"Coronavirus". The one word that has sent the entire world into a toilet paper-snatching, facemask-stealing panic. In 2020, the year we should all be sailing about in flying cars; we are instead, teaching folks how to properly wash their hands. As I'm writing this, the City of Memphis where I live, is posting closures for schools, parades, sporting events and more at lightning quick pace. One quick pass through social media, and I see time and again the word, "CANCELLED" all over artists pages for gigs, tours and promotional appearances that were booked, some weeks and months in advance.
As a side note, Disneyland just announced they are closing. NOT DISNEYLAND! We already lost all our NCAA March Madness, not THIS, too!
I happen to know a lot of independent artists all around the world, and the one common thing they now share outside their love of creating amazing music, is their new fear of losing everything they've worked for. I'd say it's a pretty good guess that most of these folks also work other gigs, jobs, etc., to make ends meet already. Some, if not most, are small business owners, who are now DOUBLY worried about not only the effect on their music careers, but also their small business cash flow and truly, survival. They have families, beloved pets and mortgages. Most don't have health insurance. What if they get sick? Where are they to turn for help?
I've seen a LOT of communities coming together to help recently tornado-ravaged Nashville and surrounding areas in Middle TN, which affected a lot of these folks already with, at the very least, lost gigs due to venues being damaged or completed demolished by the tornados. Now, as this pandemic as the "WHO" is now referring to it, is making it's way around the world and clawing a path across the US, I want to encourage everyone to stay calm, get the FACTS, know your options, and, as our friends in the entertainment world try to stay afloat, support them by checking out their websites, buying their merchandise (clothing, albums, stickers, hats, etc.) and IF you see one of your favorite bands are still able to get a gig booked that doesn't cancel in your area, by all means, go to see them if at all possible and tip 'em!
Let's not allow this virus be talked about in years to come in the music industry with the opening words, "The Day The Music Died."
