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Marc Scibilia

Photo by Andy Hawkes

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Quarantine Diaries: Marc Scibilia Is Building A Studio & Listening To Beastie Boys With His Daughter

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As the coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic continues to rock the music industry, the Recording Academy reached out to a few musicians to see how they were spending their days indoors
GRAMMYs
Jun 16, 2020 - 11:04 am

As the coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic continues to rock the music industry, the Recording Academy reached out to a few musicians to see how they were spending their days indoors. Today, singer/songwriter Marc Scibilia shares his Quarantine Diary. 

[6 a.m.–8 a.m.] The first two hours of my morning I hang out with my 16-month-old daughter, Naomi. It was a little tough to get used to not diving into work when I wake up but I have really grown to love it. We listen to Beastie Boys' "Intergalactic" no less than 15 times every morning. She walks over to the record player and signals for more. I have tried so many other artists and songs but they do not work. I guess it's fitting since it was probably my favorite song as a kid.

[8 a.m.–10 a.m.] Our babysitter gets to the house and I start my work day. I run 1–3 miles, lift light weights and shower. I try to have a phone conversation with one of my friends… sadly most of them aren’t up, but Troy or Thad is a good bet. I read for about 20–30 minutes, I fill out a detailed plan of what I am going to accomplish in the day. I use a guideline my friend Donald Miller created (I would recommend it for any creative person who has trouble focusing their energy). 

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[10 a.m.–11 a.m.] I listen to what I was recording the day before—usually I have mixed feelings. Love some of it, hate some of it. I try to make some gut decisions and move on. If there are people that are helping me on things… players, mixers etc. I try to get them going early in the day so we can all be finished with stuff by the end of the day. Since we’ve been in quarantine for about three months and I’ve barely left my house, I’m relying mostly on emails, FaceTime, texts and voice notes for speed.

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[12 p.m.–2 p.m.] My current studio is in the basement of my house. It's 7.5 foot ceilings and no natural light, so I go down into the creative dungeon with some hesitancy at the beginning of every day. At this point, I finally start making music. Once a song is written, I usually start by capturing a scratch vocal and one instrument—whether that be guitar or piano—to map out the structure. After that, I try to understand the rhythm of the song by adding some drums. At this point, I let my imagination take me wherever it’ll go. There’s really no set of steps. It’s really about how I can best bring the song to life. One of my go-to instruments is the Moog 1 synthesizer (the first polyphonic synthesizer they’ve put out in like 30 years!)

[3 p.m.–5 p.m.] I am finishing building a studio in my backyard that has a ton of windows and 23 foot high ceilings but none of this record will be made there. This all comes from the basement. I’m not involved with the technical side of building the studio, in fact I’m probably a nuisance. I am involved in the vision of how I want it to work. Since I spend most of my time when I’m not touring, I like being very involved in the way the space feels on the creative side.

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[5 p.m.–7 p.m.] Since I have been finishing an album most of my time is music production and finishing recordings. If I’m making good progress in the day, I like to end the day with a game or two of FIFA online.

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Quarantine Diaries: Lindgren And Melanie Fontana Are Hosting An Open House, Cooking Blue Apron & Watching "Cake Wars"

If you wish to support our efforts to assist music professionals in need, learn more about the Recording Academy's and MusiCares COVID-19 Relief Fund.

If you are a member of the music industry in need of assistance, visit the MusiCares website.

Grammys Newsletter

Ringo Starr performs at the 50th anniversary celebration of Woodstock in 2019

Ringo Starr performs at the 50th anniversary celebration of Woodstock in 2019

ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images

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Ringo Starr's 80th Birthday Virtual Charity Concert To Feature Paul McCartney, Sheryl Crow, Gary Clark, Jr., And More, Will Benefit MusiCares And Black Lives Matter

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Streaming on Starr's birthday (July 7), the show will feature "at-home performances and unearthed concert footage" from some of his best friends and closest collaborators
John Ochoa
MusiCares
Jul 1, 2020 - 10:19 am

This month, Ringo Starr is commemorating his 80th birthday with a little help from his friends. The former Beatles drummer and nine-time GRAMMY-winning artist is celebrating the big event by hosting Ringo's Big Birthday Show, a virtual charity concert featuring "a mix of at-home performances and unearthed concert footage," according to Rolling Stone, from some of his best friends and closest collaborators, including Paul McCartney, Sheryl Crow, Gary Clark, Jr., Sheila E., Ben Harper and others. 

Streaming on YouTube Tuesday (July 7), Starr's birthday, starting at 8 p.m. EST, the charity concert will benefit MusiCares, Black Lives Matter Global Network, The David Lynch Foundation and WaterAid.

The hour-long show, which will also include chats with the event's guests, will feature the debut of a new, guest-heavy version of "Give More Love," the title track to Starr's 2017 album, which will include Jackson Browne, Jeff Bridges, Elvis Costello, Willie Nelson and others, Rolling Stone reports. Artists like Steve Earle, Peter Frampton and Judy Collins will also perform a series of tribute performances, which Starr will debut on his YouTube channel.

