Here I sit on March 31, editing the Jazz Society of Santa Cruz County’s weekly newsletter, and I’m trying to think of something funny to add. It’s my first April 1st edition of the newsletter, and I love a good laugh, but everything I think of seems in bad taste.
April is the time when outdoor music starts up in earnest in Santa Cruz.
April is the time when bands start busking on fine afternoons downtown.
April is a month full of fundraisers and parties where musicians make money.
April is full of classical music concerts for which professional musicians often get paid a flat fee.
Except this year.
I’ve been giving a lot of thought to the plight of local businesses during the quarantine. You can read my article about businesses that serve families in Growing Up in Santa Cruz’s April issue. Business owners are starting to balance paying rent on their empty place of business with buying food for their families.
Not a good choice to have to make.
Performers have a uniquely different situation.
Although many musicians make money on the side teaching lessons, professional musicians these days largely make their money in performance. The days of making a living income by selling albums are gone. Getting out there and performing is everything.
This shutdown isn’t going to hurt Taylor Swift or Beyoncé. It may even help some artists who are reminding their fans how much they love them by giving live online concerts for free. The editor of GUiSC, Brad Kava, texted me in ecstasy while watching Richard Thompson’s Facebook livestreaming event. We’ll probably even see some new stars born during this time.
But my heart goes out to the musicians I know:
- My professional friends are sidelined, watching. They’re trying to focus on planning for summer, learning to use Zoom to teach, and beefing up their online presence.
- My more advanced amateur friends are trying to jam together online (not terribly successfully, but it’s fun).
- My friends who are rank amateurs seem to be watching, unwilling to expose their lack of skill to a medium that is much less forgiving than an in-person jam. [A note to rank amateurs: Don’t worry about it! Play! Turning on your phone to livestream on Facebook is weirdly exhilarating.]
What can we do?
What can we do to support professional musicians and other performers? Right now, I’m really not sure. But I encourage everyone to be vigilant. Make sure your musician friends, who were probably not making such a great income in the first place, are having their needs taken care of. Actually buy (I know this is a weird concept) your favorite artists’ albums. They make very, very little money when you stream their music.
And let’s all commit to supporting musicians once they’re back out there on the streets, in the cafes, in the restaurants, and up on stages big and small.
Our country is suffering, but as in all disasters, this one isn’t going to hit us all equally.
