This is going to be a tough one and a long one, so please bear with me and take this with an open heart. Last week, the music and entertainment industry came to an abrupt halt due to the spread of Coronavirus, and those of us working in the industry have found ourselves living with the reality of “what the fuck are we going to do?” The answer to that is still coming, but first, I want to give some insight to what is going on behind the scenes right now. By no means do I want this to be an invitation to be the goody bag at anyones pity party – I’d rather use this as a chance to shine a light on the struggle that we are all dealing with right now, and hopefully offer some answers. With all of that being said, I interviewed a few friends and colleagues to ask an important question: How is this affecting you and your job, and what do you think we could do as a community to band together and help one another?
For those of you aren’t familiar with me, my name is Blake. I’m a merchandise manager and I currently work for and am most associated with the band, Dance Gavin Dance. As some of you may know, we were supposed to embark on a cross country, almost completely sold out tour, ending with our own festival, SwanFest on April 25th. We woke up the morning of the first date of the tour and got off of the bus to a comically gloomy and rainy day in LA, only to find out shortly after that not only was the show that night being postponed, but so was our entire tour. The decision to postpone the tour weighed heavily upon everyone involved and was taken very seriously, concerning the health and safety of the band, the crew, and especially the fans. This decision has had a rather large effect on my life both financially and personally.
For many who tour full time, we don’t come home to a job that supplements our income. Our schedules on the road are so intensive that between tours, finding a job that allows for the time off needed to continue with this career is simply too difficult, and I think most people will agree. At this point in my life, I personally would much rather spend my time off with my dog, training jiu jitsu, riding my bicycle and working on art/designing, as I find those to be productive uses of my time that are much needed for my mental health.
As far as what we can do in this situation, patience and understanding comes first and foremost. We are all emotional over this – from the bands and crew members to the music industry workforce and fans and concert goers. We are all hurt and upset over the loss of wages and work, and of course many people are bummed out about missing an opportunity to see their favorite bands. The important part to understand here is that the wheel has not stopped turning. It has simply slowed down a little.
People keep throwing out the word cancelled about all these tours. To my personal knowledge, the majority of tours impacted are simply postponed, and will continue at a later date. So please don’t go thinking your money was wasted buying your tickets. Since beginning the writing of this article, there are also some plans in place to help out those of use who are out of work. Unlike certain jobs, there isn’t always a backup plan like unemployment or a union specific to us as crew people. I will include links below to ways you can help donate to people who are being misplaced in one way or another due to this situation.
All of that being said, I checked in with some musicians, tour managers, merchandise managers, lighting designers, producers, a label head, an avid live music fan and more to talk about the current situation in the music industry and how we can help. I want to showcase some people that are not only wonderful people I consider friends and colleagues, but those who are impacted by this situation in one way or another. This is a big circle of life so to speak, from the bands who perform, to management and agents who book the shows, the crews who make the shows happen, and the fans who come out and support live music who make all this possible.
So here are some views that I hope are eye opening to everyone:
Marc Okubo – Guitarist – Veil of Maya
Who are you and what to do you do? I’m Marc Okubo and I am a guitarist, a songwriter, a performer and sometimes a producer.
Who do you work for currently or who are you most associated with?
I am most associated with the heavy metal band Veil of Maya
How is this situation affecting you?
I’ve spent the majority of the last year working on music and preparing for releasing it on a tour that was just cancelled. I was depending on being on the road for the next two months to cover my bills and debt for this period of time.
What do you think we can do as a community both as industry workers and fans alike to band together and help in this situation? We need to communicate and share whatever resources we have. We have to check up on everyone’s health, physical and mental. We have to use this as inspiration to create so we can continue to motivate the people that depend on us.
Gino Scarim – Tour Manager, FOH Engineer, Artist Management
Who are you and what to do you do?
I’m Gino Scarim from Chicago,IL and I tour as a tour manager, Front of house engineer and Monitor engineer. I’m also co founder of Scarim Management (Artist Management) and co Founder of Lakeside Production Ststems (Pa Installs and production)
Who do you work for currently or who are you most associated with?
Currently I’m the Assistant Tour Manager and Monitor engineer for Dance Gavin Dance
How is this situation affecting you?
I’ve really been looking forward to this upcoming Dance Gavin Dance US headline tour for a while. I’ve been home from tour since December 2019 working on some other projects, spending time with Family and traveling with my girlfriend. Losing nine weeks of work unexpectedly is a huge blow financially. I had my budget planned out to get me comfortably to March, but now I’m going to have to dip into my savings/retirement money until I find some new work.
What do you think we can do as a community both as industry workers and fans alike to band together and help in this situation?
I truly believe hard times will bring the best out of all of us. We will find new revenue streams and maximize all current revenue streams. Like I always say, we need to be Netflix not Blockbuster. We need to take a proactive approach and see what we can do during these hard times.
