how to support artists while practicing social distancing
By Amelia Zollner
Amid fears of the spread of Coronavirus and the Center for Disease Control’s recommendation to avoid mass gatherings for the next few months, nearly every band that planned spring shows has recently announced cancellation or postponement. Although it’s hard for concertgoers to face the loss of concerts they may have been looking forward to for months, the loss of tour dates can be even more devastating for up-and-coming bands and artists that live with unstable financial situations. During this time, it’s vital for music fans to step up and support musicians and bands. However, it can be tricky to figure out how to do so without live shows. To encourage our readers to support artists during this unfortunate time, we compiled a small list of some easy ways you can support your favorite artists while still adhering to the rules of social distancing.
Merch
Aside from attending concerts, one of the best ways to financially support artists is by purchasing their merchandise online. Especially when it's purchased from smaller labels and stores, most proceeds from merch go directly to artists, allowing them to make a fair amount of money.
Playlists
Although using streaming services generally isn’t the most impactful way of supporting musicians, adding small artists’ songs to playlists can be an effective vehicle for introducing those artists to new music lovers. Sharing these playlists on social media and with friends can help them circulate, allowing artists to receive more recognition and proceeds from streaming.
Donations & commissions
Plenty of small artists experiencing financial instability due to cancellations have offered up new methods of making money. Some artists have created Patreon accounts with exclusive content and songs accessible to subscribers. Others, such as Riley Moore and Tom Rosenthal, have opened up commissions for songs, charging modest amounts for customized songs. Whether it's purchasing work on commission from artists and bands or simply sending over a few dollars to an artist to offset the loss of tours, they're sure to be thankful for any donations.
Bandcamp
Streaming music is a great way of supporting bands, however, far too often, monopolizing streaming companies like Spotify and Apple Music pay musicians fractions of pennies per stream. One of the best ways to thank a band is by purchasing music directly from them on a platform like Bandcamp, which takes a much smaller percentage of an artist’s sales. Bandcamp has also taken steps to help artists during this time of need. On March 20, Bandcamp waived all fees and gave all proceeds directly to artists, helping musicians earn a total of $3.4 million.
Supporting small record labels
Record labels are also taking similar steps to small platforms; for example, a few days ago, Polyvinyl announced it would be giving all revenue from March 20-31 directly to artists. Scouting out and supporting streaming services and labels that have announced policies like this can be extremely beneficial to artists.
Livestreams
In the face of tour cancellations, many artists have announced and carried out livestreams. Cavetown, as well as a few other artists, even announced a schedule of livestreams during which he plans to play music, paint, and host listening parties for fans. Although simply watching a livestream isn't providing financial support for artists, it's still a great way to thank them for their work and encourage them to keep creating.
The Ease Up Magazine team encourages you to practice social distancing and to stay safe during this scary time.