Photo Credit: MusiCares
Several music streaming services are announcing contributions to the MusiCares coronavirus relief fund.
Amazon Music, Facebook, SiriusXM, Pandora, TIDAL, Spotify, and YouTube Music are all participating. The only major music streaming service missing from the list is Apple Music. The MusiCares COVID-19 relief fund will support music industry workers in need.
By now, the backdrop is depressingly real. The live music industry now finds itself in paralysis over the coronavirus outbreak, and it’s unclear when shows can resume. States are asking their citizens to shelter-in-place, with restaurants and bars closed. The lack of live music isn’t killing the appetite for song: people are suddenly playing musical instruments from their balconies and tuning into live-streamed DJ sets.
The Recording Academy established MusiCares to support the music industry. Harvey Mason Jr., the Recording Academy CEO, says the fund will help those who need it most. Just recently, the Academy and its MusiCares division pledged $2 million in coronavirus musician relief.
Now, that amount is growing. “We hope these partnerships inspire other organizations to stand behind the music community in this time of great uncertainty,” Mason said in a statement. “We continue to encourage our peers to embrace the collaborative power of music and to support impacted industry professionals in both trying and good times.”
The fund was established last week to help compensate musicians as thousands of events are canceled. Music industry professionals who are impacted by coronavirus cancellations can seek help. The list includes artists, production crews, technicians, or anyone impacted by the loss of their income due to live music event cancelations.
Aside from establishing the MusiCares fund, The Recording Academy has also petitioned Congress for help.
The Academy is seeking to protect its musicians, performers, songwriters, and studio professionals. Events like SXSW and Ultra Miami began the long list of now-canceled live music events. Some festivals like Bonnaroo have now been postponed until September – three months later than its usual June date.
Hello!
I think this is a good idea and project. But streaming services must help artists increasing royalties. They are paying peanuts. It’s not possible that if an artist collect one million streams only get $4000 in their pocket. It is not easy task to reach that amount of streams.
It will be also a good will gesture to help musicians that are affected because they can plays in venues like bars or restaurants.
Therefore I want to recall about one point: Some streaming platforms like Spotify should give music back to those musicians whose musical works have been removed or banned. Many of them in not justified manner or way. Overnight our works have disappeared with no explanation and has been impossible to get through Spotify to ask an explanation. It could be also a good will gesture in these tough times. Musicians make mistakes, it is true but streaming platforms do as well. The weakest link of the chain are we! The artists. A balance between the two parts should exist.
Either artists or streaming platforms or record labels make mistakes I think it is time to speak frankly each other and work well together. We are in tough times and humankind is changing. Let’s practice more compassion. Don’t you think so?
It’s all about the value of promotion that artists get. Right?
How about the freelancer workers ? We sacrifice so much of our time and life’s to make the artist look good day after day night after night. If it’s not audio , lightning… video we make the artist look as good as we can to make an awesome production/ concert! Where’s the love for us?