COVID-19 Plays a Mean Tune Against the Music Industry
Published on the Singleton Argus
Facing an uncertain future, live music across the country came to a sudden halt with the March 29 announcement of the Federal Government's strict social distancing rules, in order to contain COVID-19. With venues shutting down, musicians received cancellations ranging from gigs to festivals, some even reaching through to January 2021.
Branxton based country-rock band Outlaw Ave, were one of the many artists heavily impacted by these sudden changes. Lee Thorpe, Joel Moore, Josh Ludwig and Leighton O'Brien have been performing regularly together for close to four years but have never experienced something so raw and heartbreaking as having to cancel a year's worth of gigs.
Local band Outlaw Ave - Lee Thorpe, Joel Moore, Josh Ludwig and Leighton O'Brien who have been performing regularly together for close to four years.Photo supplied.
"Solid. Booked solid. We lost a lot. We probably had two or three dates available to the end of the year, and even into next year," Lee said.
The positive side for the boys, as Lee puts it, is that they all have full-time jobs outside of music and have been lucky enough to all be classified as essential. This hasn't changed their outlook though as they hold grave concerns for the other musicians who rely solely on the gig income.
“Solid. Booked solid. We lost a lot. We probably had two or three dates available to the end of the year, and even into next year,” Lee said.
The positive side for the boys, as Lee puts it, is that they all have full-time jobs outside of music and have been lucky enough to all be classified as essential. This hasn’t changed their outlook though as they hold grave concerns for the other musicians who rely solely on the gig income.
“There’s two sides to this. If you work, it’s sort of ok. You’ve lost your hobby but for the muso’s that do it full-time, they’re getting smashed up pretty bad.
“We’re trying to finish off our EP at the moment and there’s gotta be muso’s out there that need work, but in the same token, you can’t get them into the studio because of the social distancing rules. So there’s aspects of that, that’s really hurting us.”
The band are still being optimistic for their EP to be completed and released by the end of the year but it really is just a waiting game. The interesting aspect is trying to understand how the entirety of the industry will be changed on the other side of the crisis. Being already quite established in the Hunter region, their main thoughts are held for musicians who were starting off, and of course, the venues that support the arts including their regular venues such as the Imperial Hotel Singleton.
“The newer bands who are getting ready to kick off or building up to something, they’re the ones that are gonna find it hard and have to play for possibly a lot less money.
“I just feel for the Impy. They were starting to build up with new management and all this stuff and really promoting live music, and now they are shut down.
“The pubs and clubs where we play have chefs who are out of work, bar staff who are out of work, so all that has all gotta come back into play and I don’t reckon that it all will be just switched on and bang, we’re straight back into it.
“I reckon they’ll drip-feed the bands for a little while.”
All the uncertainty has put a strain on many musician’s motivation to play with Lee explaining how not being able to get together with the band to practice has made him lose inspiration rather than gain it.
“With more time, I thought I’d write, I’d play, I’d define the show but I’ve done nothing. I don’t know. I’ve gone the complete opposite. It makes it real hard.”
There are concerns about the mental health issues the shut down will create for people with a number of organisations across the country being created to offer support. Support Act is one organisation that provides free, confidential counselling relief for arts workers struggling to cope during this time. They are accepting donations from anyone who is in a financial position to do so, providing money to those who don’t fit into the eligibility criteria for the Government's support.
While individual assistance is being offered, there are also public awareness campaigns being shared to let people know how dire things are for the particular industry. The total amount of reported income lost in Australia is over three hundred and thirty million dollars, according to I Lost My Gig, an initiative to share and track the impact of arts workers who have lost their jobs. The organisation’s aim is to use the statistics to coerce Federal and State Governments to generate financial measures for those affected.
On the 9th April, the Federal Government announced a $27 million funding package to assist in relief to arts workers who have lost their jobs and income as a result of COVID-19. This is in addition to the Jobseeker Allowance through Centrelink, which is available to permanent employees who lost their jobs; sole traders, self-employed, casual workers and contract workers; and the Jobkeeper payment through the ATO, which will benefit business and sole traders.
Social media has allowed for a shift in the industry with many musicians using new platforms to share their music online and explore different avenues to generate income. Newcastle based musician Katie Jayne agrees with Lee’s statement saying it has been a difficult adjustment. Being a full-time musician, Katie’s entire wage is dependent on her shows which made this entire situation a lot worse following the complete halt on live shows. However, she has taken the reins through exploring more online avenues with her music.
“The impact was instant. As soon as the under 500 restrictions were announced on Friday, it literally took my gig the next morning straight out of my hands,” Katie said.
“One by one, all the other gigs started to get cancelled so I realised this was kind of it for the next 6 months. That was my income just gone overnight.”
Thinking optimistically, Katie is currently hoping for things to return to normal around August but is coming to terms with the possibility for the shut down to continue on throughout the year. To assist in generating income, she has pulled out a few things that she had previously been working on but hadn’t had the time to release including songwriting, updating her websites and promoting merchandise.
Musician Katie Jayne. Photo supplied
“I am tying up all my loose ends. I have a COVID to do list and a weekly iso schedule. I run the Country Music Podcast as well, which is a labor of love but I finally have time.
“I have brought back Thursday Night Live on my Facebook from 7:30pm. I’m trying to get the energy to start recording content for my YouTube but COVID gets you kind of depressed. It’s a mental battle.”
The mental health of all musicians is a crucial topic currently with such an unforeseeable future ahead of them. It is important to note that the current funds for musicians offered by the Government are still yet to be distributed, with minimal information sent out to each individual, besides a date for when to expect a response, some stretching out til the end of May. Katie explains that the lack of clarity with what to expect makes things really hard.
“I registered everything with I Lost My Gig but financially, I know there is support coming but as far as any sort of transparency or ability to understand what that means for me, I don’t really know.
“I’m very lucky. It’s not a lot but I get AUSTUDY cause I am a full-time student as well. After bills, I get about $40 a week so staying inside is the best course of action for me.”
With the music industry making a swift move to online, Katie confirms this course of action, while a “great move forward”, isn’t one that produces revenue for the artists.
“Music is still alive but the music industry in Australia is gone. The shift to online happened quite quickly but the venue is basically Facebook and it’s not paying the artist.
Where we’re sitting at this point, everything is still unprecedented, leaving plenty of room for either positive or negative expectations.
“My positive brain is that we are gonna have a real renaissance of live music. I feel like venues are going to get on board, patrons are going to get on board and we’re going to have live music like in the good old days, every night of the week. If I can be booked out Thursday to Sunday, I’d be very happy.
“My negative thoughts are we don’t go back. That online becomes normal, free music becomes normal, the artists are not getting paid and they’re performing. That worries me.”
The biggest thing musicians are calling on the public for is a promise to support them by coming to shows when things are back to normal. While the pandemic is around, showing support by watching their videos, streaming their music on Spotify, buying merchandise are all things that contribute to keeping their spirits high.
Follow Outlaw Ave’s journey here:
Follow Katie’s music here: