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The last festival that I had signed up for has cancelled. Being in the high risk category, I took the news with mixed emotions.
Apparently, 2021 events aren’t looking so good right now either.
It’s all so sad and disappointing. But it is the world we live in right now.
yes
I think we're going to be mostly online for a while, especially those of us in the high risk category. I do have high hopes for 2021, though.
Dave
Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter Barnett
Checked my spreadsheet calendar: 53 gigs canceled as of today. I have two pretty certain outdoor jobs for the rest of the year; all the others July-December are uncertain, may be canceled. And, of course, no one's booking new ones.
Grateful for my civil service retirement and social security -- plus paid-up mortgage, no car payments. The fact that gatherings involving singing, are considered particularly susceptible to virus transmission, militates against any imminent return to "normal."
I fear we may be living with this reduction in live performance for an extended period. And, at age 76, "extended period" may mean a significant fraction of time I have left to perform. Can't feel sorry for myself -- I've had 50 years of semi-pro performing -- but I wish that vaccine would hurry up...
Welcome to the new normal until there is a vaccine or a cure. And even then it's going to take awhile to get back to normal. If you have been vaccinated how comfortable will you be packed into a club with many people who haven't been? I've been donating to as many artists as possible doing livestreams. I actually kind of like it.....comfort of my own home and the cocktails are cheaper!
Amen to that, Allen!Quote:
Originally Posted by allenhopkins
I really feel for all the musicians who can’t work now. I’m sure in many (most?) cases, making a living as a musician was tough anyway (unless you’re super famous, which is pretty much no one in the mandolin world). Near impossible now. Very sad deal.
I am a jam happy musician in a jam happy community and most of them are postponed accept for a few localized private ones which we have outdoors in a social distanced and masked format. But it's all we've got.
Just two pertinent but unrelated thoughts...
I've read a number of recent articles that suggest that any vaccine within a year to 18 months at best will only avoid immediate infection but will need to be re-taken over short periods, and will have unknown side effects. And if the virus mutates, it's back to the drawing board. There is just not enough time for testing and eventual world distribution while trying to keep up with medical demand for existing infections. So the best hope is for herd immunity, which requires about 75% of the world population to have built up resistance -- again requiring time. So the best bet either way is to plan for the long term regarding festivals and a "normal" life, whatever that ends up meaning.
The other point is that there is jamming online if you're willing to get or have high-power workstations, ideal network connections and be willing to put up with latency and even some instability when it's unavoidable. I'm jamming in specific sessions nearly every day on JamKazam with up to a dozen people from all over North America, and while it isn't perfect, in many ways it's just like any in-person jam -- good and bad, but it's much better than not jamming. There are other music-oriented synchronized multi-participant musical products besides JamKazam out there online too for those who prefer something else.
I hope all in our community here are well and continue to be well.
I feel like I've been cancelled! How about you?
They cancelled Wintergrass 2021 a month or so ago :( At least I got a refund on the ticket.
Yep. Very sad. Our band has cancelled all gigs starting back with our favorite StPaddys day gig. Our last performance was the Friday night prior to St Paddys. I really don't see any gigging for the foreseeable future. Maybe in 2-3 years. Might be the end of this rendition of the band. Plus, I haven't practiced much either. Havent the aptitude. In a funk. Our corona numbers keep skyrocketing fueled by the bars, restaurants and churches which reopened carelessly(no masks mandated or worn)... I don't think its sunk in to enough of the general public yet. Its like waving your arms in warning trying to get the attention of those playing on the beech while you watch from the hill and see the tsunami tittle wave growing as its getting closer and closer to the beach and they can't hear you.
Columbus, Ohio mandated masks in public. Two days afterward, I went into a Speedway gas station, and saw an unmasked cop talking to all the unmasked employees. In other words, I agree with you.Quote:
Originally Posted by Astro
If this drags on into next year, it's going to seriously damage the bluegrass festival "industry", to the point where many festival promoters may throw in the towel for good.
Might have a similar impact on many touring bands, both full-time and part-time.
By the time things return to "normalcy", there may be but 1/2 to 1/3 of the festivals that survive...
All of our gigs have been cancelled and the phone ain’t ringing. No idea when we’ll be back on stage.
Same here. Not even farmer's markets happening. Not sure what next year will bring. Like some others am glad I don't rely on it for a living. However, do miss out on the travel and playing with folks I only see once or twice a year.
OTOH, I have gotten more miles on my bicycle this year than in the past couple years combined. So there is an upside.
Survey predicts 90 percent of Austin live music venues to close by Halloween
This shouldn't be news to anyone, and it's certainly not limited to Austin, Texas, and it's not limited to live music venues. *Everything* is getting rewired and rewritten right now. The other side of this will look like nothing before.
I just got the notice that the Moonshiner's Ball has been cancelled until 2021. It was the last festival around me to go (I'm not a performer) and it was also my last chance to see Sam Bush this year.
On the far side of this there will be enormous demand. People will be out enjoying the same activities as a year ago. But the shops and venues will be different, or at least different owners.
Which performers return is another story.
It takes a lot of energy, money and resources to start and succeed with a festival. I've seen a number of them come and go through my 50 years associated with bluegrass, losing a few very big festivals and a lot of small festivals, due to normal-time economic issues. I suspect just like with any small business, we're going to see a lot less festivals available at least initially after this is all over. Hopefully, as mentioned, demand will encourage some to start new, and some to start up again.
In the midst of this, a lot of computer real time online business-meeting and business solution software packages, and even some real time online music-oriented software packages are flourishing. A lot of organizations are asking themselves if after Covid-19 is over, will they continue conducting this part of their business online, because it is so successful. We're talking large and small businesses, schools, churches, restaurants, transportation services, etc... A lot of businesses are wondering why they didn't start doing this type of thing online earlier, before Covid-19.
For many musicians as well as for many other business people, that means "normal" is going to be very different after Covid-19 is over. I think we're going to see a lot of large and small business people continuing to use computers in ways that they had originally dismissed as impractical for one reason or another before Covid-19...
It's hard to imagine something as massive as a music festival being held online, but I do think we'll see more musical events online in the future because Covid-19 has forced the music industry to do what it can to survive.
It's really sad for musicians. After the internet gutted music sales many saw their only real revenue streams coming from touring. Now that is gone. Will online compensate? Since that's been an economic black hole since the beginning, I'm not sure I see much of a business case there, but there's always hope.
As far as festivals go, I think the post-pandemic survivors will probably be the smaller ones. I say that because they generally are not the sole business of those putting them on, so they have a better chance of still being in business once the dust settles. The big ones are in trouble as they generally have contracts extending years ahead and face huge penalties for defaults. That's why some wait to have the venue cancel the gig - that way the insurance covers the losses.
My 2020 got cancelled. I don't expect things to turn around until a vaccine is available. Stay safe everyone!
It’s not good news, there’s never going to be a 100% curative for this virus, I have this from a very good source, a major biotech friend of mine. We are getting closer on treatments that can calm matters down and keep you from perishing if you catch it early and get the proper medical care... but for the immediate time, we simply have to get better at dealing with it, masks at all times in public, even when distanced, nothing indoors... it’s highly transmittable through the air, even when outside at 6 feet without masks, people just talking is enough. Up to 40% of our pop can be carrying it and not know it. Think about that one.
Everything will change for the next few years and will be the new normal. Countries that are successful so far are strictly adhering to the rules and guidelines. I hate to be the grim reaper but we all need to protect. This is not news hype...although that’s all the news hypes, it’s real and it’s not going away or under any kind of containment right now in the US.