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Jun 15, 202012 min read

COVID-19 as a Catalyst for Musical Evolutions

Music is the outlet through which we avoid a dreadful silence, collectively, and live music is the method by which we celebrate sound. In the wake of COVID-19 where we now live in a locked down world, how is live music surviving?


New Musical Realities

We look to art in challenging times, as a way to connect and unify. This isn’t a new concept.


Like many of us who long for a reality beyond COVID-19, we can’t help but think back to what it is that we miss most. For some of us, it’s going to the pub for beer and steak, for others, it’s filling a footy stadium. For me, it’s definitely live music.


I find myself scrounging through my phone, rewatching the dodgy 10 second clips of 1940s electronica seminars, Australian folk troubadours who had found homes nestled in the backstreets of Surry Hills, and the drum solos of friends in punk bands (complete with sticky carpets). The white glow of recording phones spotting your vision whilst witnessing art be realised in front of you drives me up the wall, but I even miss the scrambling concert snap-chatters; I’m now cursing those who filmed the floor rather than the stage.


In lockdown I’ve been able to take a step back and listen to a lot of different music. Like, a lot. We will probably never see this much 'free' time again, so make the most of it and discover as much as you can.


Yet amongst these new discoveries and comforts of old, I still imagine standing shoulder to shoulder with perfect strangers, unified by our shared decision to not stay at home. The times where you could rest your elbows on a stage, guess setlists by a capo position and spend a chunk of your weekly income on a ridiculously overpriced t-shirt, mark some of the best in my 21 years.


So, if you’re a fan of live music, where is it that we stand now that it no longer exists?


Well, this is a little bit extreme. Live music no longer exists at the moment, at least in its most traditional form. We are lucky that musicians aren’t just creative in the sense of their own artistic output, but also in the way they tend to lead in the innovation of consumption, and their ability in redefining communities.


We can always rely on the musician to keep music as close to the forefront of our minds as humanly possible, and during this trying period, this reliance on innovation is kind of exciting.


Whilst the industry has been absolutely decimated pretty much overnight, musicians and music-lovers are taking refuge in livestreams. We are seeing a rise in live concerts being recorded from artist’s bedrooms and studios, and being delivered straight to our own, via the thing we all carry around in our back pocket. Live streaming a gig is now our new 'normal' for music consumption; with record sales going down over the past few months, this digital landscape of musical participation is trumping.


I suppose this also allows me to break away from discussing what lies within the confines of the Australian music industry alone; this livestreaming culture brazenly challenges the geographic margins which traditional live entertainment faces. The very trajectory of technological enhancement which the industry has seen since its inception, continues to alter ideas of community and experience.


Yes, it’s broad to discuss music on a global scale, but it’s also a reality. Especially during these times where physical connection is limited, online behaviours are becoming even more prevalent in our relationships not only with each other, but with the art we turn to.


How Artists are Filling the Gap

It’s no surprise that the biggest slice of the pie for most musicians is directly linked to live shows. The business model of musicians is a pretty simple landscape, it’s a gigging economy which survives in a famine or feast industry. Now that live shows aren’t feasible, we have an amassing pool of independently evolving business models, all surrounding livestreaming.


Livestreaming is not a new concept, with it’s online application evolving from traditional television broadcasting to DIY content broadcasting in 2007 via Youtube. It has now exponentially increased in popularity, allowing musicians a semi-substitute for live gig culture.


However, we are currently about 12 weeks into this new landscape and new models continue to emerge with live-streaming a fundamental component for individual applications. This is a testament to the creativity of the industry in its entirety, and whilst now we are in the middle of change with seemingly no obvious answer as to what model will be most successful, I suspect that through necessity this time to find out will be short — it’s the difference between putting food on the table and going hungry for artists who fall through the cracks of governmental subsidies.


The impacts of COVID-19 on the music industry have been astronomical. So much so that we have lost over $3.4m in revenue on Australian soil alone. But it concerns each of us in slightly different ways. I suppose the selfish voice in this article is my decision to bring together a select few artists to discuss. These are the people who have impacted my life in truly remarkable ways, and are also those who have taken slightly different approaches to surviving as a musician in 2020.


The Free Platform Model: Josh Pyke

Now that a large chunk of the global population has limited income due to restrictions, we have a paradoxic tendency to look at creative industries as bottom of the barrel, fickle economies, and whilst the musician is often the first to help, they are also often the first to suffer.


It’s tough. Whilst we once were happy to pay for music, everyone is now under financial strain and are subsequently less inclined to make purchases outside of the absolutely necessary. Yet the demand for the arts remain. Josh Pyke raised his concerns for the survival of the industry, its logistic decimation compounded with this underlying ethos that music should be free makes for moral drudgery in arguing both cultural and fiscal value music.