Starr's birthday has become an annual celebration of "peace and love" since 2008 when the legendary artist asked his fans to join him in Chicago and say or think the phrase at noon local time.  The "peace and love" celebrations have since spread to "more than 20 countries around the world and on social media, to 'create a wave of Peace & Love across the planet,'" Rolling Stone reports. For his birthday last July, Starr hosted a special "peace and love" celebration at the iconic Capitol Records building, The Beatles' longtime label home, in Los Angeles; the event featured performances from Ben Kyle, The Jacks and Sara Watkins. Starr is once again asking his fans and friends to say, think or share "peace and love" at noon local time on his birthday. 

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, Starr's annual birthday celebration is going digital in 2020. "This year is going to be a little different," he told Rolling Stone. "There's no big get-together, there's no brunch for 100. But we're putting this show together – an hour of music and chat. It's quite a big birthday."

Last November, Starr and his All-Starr Band announced a 2020 tour, which was later canceled in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Learn more about how you can donate to or apply for assistance via the Recording Academy's and MusiCares' COVID-19 Relief Fund.

Learn more about the financial, medical and personal emergencies services and resources offered by the Recording Academy and MusiCares.

GRAMMYs

MONOGEM

Photo Credit: Shervin Lainez

News

Quarantine Diaries: MONOGEM Is Cuddling With Her Poodle & Binge-Watching "The Path"

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As the coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic continues to rock the music industry, the Recording Academy reached out to a few musicians to see how they were spending their days indoors
GRAMMYs
Jun 30, 2020 - 11:55 am

As the coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic continues to rock the music industry, the Recording Academy reached out to a few musicians to see how they were spending their days indoors. Today, electro-pop/alt-R&B artist MONOGEM shares her Quarantine Diary. MONOGEM's latest track "Paraíso" is out now.

[8:20 a.m.] I just woke up to some rare clouds here in Santa Monica, Calif. The June gloom makes it easy to stay in bed a few extra minutes while I prepare to dive into my calendar and emails, but really a 30-minute Instagram sinkhole.

I was supposed to be in Mexico City this month exploring the city, playing a couple shows, doing some radio interviews and visiting family. It’s bittersweet to think of all of the things that could’ve happened this year, but I am doing my best to stay positive and lean into a new daily routine.

[10:14 a.m.] After a nice long walk with my dog, Sadie, and a homemade oatmilk latte, now it’s time to get a workout in. I always try to get some kind of activity in every day and I like to switch it up between jogging outside, yoga on Zoom, and at-home circuit workouts that I find online. Today, I’ll do a weight circuit.

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While I was exercising, I caught my song live on the air on KCRW, which is pretty much the coolest thing ever! I am full of gratitude and it will always be completely surreal to hear my music on the radio.

[12:50 p.m.] Lunch is served. My days get busy after 1 p.m. with writing sessions, recording vocals and occasionally teaching voice lessons on FaceTime. I’ve started preparing pre-sliced salad fixings to make things easier. Today I made a spinach arugula salad with cucumber, radish, cherry tomato, homemade pickled onions, hard boiled egg and Sprouts veggie couscous with a red wine vinaigrette. It was delicious.

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[2 p.m.] I have a couple voice students today; here is my virtual teaching setup in my home studio. I'm finding it’s actually just as productive as in-person lessons, maybe even more. Singers are extra-exposed since I can’t accompany them in real time without a delay. So as a result, pitch is extra fine-tuned now.

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[4:25 p.m.] Quick cuddle break with Sadie, my poodle, who just turned 11.

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[5 p.m.] Happy hour, my new favorite thing. Today I'm enjoying an ice cold beer (I never drink beer), but it’s summer and why not? I’m about to FaceTime with my friend who speaks with me in Spanish for an hour twice a week. It’s great practice for me to brush up, conversationally, with all of my new music being released in Spanish.

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[8:46 p.m.] After dinner, now I'm getting set up to record a live video for something exciting that will be released very soon. I’m playing my new single and a song off my last EP.

[10:13 p.m.] I got the video take—success! Now it’s time to binge-watch "The Path" on Hulu. It’s about a modern day cult-type, religious movement starring Aaron Paul and I. Am. Obsessed. After two episodes, it’s bedtime. Thanks for joining me today. Until next time…besos x.

Quarantine Diaries: Lindgren And Melanie Fontana Are Hosting An Open House, Cooking Blue Apron & Watching "Cake Wars"

If you wish to support our efforts to assist music professionals in need, learn more about the Recording Academy's and MusiCares COVID-19 Relief Fund.

If you are a member of the music industry in need of assistance, visit the MusiCares website.

Coachella 2019

Coachella 2019

Photo: Rich Fury/Getty Images

News

Report: Coachella Postponed To 2021

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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 

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

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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