How the Coronavirus is Affecting the Music Industry

By Maya Tsimmer

“It’s like we are living through one of those episodes in Black Mirror,” said my friend Arianna. We are currently living through one of the most unpredictable times yet. Many of us are doing our part in social distancing: staying quarantined and taking up new hobbies like cooking to pass time. The only thing getting me through each day has been music; I’m finding genres I had never listened to while figuring out what will happen with the plans I had in attending Coachella for the first time this April or Governor’s Ball Music Festival for my 5th consecutive year. Austin, Texas hosts SXSW and its cancellation has incurred an estimated $350 million loss for the city from food vendors to the hospitality industry. As much of a bummer it is to concert-goers and avid music listeners of Tame Impala like myself, the cancellation of these festivals enforces safety and prioritizes the health of everyone involved. 

Aside from concerts and music festivals, a larger issue at hand deals with the impact that the Coronavirus has on the music industry as a whole. Not only are tours being canceled, but music that artists are recording faces more leak potential than ever because files are being sent around online as seen with Dua Lipa. Dua took to her emotions to an Instagram live where she was heartbroken about the leak. She was forced to push the release date up a week because she did not want to see a decrease in sales. The virus has also impacted the stability of income for artists and record labels because their earnings are now solely coming from royalty rates on streaming platforms. The issue of fair financial compensation per stream still remains as artists are only making a small portion of income per stream. In these past few weeks, the live music industry has been impacted in terms of not being able to hold scheduled events and venues that had already been paid for, and tickets for larger shows having to be refunded to customers. This is a concern that continues to steadily increase. 

Aside from professional musicians and artists not being able to tour as their primary source of income, independent artists and those who are “on the come up” also face tremendous stress with gig cancelations. These are artists who are facing unpredictable futures due to unforeseeable conditions. 

However, despite the downfall that the music industry has seen due to the virus, there isn’t only dreary news. Spotify recently announced that it would match up to $10 million in donations in order to supports artists as well as other workers in the music industry who have suffered financially due to the pandemic. Other platforms including YouTube Music, Sirius XM (which owns Pandora), and Tidal have also donated to the Recording Academy’s COVID-19 Relief Fund. Seeing large corporations step up in times like these is important as it fosters a sense of community. Another positive factor has been the increase in music being made by independent artists with newfound time on their hands. People are able to find their creative side throughout all of this. 

We obviously have never seen such a drastic shift in life in terms of industries as well as in the way people communicate with one another. During this time, while in quarantine, we should look to music as an escape, but also as a medium that has the capability to bring people together like never before.