1 to 100 coins.
     
Twitch: The video game streaming platform can be useful for engaging new fans. Because this app hosts as many as 4 million viewers at once (according to TwitchTracker) actively encourages discovering new streamers, artists can show up under Twitch's "Music & Performing Arts" section (with 2.3 million followers). Here, according to the handbook, "the music ranges from metal to violin covers to singer-songwriters, and is generally more diverse genre-wise than more mainstream platforms."

If you want to monetize your work on Twitch, know that streamers get paid when new subscribers follow them and viewers donate to the streamer. Some streamers use new followers and donations as mechanisms to unlock new content or segments. Some will take requests at certain follower count or donation levels, others run merch giveaways, or give followers access to exclusive content.

OBS Software: OBS (Open Broadcaster Software) is free and open source software for video recording and live streaming. Stream to Twitch, YouTube and many other providers.

Nugs.net: Get live music on demand. Nugs.net offers a collection of more than 15,000 full-length concert recordings from the likes of Pearl Jam, Widespread Panic, Umphrey’s McGee, Dead & Company and more. Try it free with a 30-day trial.

Houseparty: This social networking service enables group video chatting through mobile and desktop apps. Users receive a notification when friends are online and available to group video chat. 

StageIt: Founded in 2009, Stageit is a web-based performance venue that hosts paid livestreamed performances. Artists choose when they want to perform, for how long, and how much they want to charge. 

Crowdcast: This video platform hosts live video Q&As, interviews, summits, webinars and more.

Streamlabs: This streaming platform can stream audio to Twitch, YouTube and Facebook. 

BandsInTown: Use BandsInTown to promote your live stream shows. You can even engage new fans and monetize shows through BandsInTown's Twitch partnership.

Fan & Membership Platforms

Patreon: Patreon gives fans access to exclusive artist content for a monthly fee, might be the first option that comes to mind when it comes to fan and membership platforms. But Patreon is only the beginning. Gumroad lets creators offer digital and physical products for sale, while its dashboard provides insight into how your sales are doing and how fans are consuming your content.

Squarespace: Offers subscription products in their store, integrating directly with your website and can be sold alongside your other merch products. 

Shopify: For $40/month, Shopify offers apps that allow you to offer subscriptions from your Shopify ecommerce store, which is helpful if you are offering physical goods as part of your subscription. 

Bandzoogle: Sell music, merch, downloads  and tickets, commission-free. Once you add a store, you can start selling music, downloads, tickets and band merch. Monthly fees start at $8.29.

Ghost: With Ghost, which is free to join, you can publish content online, grow an audience with email newsletters and make money from premium memberships.

Memberful: Memberful helps independent publishers, educators, and creators sell memberships to their audience and build sustainable businesses. You can integrate with Wordpress, send email newsletters, create private podcasts and more. Pricing is free to start and goes up to $25 or $100 per month.

Digital Production Marketplaces, including licensing and sell music, samples, and custom sounds:

Splice: Splice Studio gives you access to millions of royalty-free samples, MIDI and presets on mobile, web and desktop for $7.99/mo. 

ScoreAScore: This music production, licensing and supervision company puts producers in need of original music directly in contact with the composers who create it.

Beatstars: Beatstars is an online marketplace to buy and sell beats.

Putting The Plan Into Action

Now that you have the tools, all you need is to put a plan into action. The Remote Musicians Handbook suggests that you first analyze your audience to get a sense of their social media profiles. Then, you may want to run an unnanounced test live stream, just to get a sense of who's showing up. Then, schedule a series of announced live streams on the platform(s) of your choice. Once livestreams are part of your routine, consider partnering with artist friends on YouTube where you can cross-promote each other's work. From there, consider monetizing your work on Patreon with exclusive content. All the while, to engage new fans, hop on music-discovery tools TikTok and Twitch.

Now that you have the resources to build a fully functional music online platform from the safety and comfort of your home, the rest is up to you. Good luck!   

How Musicians Are Staying Positive & Productive Amidst A Pandemic