It’s refreshing to see someone who values the importance of live music for an audience whilst rightfully proud and protective of their contributions to society.


"There’s still that perception out in the broader public, that artists are these eccentric loonies that are skating by, by the skin of their teeth, just accepting handouts and creating art because they love it" Pyke said in an April livestream.


But on the other hand, Pyke acknowledges the role that musicians play in our society, and the requirement for what it brings to people, regardless of the economic strain — the point of music is to connect with people. Whilst musicians have the means to do so, it will always be welcomed hungrily, and so with Pyke, we have one of the first Australian artists to take to the COVID-induced livestreaming stage.


With a tour cancelled and an album launch under pressure, Pyke’s fears are well-warranted.


But that blow is hopefully softened by the support of his fans.


I grew up alongside Pyke’s career, and it’s no farce that has embedded himself within Australian folk culture as a narrator of the everyday. Each livestream I tune in to, I’m seeing familiar usernames pop up; there is a steady backing and saturated appreciation here.


"My goal is just to be able to still be doing this when I'm 60… all I want to do is this, and to be able to maintain a creative life." I think he will, in fact all the musicians I reference in this article I hope will be able to continue their creativity. We owe it to them in a way, to help with maintaining consistency. Music is a two-way street.


"It’s funny, 'consistency' is a really unsexy word in terms of creativity and hip new acts. You don’t really hear it often, but what you want is to be consistent." Pyke said.


So the extensive output of content Pyke is providing us now, strengthens the personal ties which his fans both old and new.


The realness in what we crave from live shows is being supported in Pyke’s livestreams, I imagine, with the expectation that monetary acknowledgment will follow through on the other side of this pandemic.


Maintaining a positive image now, is what will further ensure a loyalty in fans who will continue to support the artists they love.


The Tip Jar Model: Gary Lucas

"My father used to always say, whenever they hand you a lemon, try and make lemonade. This was one of his philosophies. So when it was determined that we had to shelter and go into lockdown, I hit on the idea of doing these live concerts."


This attitude comes from someone who currently resides at the forefront of livestream culture, American guitar virtuoso, Gary Lucas. "Some people know me from Jeff Buckley, some people know me from Beefheart, some people know me from Chinese pop of the 1930s; it depends on what albums you’ve heard."


Unlike most artists taking to the livestreaming stage with a casual grasp on formal scheduling, Lucas has opted for a routine approach — every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday afternoon to be exact.


"It’s pretty basic, I just put my iPhone in a corner against a windowsill, propped up against a brick wall. And I hit play."


These affordances which social media allow us to interact with masses of people, however simply implemented, are merely technological valves from which content pours through. The success of this method are attributed somewhat to the ease of production, but mostly to the quality of the music and the philanthropic structures that underpin its presence in this environment.


"The main thing is to try and stay positive… That’s one reason I love music, and when I decided to throw down and devote myself to it, I felt that I was doing something positive. It can heal other people, it is the best. It’s got a real power to kind of keep people going. It’s very strong in that department."


Lucas sets the bar for what a more structured and accountable view on what this new performative landscape can entail. By performing half-hour sets multiple times a week at the same time of an afternoon, there is a strong ethos of seriousness and a high regard for the roles in which music and the musician play.


"I wouldn’t do it if I thought I wasn’t giving something unique, or a quality and approach that wouldn’t be appreciated by people especially in these harder times."


These shows are earnest endeavours of connectivity and respecting the merit of performance; and are very much appreciated by all who tune in. What Lucas provides his audience, apart from the high calibre of playing which is an absolute joy to experience, is an extended sense of humility, realness and structure at time when everything else seems to be up in the air.


These livestreams have become a sort of home for a lot of people.


Yes, the setlists are impeccably coordinated, with a discography reaching over 300 tracks, there’s something for everyone here — but it is the interactive and honest presentation which keeps people coming back. It’s a balance between the entirely casual or ill-prepared, and the all too serious.


With an almost assured response to participant comments, and always a personalised shoutout to all who show their gratitude via Paypal, the whole experience is as engaging as it is awesome, for lack of a better word.


"In a weird perverse way, these livestreams are giving me a new lease on life because suddenly I’m getting instant enthusiastic responses from a lot of people. I like to hear that, I don’t want to put my stuff in a vacuum. This is why I love the live stuff the best, because you can really feel it, even if only for a handful of people."


So what we have in terms of a business model here, is a kind of middle ground between a free drenching of content, and prestigious ticketed events. Lucas’ livestreams aren’t ticketed, and are easily accessible after the fact. Donations are purely autonomous, but advertised as a way for audiences to give back as they wish. Kind of like a tip jar.


"One part of me is a bit embarrassed about it, but at the same time I’m not going to rose-colour or paint a false picture of what it is… This is what I do for a living" Lucas says.


