Final Note: How To Support Musicians During A Crisis

AUSTRALIAN GUITAR EDITOR MATT DORIA RIFFS THROUGH A FEW WAYS TO HELP STRUGGLING ARTISTS AS THEY WADE THROUGH THESE MOST UNCERTAIN OF TIMES.

You might have noticed that in this issue of Australian Guitar, we’ve forgone the usual Axes In Action column. No, we haven’t suddenly decided that live music no longer butters our proverbial muffin; rather, there haven’t been any gigs for us to hit since the outbreak of the worldwide coronavirus pandemic – no mosh pits to cut loose in and no breakdowns to bang our heads to, all because despite millennia of human evolution, we’re still not immune to every possible viral infection. Sigh.

COVID-19 has wreaked merciless havoc on virtually every industry in the first world’s current capitalistic hellscape, but perhaps none has suffered quite the blow that the arts and culture sector has. Though it was musicians, performers and artists of all ilk that banded together the strongest to raise millions for the government when bushfires ravaged Australia at the start of the year, backs have been turned on them now in favour of egregious corporate bailouts and continued ignorance towards the validity of creative occupations.

So, by cruel proxy, most of your favourite artists are struggling to make ends meet right now. Lots of them are unable to claim recent stimulus benefits due to the way their jobs are classified by their respective governments, and unfortunately, we can’t pay our rent in ‘exposure’ alone. It’s always a great move to consider donating directly where artists have PayPal, Ko-fi or Venmo accounts set up; sign up to their Patreon pages, if they’ve got ‘em; or see if you can shell out for some demos and rarities through Bandcamp.

But of course, there’s a lot more you can do than just sling over your spare change – especially if you’re not in a position to shake out your wallet on a whim yourself. Here are some of the best ways you can help your favourite shredheads and pitlords put bread on the table right now:

STOCK UP ON MERCH

Aside from touring, merch is where most bands make their crust. No matter how stocked up your wardrobe already is, you can never have too many shirts – and if there’s anyone out there putting the biggest mainstream designers to shame, it’s the graphic designer behind your favourite local punk band. And now that supermarkets don’t spit out free plastic bags at the counter anymore, you could likely do with a reusable fabric tote repping a killer design of its own – why not pick one up from a record label’s webstore and show that neo-prog septet you spend your Sunday arvos jamming out to some more love?

It’s still pretty hot outside, too, and nobody wants a sunburnt noggin when they dip out for their ~essential~ milk and bread run – how’s about grabbing a cap with your favourite power-pop legend’s name embroidered across the rim? In this age of competitive creativity, there’s no shortage of merch options on the market, and the crews behind them will be endlessly appreciative if you pick some up.

KEEP YOUR TICKETS

So there aren’t many axes being put in action right now, thanks to experts’ staunch advice against hosting public gatherings. A litany of high-profile tours and festivals have seen the axe as of late, but don’t go rushing for those refunds just yet. If the artist (or ticket provider) gives you the option to, hold on to your tickets for their inevitable rescheduled shows. Most tours won’t have been revised just yet, since the rest of the year’s gigging calendar is relatively up-in-the-air right now. But it’s almost guaranteed that once COVID-19 wraps up its world tour, your favourite acts will resume theirs, and aim to hit all the cities they’d initially planned to.

By keeping your tickets to their shows, you’re sending a bold message of support to those artists – that you are keen to see them tear shit up when it’s possible again, and that it is worth making the effort to head back out onstage. You’re also helping to make sure they have the funds ready to invest in touring once they’re able to. A good handful of touring artists will make severe losses when the live music scene is resuscitated, by sheer virtue (or vice) of the costs involved versus the viability of profit. Your early devotion to keeping the dream alive via ticket purchases will soften the blow considerably when it comes to paying for venue hire, travel, backline and so forth.

STREAM LIKE CRAZY

Though it takes roughly two-and-a-half gazillion streams on Spotify, Apple Music or the like to rack up any significant dollarage, every cent counts right now, and every second streamed translates to another dust-speck of gold on the pile. If you’ve got an active subscription to a music streaming platform, use it as often as you can; hell, whack a playlist on your desktop, fill it with local acts and keep it chugging on repeat overnight with the volume off.

Most physical LPs and cassettes nowadays come with download codes, and while it’s great to take advantage of those for on-the-go listening, if you’re just uploading those MP3s to iTunes (or an equivalent) – where you broadcast music in the exact same way you would with a streaming subscription – you’re missing out on a much-valued opportunity to continue helping the artist to survive and thrive.

Consider album and single purchases as once-off shows of superficial love to your favourite artists, and make streaming your default method of music consumption. Sure, your CDs or records become more like trinkets than products with actual purpose, but their value is still there, and, by ignoring them in favour of streaming their contents, you’re supporting those artists evenmore.

SPREAD THE LOVE

Much like in the transmission of COVID-19 itself, word of mouth is a powerful tool in helping artists brave its storm. Found a new band whose debut single you can’t get enough of? Spread the word like you’re a goddamn prophet: spam the hell out of your mates with YouTube links, brag about how you’ve discovered the next big thing on Facebook and Twitter, double-tap the hell out of their pics on Instagram, and jump on Triple J Unearthed to leave a glowing review and pressure the youth broadcaster into slinging them some airtime.

One big trend we’ve seen come from the pandemic is an onslaught of artists turning to Instagram and Twitch to livestream one-on-one performances – you might not be able to catch them in the pit, but that doesn’t mean you can’t watch them cut sick in the moment. If one of the artists you froth plan to jump in front of their webcam with axe in hand, make sure every living soul you know is primed to tune in; grandma will learn to love metalcore, goddammit!

A great way to feed two birds with one scone here is to support your local music media outlets (like, say, AustralianGuitar) – their entire existence serves to let people know what’s happening in the music world, and now is as great a time as ever to embrace that convenience. The next time you’re stuck for a gift idea, consider signing your mate/ sibling/grandparent up for a subscription to a mag like AG. Then, not only will they be able to support the music scene themselves and find their next favourite band, but they might just come across one of our ultra-valuable lesson or technique features and decide to pick their own instrument up!