COVID-19
Party Smart: The World’s First Socially Distanced Concert Is Going Down In Arkansas
The impact of COVID-19 effectively quashed the live concert industry, sending its artists, managers, agents, and promoters into a professional tailspin in the process. Their dealings have since migrated to the virtual music livestreaming landscape, which is becoming more and more robust with each passing day as major players in the industry, Like Twitch, Facebook, and SoundCloud, push their chips to the middle of the table. Due to social distancing ordinances and concerns about the health of patrons, the live music industry has remained dormant despite unwavering and incessant requests by venue owners to reopen amid crushing financial losses. Nevertheless, country-rock singer and Bishop Gunn frontman Travis McCready is primed to host the world’s first-ever socially distance...
Spanish Government Initiates Three-Step Plan to Reintroduce Live Events Amid Pandemic
Spain’s government recently announced and initiated a three-phase plan to reintroduce live events into its cities, furthering its efforts to ease restrictions on large gatherings in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. The first phase of the plan, which allows “cultural events” to take place, is currently underway and will be rolling out on a case-by-case basis in each province, relative to the severity of the coronavirus outbreak in each respective area. According to Spanish news outlet The Local, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced that bars and restaurants with terraces will be able to operate at 50% of their full capacity. The statement follows a preceding announcement that limited local venue owners to open its doors at only 30% capacity, which was u...
Nigeria extends ban on all flights by another two weeks
The Presidential Task Force on the control of the pandemic has announced a two-week extension of the ban of all flights in Nigeria which is due to expire on Thursday. Chairman of the task force and Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr. Boss Mustapha, said at its briefing in Abuja on Wednesday. He said: “Tomorrow (Thursday) marks the last day for the enforcement of the closure of Nigeria’s airspace to flights. We have assessed the situation in the aviation industry and have come to the conclusion that given the facts available to us and based on the advice of experts, the ban on all flights will be extended for an additional four weeks.” The Task Force has also alerted that the outcomes of the modeling it has adopted suggest that dangers lie ahead for the country. He said...
Rock Concert to Take Place in Arkansas Next Week With “Pod” Seating and Temperature Checks
On Monday, Missouri Governor Mike Parson officially gave the okay for concerts to return to parts of the state — though few venues or artists were ready to make the risky move in the middle of the pandemic. Similarly, beginning on May 18th, the state of Arkansas will allow live events to resume, and already one concert is on the books. Bishop Gunn singer/guitarist Travis McCready has announced a limited-capacity concert taking place at TempleLive in Fort Smith, Arkansas next Friday. Perhaps a preview of what’s to come for future live events across the country, Ticketmaster is listing tickets broken down into “fan pods,” blocks of seats set six feet apart that must be purchased in groups of two to 12. The venue boasts a 1,100-person capacity, but has slashed it by 80%, with only 229 se...
MusiCares’ COVID-19 Relief Fund Now Depleted of Financial Resources
The charitable foundation MusiCares, an organization dedicated towards supporting music industry professionals in need of financial assistance, has run out of monetary resources. Amid the ongoing pandemic, MusiCares launched their COVID-19 Relief Fund last month, which has drawn an unprecedented influx of applications. The depletion of funds has now caused the organization to halt new applications for the time being. The fund, which was started with two $1 million donations from the organization itself as well as its affiliate, The Recording Academy, went on to raise $14 million in total. The resources were raised from individuals as well as charitable corporate partners including SiriusXM, Spotify, and Pandora. However, as the pandemic has persisted, the orga...
Freelancers Union Reports 84% of Applicants Have Yet to Receive Financial Assistance
Despite the ratification of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) over a month ago in the United States, new data from the Freelancers Union shows the majority of independent workers still have yet to receive financial assistance. The $2.2 trillion economic stimulus plan was believed to be especially essential to supporting freelance workers given the notion that this segment of the workforce is often ineligible for unemployment insurance. Freelancers constitute at least one-third of the US workforce, according to a recent report by Fast Company. Despite the original intent of the plan, the Freelancers Union recently stated that an overwhelming 84% of freelancers who have applied for relief have yet to receive monetary relief. While a simi...
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Laidback Luke Launches New Mixmash Dating App to Connect Music Producers [Exclusive Interview]
With self-isolation and quarantine orders in effect across the globe, people are connecting through music online more than ever. With unity at its bedrock, the EDM scene has been leading the way, with new drive-in raves, virtual festivals, and artist livestream events every week. Iconic producer Laidback Luke has taken notice, vlogging himself listening to demos submitted to his website, interviewing dance music industry leaders affected by COVID-19, and even offering a DJ livestream tutorial. Laidback Luke’s team at Mixmash Records took things a step further while working on the remix contest for his new single “We Found Love,” a beautiful future house collaboration with Dutch dynamo Steff Da Campo. The bouncy summer banger dropped on April 17th, followed by a vi...
Trump Tours Mask Factory Without Mask as “Live or Let Die” Plays Over Loudspeaker
If you thought Vice President Mike Pence refusing to wear a mask at the Mayo Clinic was peak ridiculousness for this administration, you should’ve known better. Today, Donald Trump visited a Honeywell factory in Arizona that had been converted to manufacture N95 masks. Not only did the president not wear a mask, he toured the facility while Guns N’ Roses’ cover of “Live and Let Die” played on the sound system. Because let’s face it, considering how little this administration seems to understand or respect science, why would we expect them to pick up on irony? According to Washington Post reporter Zach Purser Brown, the music playing over the speakers appeared to be the same playlist from Trump’s rallies — except “Live and Let Die”, which was newly added. “The White House must have picked i...
15 EDM Songs MLB Baseball Sluggers Use When Stepping Up to the Plate
In his 2010 single “Thank Me Now,” Drake raps, “Damn, I swear sports and music are so synonymous / ‘Cause we want to be them, and they want to be us.” The relationship between music and sports is symbiotic. Music and sports lift each other up, and the people who engulf themselves in each respective realm share the same vigor, passion, and competitive spirit. That’s why it was all the more painful when the pandemic stampeded its way through our parks, stadiums, courts, and concert venues, forcibly stifling both the music and sports industries with one giant, rubber-gloved tsunami of paranoia and unprecedented stay-at-home ordinances. While those in the music industry have managed to connect with fans via livestreamed concerts and magnificent, lo...
Tiësto Announces He’s Expecting a Baby Girl
Tiësto took to Instagram to share the exciting news that he and his wife, Annika Backes Verwest, are expecting. Sharing a screengab that displays a sonogram of his baby girl, he wrote, “In these challenging times this is how I saw my daughter for the first time through Face time!” Strength in adversity is crucial during this cataclysmic global pandemic, and conceiving a child during it is a bona fide power move. The COVID-19 pandemic practically crushed the collective soul of the music community, but those in it will emerge tougher than ever. With the announcement, Tiësto and his wife are showing that the sharpest swords are forged in the hottest fires. Congratulations, Tiësto and Annika! FOLLOW TIËSTO: Facebook: facebook.com/tiestoTwitter: twitte...
Missouri Governor Allows Concerts to Resume Today
Starting today, May 4th, the Governor of Missouri, Mike Parson, is allowing his state to host concerts and other large-scale events. Introduced in the state’s “Show Me Strong” recovery plan, Missouri will become the first in the U.S. to permit in-person live music events since the start of the global health crisis. In a quote obtained by Billboard, a section of the new plan details the now-permitted events. “There are currently no limitations on social gatherings as long as necessary precautions are taken and six feet of distance can be maintained between individuals and/or families,” said Parson. Venues in large cities like St. Louis will not be opening their doors, as leaders on the local level have decided to uphold stay-in-place measures. I...
