Save Our Scene: Offer and receive help
Various online resources have sprung up in the wake of cancellations currently decimating the live music sector. We’ve compiled them here.
Sign petitions and support campaigns
• Liveurope, a European platform working with 16 venues, has joined forces with 36 music organisations in a call for EU, national and local investment to address COVID-19’s devastating impact on the global music scene. Read more about the campaign here.
• In Japan, DJ Nobu, Mars89 and others have launched a petition in support of their bid for club compensation from the government. More than 300,000 people have already signed.
• The UK’s Nighttime Industries Association (NTIA) is campaigning the government to freeze loans, interest, utility and bank fees, council and other taxes, NHS prescription charges, tax and rent increases and more, as well as extend debt relief. Read the open letter and find out how you can support #TheBigFreeze here.
• Sign and share this petition to get the UK government to offer economic assistance to the events industry during the ongoing crisis.
• This one is for Germany-based artists and freelancers seeking help from the Bundestag and Ministry Of Finance.
• ESP institute has a petition asking the US Congress to increase financial protections to help artists and gig workers.
For professionals
• Apple Music is making $50 million available in advance to independent labels affected by the pandemic, Music Business Worldwide reports.
• Manchester and Salford venues, promoters and collective have started their own #SaveOurScene initiative. They’ve launched a crowdfunding campaign to support workers in the scene who are now out of the job due to the pandemic. Those who fall into that category can apply for aid via their Facebook page.
• SoundCloud has announced several initiatives which provide $15 million total in support to creators. As part of this new wave of resources, there’ll now also be a button on creator profiles that links out to direct-support sites like Kickstarter, Patreon, Bandcamp, PayPal and more.
• Arts Council England is making £160 million of emergency funding available to arts organisations affected by COVID-19, in addition to other financial support opportunities. Find out more about that here.
• Help Musicians UK has launched the Coronavirus Financial Hardship Fund. Those eligible can apply for a one-off payment of £500 through this form. They’ve also collected advice for musicians (working or retired) in need of support. In some cases, help is also available for partners or dependents of musicians.
• UK charity Youth Music has launched an emergency fund. Learn more about that here.
• German performing rights organization GEMA has launched a £43 million emergency aid fund for songwriting and composing members.
• Spotify has launched its COVID-19 Music Relief project in partnership with MusiCares, PRS Foundation and Help Musicians. For every donation made here, Spotify will match up to $10 million. The platform has also set up a tool for artists to crowdfund directly through their pages. Learn more here.
• PRS Foundation also announced an emergency relief fund for members. Learn more about it here.
• UK charity Music Venues Trust has shared advice for grassroots music venues and have detailed all the ways that independent venues can get assistance from the government and other grants and services. It’s also called for the creation of a a £1 million “fighting fund” “to prevent the permanent closure of hundreds of grassroots music venues across the UK” in a new statement. It has also been tasked by the government with collecting information and opinion from independent venues. Fill out the survey here.
• This comprehensive WordPress site includes numerous resources for helping freelance artists, including law advice, preparation tips and what to do if your gigs have been cancelled.
• New York’s Commend NYC has begun fielding donations via a GoFundMe page to help support the staff of their Lower East Side storefront.
•The Instagram account techno4hire is connecting out-of-work nightlife professionals with alternative work. “You can DM types of work you are willing to do to the profile and I will post them as an image,” organiser Alyce C writes.
• Ghostly has put together a guide for both artists and fans on how to monetize their work and support other artists.
• Truants founder Soraya is working with subscription membership platform Patreon “to set up a network of independent musicians, DJs, music labels, promoters and other nonprofits across the UK, which I think might be a useful conversation to have right now,” she tweeted. Learn more about that here.
• London’s Cafe OTO has compiled a list of experimental musicians available for “online-based teaching, tutorial, advise work.”
Resource guides, forms and information
• The Music Industry Therapist Collective has written a guide to anxiety relief and self-isolation.
• The digital distributor Record Union has published The Wellness Starter Pack, a new guide with industry experts weighing in on sleep, positivity, mindfulness, exercise and nutrition.
• Vibe Lab has launched a website nighttime.org, which aims to collect COVID-19-related information and resources on venues, communities and local policy from scenes around the globe. New York City Night Mayor Ariel Palitz, Berlin Club Commissioner Lutz Leichsenring and Sydney Electronic Music Conference’s Jane Slingo share their thoughts on the coronavirus crisis in their latest feature.
• Berlin’s Room 4 Resistance has created a document compiling “trustworthy resources and tools for collective care and support and to help you navigate the COVID-19 crisis.”
• shesaid.so has also put together an in-depth resource guide.
• Ghostly International has created a guide for creators with “ideas on how to monetize their own work, but also support the work of artists they love.”
• Audio Assemble have compiled a list of remote work opportunities for US-based musicians.
• Berlin-based queer art space Karada House has set up two forms: this one for those in need of assistance, and this one if you can offer support (shopping, cooking, driving) to the ill and elderly in your local area. “This is a queer community effort. Priority will be given to people on the LGBTQIA+ spectrum and other marginalized folx (i.e. BiPoC).”
• The Association Of Independent Promoters has also created a form that promoters can fill out to make their concerns and needs known.
• Splice has curated a resource guide for musicians affected by COVID-19.
Community outreach
• London’s XOYO has launched a crowdfunding campaign #ClubForOurCarers to raise money for NHS workers. In return for donations, they’ll share live sets from the archives, exclusive live streams, exclusive tracks and more.
• Milan venue Social Music City has loaned its 20,000-square-foot space to Municipality Of Milan to help with emergency relief efforts.
• London venue FOLD is offering its space to the NHS to help alleviate demand. Find more information on how to do the same and other ways to help on their Facebook post.
• London club Studio 338 is starting up a shopping service and mobile food bank “for the most vulnerable and elderly members of our community.” To volunteer, email [email protected]
• London brewery Pressure Drop Brewing has launched a Pay It Forward initiative. For every purchase of 15 cans or more, they’ll give £25 in credit to the independent restaurant, bar, pub, shop, etc. of the buyer’s choosing.
• London promoter ABODE is allocating a percentage of tickets to all future events this year as free for NHS staff. Learn more here.
More ways to help: donate, buy music and merch, attend virtual events.
Read our feature to hear from people across the dance music community about how COVID-19 is affecting them. Plus, here are some ideas on what to watch, read and do at home while self-isolating.
We will continue updating this post as more resources appear. Please email [email protected] with any suggestions.
Find the latest COVID-19 statistics on this interactive map created by Johns Hopkins University.