It’s a two-way street. Music isn’t a public commodity, and those who are rising up and sharing their art now, making themselves available to people, are to be treasured. One could hope that the more we get to know these artists who have been such massive parts of our lives, the more we’d look for ways to support them, especially now.


So, if you’re a fan of spectacular open tunings and downright killer tunes, head on over to Gary Lucas’ facebook page to catch one of his livestream gigs.


The Ticketed Model: The Other Favorites

If you like folk, country, and a dash of rock n’ roll, The Other Favorites are a definite go-to. The duo comprising of Joshua Lee Turner and Carson McKee have carefully cultivated a following of like-minded Paul Simon and Jonny Cash lovers, originally via Youtube. Using this platform as their main, public creative outlet saw them transfer their crooning vocal timbres and intricate guitar voicings to a physical stage, touring throughout 2019 and earlier this year.


I’d imagine it to be a terrifying leap to make, diving head-first into the music industry full time. McKee described the process as being "scary at first I mean I had some savings and stuff but you know for a while it was kind of feast and famine".


Whilst Youtube monetisation offers a somewhat steady revenue, touring is the real financial backbone for longevity in the music game. So, in light of the current touring economy downfall, The Other Favorites have also sought shelter from its damage in livestreams, albeit in a different fashion to Pyke and Lucas.


These guys are no strangers to an online performative environment, yet they have landed at the most traditional simulation of a 'normal' revenue stream; whereby punters pay for live content.


Using the third-party application Crowdcast, donations above $10USD are made to gain access to an HD, high fidelity live concert. The duo have performed 3 times in the last 12 weeks, each with different sets and each incorporating a pretty lengthy Q&A session post performance.


What you’re paying for here is a full length show, that seems like you’re sitting in the very front row. Whilst it is no long-term substitute for traditional live music, Turner voiced in their latest Q&A that he found "livestreams to be a satisfactory replacement for touring" for the time being.


"The best thing about playing live shows is the reciprocal energy between the performer and the audience where the audience is giving energy to the performer who is receiving that and in turn giving it back to the audience. That is something which can’t be simulated in any context outside of an actual performance. But, to have a way that people can be actually participating with us and watching us do things on the fly, which has it’s own energy, is pretty good." Turner said.


McKee describes the experience from the performer’s perspective as sometimes forgetting that "you’re playing for people because the audience is not there with you in the room, but I can kind of see the comments popping in and I’m definitely reminded that there are people watching. That changes the way I perform because I flip into show-mode in a way that I don’t when I’m doing youtube videos. It’s sort of like middle ground, I would say".


This ticketed model ramps up what both Pyke and Lucas stand for, in that there has to be some sort of support for the artist; this method goes about it in a more financially-oriented way.


But it’s realistic.


Just because you love what you do, doesn’t mean the bills get paid. These people make a living out of music, and one thing to note is that involvement in the arts is no less of a career than what we expect of the everyman.


Industry Development; What Next?

So there is a definite solidification of a new musical market in the works. Paradoxically, the industry is widening with the potential coexistence of traditional live music experiences and an updated digital landscape for online performances.


Whilst it’s a divided topic on the capacity at which livestreaming will continue once COVID-19 runs its course, I think it’s safe to say that we will end up with more than we did before.


Lucas shows no signs of slowing down; "I’ll keep doing it, I believe in it now. It’s a great way to reach fans".


Whilst others hint at this being a temporary landscape, the acknowledgment for the pros of livestreaming are definitely outlined. Turner spoke on this in reference to the staggered return of traditional concerts: "I mean the impediments are low and there are places where it won’t be feasible for us to get on tour for quite a while, so we will probably continue, although I guess it will be a little bit less often".


We are in Transition

There is a silver lining in this new repetitious routine. Sure, I used to go to a lot of gigs. But unfortunately the Sydney live music underground has been so astronomically damaged by lockout laws and so was barely healing by the time COVID-19 swept through NSW. In short, I’d probably attend three shows a month. Now I’m tuning into my favourite musicians every single day.


I don’t expect this to continue at the same capacity once we return to what once was (if to be so hopeful), because there’s something to say for the excitement of waiting. Perhaps a musical benign-masochism to be bold.


Radiating overt optimism is unfortunately not a habit belonging to my naturally anxious psyche, but now, when it’s so easy to point out the gloom, it’s refreshing to see the current climate of music as a real treat. It won’t be like this forever, and it’s no substitute for live music culture, but it’s different, and it’s exciting, and it’s getting us through.


External Links:

Josh Pyke


Gary Lucas


Josh Turner


Carson McKee


The Other Favorites

Catch Crowdcast livestream updates here https://www.instagram.com/theotherfavorites/

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