Britton, who is also involved in some discussions with
government as a member of the Music Managers Forum’s
executive committee, is sure CERB and other benefits will
need to be extended.
“We do have a seat at the table and we have the ear of
the ministers and we’re putting in proposals and filling in the
government about how our industry really is going to be
affected in the long-term,” she says. “The reality is that until
there is a widespread use of a vaccine, there is not going to
be normal touring.”
“We’ve got to be very flexible and
agile to react to what it is that the
market is giving us”
We all want to
believe that, at
some point in the
foreseeable future,
things will go back
to normal, whatever
that means. But the
truth is, even when
concerts are allowed
again and stores are
open, it’s going to
be a different market
than the one we
ARTIST & ADVOCATE MIRANDA
knew in February
MULHOLLAND
2020. And whatever
FOR OUR FULL INTERVIEW WITH MIRANDA,
that “new normal”
LISTEN TO THE MAY 6 EPISODE OF THE
might look like, it’s
CANADIAN MUSICIAN PODCAST.
probably 18 to 24
months away. Until then, everyone still needs to make a living.
“We have become, in a really short amount of time, very
comfortable seeing a lot of live music for free online. We’ve
been watching more live music than ever before, which is
wonderful,” cautions Benjamin. “But it has to be, for the most
part, temporary.”
“I think we need to be very careful that, at this time
when everyone is turning to the arts, which is great, that the
value of the arts can’t just be, “Oh, it’s sustaining us and here
we are stronger together.’ That’s great, but the value has to
be understood to be not just cultural, but also that it’s an
economic driver,” Mulholland adds.
Kemp is not overly concerned about the long-term
devaluing of live music because of the current abundance of
free livestreamed shows. “I honestly feel it’s being used too
much. It’s like everyone and their dog is saying ‘come watch
me in my living room.’ There is not much special about that.”
The upside he sees is that by normalizing livestreaming,
it gives musicians another tool in their arsenal for fan engage-
ment and monetization. It could be large online events that
are free to the public and monetized through sponsorships,
or as Side Door Access has been doing with artists like Terra
Lightfoot and Said the Whale, it could be exclusive livestreams
for ticket-buying hardcore fans.
“And then when you look to other worlds, like the hip-
hop or EDM worlds, they’re doing incredible things online.
TH
There have been some big dance parties where it might just
be a few dollars and sometimes it’s just a dollar or two but
there are 20,000 people there,” says Britton. “Also, we did a
watch party in advance of the YouTube premiere [with July
Talk] and all the fans were chatting with the band along the
side and they just loved it. It was a connection for everybody
so they could still celebrate together. Those things will contin-
ue I think.”
“The good news is there are all these people who had never
engaged with live music and maybe they will be intrigued to
go,” offers Benjamin.
But even as the recovery phase begins, it’s going to
be difficult. What is most likely to happen is some form of a
three-phase approach to reopening live events, starting with
small gatherings followed by medium and large over the
course of weeks or months (though how those are defined is
very uncertain). “The challenge with the phased-in approach
in our industry is the business model doesn’t work,” she
explains. “So, you have a 250-cap club and you can have 100
people in the club, say, as part of the social distancing rules.
Well, can you still afford to put on a show if you can only sell
100 tickets? And how much do you have to charge for those
tickets? Also, by the way, who has money to spend on tickets?”
That last point is important and an increasingly big part
of the industry’s forward-looking conversation. As the lock-
downs approach the two-month mark, household budgets
are becoming more strained. Just how much disposable
income will people have for music when this is all over?
“That is important and we’re not sure yet what the recov-
ery dollar will look like,” Benjamin continues. “Then you’ll have
thousands of events happening at the same time, so there is
the cannibalization of this sector. The supply will be huge, but
will the demand be huge? We don’t know.”
“In that case, the people I worry about are the middle-
level to beginner artists because the big fish will be swarming
the market, I’d imagine, with all these rescheduled tours,”
Mulholland points out. “At the same time, ticket prices will be
fluctuating and are people going to take a chance on a new
band?”
“We’ve got to be very flexible and agile to react to what
it is that the market is giving us,” concludes Kemp. “It’s no
different than what we were doing before in figuring out the
best way to exploit the market and make the most of it for the
artist – figuring out the timing of that event to really line it up
to maximize the impact.”
It’s hard to know what to say about a situation like this.
Unprecedented? Yeah, obviously it is. All you can do is stay
optimistic, search out and exploit opportunities, and stay
close to those who bring you strength and love.
“I mean, artists are so adaptable and so versatile and
have been proven to be so used to change and reacting to it. I
think this is going to be a really interesting time. I am optimis-
tic but I am also sad,” Mulholland says at the end of our chat.
“But in the end, I think we’re going to get through this.”
Yes. We are.
Michael Raine is the Senior Editor of Canadian Musician.
CANADIAN MUSICIAN
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