The coronavirus (COVID-19) has caused tours big and small to postpone, and nearly every music venue is closed for the next several weeks, which makes things particularly difficult for Valley musicians. They rely on live shows and other gigs from spring festivals to keep their dream going.
The effects of this shutdown will last much longer than when things return to normal. Here are some ideas on how you can help our local community while you are inside keeping a distance.
Mike Zimmerlich of 80/20 Records says there are a lot of things fans can do while shows are canceled: “Buy online merchandise…plan on attending more events [later] to support our local venues who've done so much for our community.”
“Venmo and Bravo are great ways to donate for artists who want to run a livestream performance,” suggests Cherry Red of The Frequency Principle. You can also visit local musicians on social media and see if they’re livestreaming for donations.
Speaking of social media, pop artist Gabe Kubanda suggests creating playlists featuring local music on Spotify and Apple Music and sharing them on your Twitter and Facebook accounts.
If you’re looking for some other simple or creative ways to help, here are a few more suggestions:
- Bands will still be actively making music, so like and share their albums so others can hear.
- Venues have merchandise too, so help them out of you can swing it.
- If a venue is also a restaurant, buy a gift card to use when you go to a show at a later date.
- If an artist or band has a PayPal, Venmo, or Bravo account, donate the cost of a ticket you were planning on attending in the next month.
- If you want to think outside the box for a gift, pay them to record an audio or video jingle for an upcoming birthday, anniversary, or another special occasion.
- When things open up again, bring someone new to a local show. Not only is it supportive financially, but you’ll be introducing their music to new ears.
