Page 10 - Radiodowntown online March 2021

Once upon a time, when you wanted to listen to your favourite local musicians, you could go down to the local pub, pay a $5 cover, and buy a pint, toss some cash in the tip jar. Maybe even hit up your friendly record store downtown, to chat with them about the new Zeppelin remaster, or go to Sunrise for a new CD. We had places to go, places to immerse ourselves in the music. Maybe we never realized how lucky we were, how accessible it seemed to be, in hindsight. Live music was like going to church, in a way. A type of communion. Even with high ticket prices.
And then, Covid 19 happened, as we are all definitely aware of by now. And the entire game changed.
Overnight, it seemed our places of gathering closed down. Those local record stores closed down per- manently, some of them. Our pubs closed, and live music was suddenly prohibited. Concerts were gone. When restrictions eased, some remained. Things like “No singing.” and “No Dancing.” Patios only. Sudden- ly, the local scene had to pivot to stay alive. Tip jars have become virtual, with the onset of live streaming on platforms like Instagram, Tik Tok, Facebook and the like. Patreon accounts are almost a necessity. Artists have had to learn to release albums during a pandemic, have had to become better marketers, more social media savvy. Have had to adapt to shows without fans in front of them. Have had to invest in equipment to do any of this.
I’ve had the pleasure of asking a few local artists about this shift, and some are more optimistic than oth- ers. Some have ridden through changes in media from CDs to digital downloads within their own careers, so are more adept at graceful change. Others see a digital livelihood as the “new future”, and a more home based way of gigging, which could be said to benefit their families more, as a happy effect. Some have returned to 9 to 5 jobs, and are unsure about the future.
While all of us are uncertain about much right now, we do all know one thing. We can ride this out. We can support artists through social media, through purchasing merch or CDs. Tune in to a live stream, toss some digital bucks in a tip jar. We all depend on the Arts, and are in this together. So, lets make a new habit of making sure to support those who support us- the artists.
Stay safe, and keep listening, folks. And remember those virtual tip jars. Melissa C
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Times, They are A-Changing
Melissa Camus
Talent Promotions.