Coronavirus takes toll on jazz fests, venues and gigs as musicians move to streaming

There’s never been a time like it – not just for wider society – but for musicians and performers, as well as venues, across the entire arts sector. The scale of the shutdown across the world is clearly unprecedented and it’s very difficult to predict what will happen next, but so far there has been a series of hammer blows to the livelihoods of tens of thousands of people in an industry that often relies on grassroots volunteers and lean staffing levels at the best of times.

What began with the postponement of the Bristol Jazz and Blues Festival and PUNKT Birmingham last week has become a tsunami of cancellations, as measures to combat the spread of Covid-19 see much of the UK go into shutdown. 

As a result, both the Royal Albert Hall and Royal Opera House have temporarily closed their doors, as has Manchester’s iconic Band On The Wall; all events at Sage Gateshead jazz festival have also been postponed, while the Cheltenham Jazz Festival and Cheltenham Science Festival are both now cancelled.  

The whole of the Barbican Centre has also closed until further notice. Speaking on behalf of the venue, acting head of communications Nick Adams’ email was typical of many received by Jazzwise over the past couple of days: “The Barbican is temporarily closed until further notice due to new UK Government advice on Coronavirus/Covid-19. The safety of our staff and audiences is our most important consideration, so we’ve taken the decision to fully close the building during this period. We’re sorry to the artists and audiences affected and recognise the significant impact that this closure will have on all those we work with or that are due to attend our events. Thanks for bearing with us during this unprecedented situation and we hope to be able to welcome you back to the Barbican soon.” 

Adams also highlighted the affect the closure will have on the venue’s income and the impact on staff, and asked the public to consider making a donation towards this.  

Abigail Pogson, the Sage Gateshead’s managing director echoed this plea: “Our musicians and staff, permanent and casual, are reliant on the income which we derive through ticket purchases. Without performances it is inevitable that we will become more reliant on donations to the charity. We would therefore like to ask you to consider donating the value of your tickets to the charity, Sage Gateshead, rather than requesting a credit note or refund.”   

With travel bans enforced across most of Europe and the US, many musicians have bailed out mid-tour, with the likes of Chick Corea Trio cancelling their appearance at the Barbican on 16 March, and drummer Louis Cole postponing his Big Band show at EartH, Hackney, until September. Countless musicians have taken to social media to report the cancellation of their upcoming gigs, while some took to live-streaming performances over the internet, with the likes of bassist Tim Lefebvre starting a Patreon page for fans to log on and pay to see live shows from his home studio. 

This was just one example of the resourcefulness of the jazz community, which is now as tech-savvy as any other part of the music industry.

US-based jazz publicist Lydia Liebman also got in touch to say: “For the foreseeable future, many artists will be live streaming their shows either on a free platform (Facebook, Twitch, etc) with a virtual tip jar (Venmo, PayPal, etc) or through a pay-per-view platform. I encourage you to take these virtual shows seriously. This is the new normal for now and we could use your help, as journalists and respected members of the [wider] jazz community, to help legitimise these outings.” She also added: “If you like something, please consider buying it, preferably directly from the artist or via Bandcamp. Obviously, without touring and teaching, most musicians are suffering big time. Purchasing music or merch will be a big help.” 

Indeed, while streaming music and watching videos on all the usual digital platforms is convenient, purchases of CDs, vinyl, high-quality downloads and additional merchandise made through Bandcamp.com go directly, and quickly, to musicians and this is one of the best ways to help support artists affected by this crisis. 

Jazzwise will continue to publish a monthly print edition and will open up the website for links to streamed concerts and other digital gigs and events – please get in touch to let us know if you are planning to present live events online.