For bands, I think this is a great time to stockpile new content, by writing new songs or making new music videos. They can launch new merch items on their webstore or engage with fans by going live on FB or IG.
As for personal income, I think we are all going to need to find work outside of this industry for the foreseeable future. Uber, Amazon, retail or service industry will be some go to moves for people as temporary work.
I really feel for all my tour venue and other music industry family that are now left looking for last minute work, best wishes to you all!
Kristelle Pliez – Tour Manager, Merchandiser
Who are you and what to do you do?
My name is Kristelle Pliez and I work as a TM/Merchandiser for a number of bands, namely Hail The Sun. I also step in as driver and online store runner for most of those bands.
How is this situation affecting you?
I was on tour with I The Mighty (Silverstein 20 year tour) when the corona virus shut down our industry. We were two weeks into a 6 week tour. I lost 4 weeks of immediate work, as well as future cancellations of tours.
What do you think we can do as a community both as industry workers and fans alike to band together and help in this situation?
I think fans have a lot of power in this situation. The bands who got pushed off the road have their merchandise online at this point. Buy that shirt and vinyl you were planning on buying at the show. Buy direct from the band or from their merch stores. All of these purchases help!! As dates for tours get re-announced, fans can spread the word and make sure their fellow fans keep in the loop about their favorite bands.
Being crew, it’s surreal to see my entire support group be just as displaced as me. We’re all in the exact same boat, but we’re collectively doing what we can to stay positive (shout out to the Venmo/go fund me help funds.)
I’m grateful that I have a passion off tour and I’ll be filling my time making art. I’m alive, I’ll be able to look at things I think are beautiful all day and that’s my best case scenario in this current world.
John James Ryan – Tour Manager, Saxophonist
Who are you and what to do you do?
John James Ryan here. I tour manager, work the festival circuit, and perform as a saxophonist.
Who do you work for currently or who are you most associated with?
Currently on year 6 as a tour manager/all around crew person for Four Year Strong as well as spending the last 4 years pushing my own musical art in Keep Flying.
How is this situation affecting you? This is about to be the longest amount of days I’ve been consecutively off since I was 18 1/2. I don’t actually know what 2 weeks from now is going to be. The scary thing is the absolute unknown.
What do you think we can do as a community both as industry workers and fans alike to band together and help in this situation?
Most importantly I feel we need to check in with each other. A lot of people are going to get stir crazy. And not just in our industry. But I have to stay positive and optimistic because there is going to be manic depression taking over for some of us who don’t have the same outlook. It’s important that we keep in touch and update each other and gift ideas for creative ways to stay occupied.
Kellie McCarthy – ADA Coordinator
Who are you and what to do you do?
Kellie McCarthy and I am an ADA Coordinator.
Who do you work for currently or who are you most associated with? I work primarily for a company called Ten Fifty Entertainment.
How is this situation affecting you?
Events hire us for ADA compliance and Guest Service work. We work with Coachella/Stagecoach, EDC, Okeechobee, Lightning in a Bottle, etc. All the festivals I was supposed to work in April/May have been cancelled so I have lost all that income. My back up “home” jobs have all been closed for an indefinite amount of time.
What do you think we can do as a community both as industry workers and fans alike to band together and help in this situation?
The only thing I can think of to help is to support each other and remind ourselves that we are not alone. Help each other possibly find side work. People should buy merch if they can to support their favorite artist.
Bryan Greenberg – Audio Engineer, Tour Manager
Who are you and what to do you do?
Bryan Greenberg; audio engineer and tour manager
Who do you work for currently or who are you most associated with?
Fit For a King and The Nile Theater are probably who I’m most associated with.
How is this situation affecting you?
Just had a 6 week tour cancel three shows in; basically just lost all of my income from March until May. I’m watching shows at the venues I work at while I’m home drop more and more shows because of tour cancellations.
What do you think we can do as a community both as industry workers and fans alike to band together and help in this situation?
For the artists you love you can still buy merch, vinyl, whatever from them directly to help them recover. As far as Industry workers I’m not really sure; I’ve been thinking about a lot on the drive home and I haven’t come up with any solid answers. Check in on your friends/coworkers, and do whatever you can to help support them if they need it.
Justin Wade – Lighting Director
Who are you and what to do you do?
Justin Wade, Freelance 1099 Independent contractor and Lighting Director for Highly Suspect.
How is this situation affecting you?
This whole situations hit me very directly. I was in the midst of a European/UK tour as all of this began to hit. We started the tour very casually until things started to escalate. We would watch the news and start to see the scare in people growing, especially on the American side. A few shows had to be scaled to smaller venues, including Zurich which turned out to be our last show of the run and one of the last shows in Zurich. That’s when the travel bans started to be announced, and we tried to press on, and continued to Paris, assured that the show was still on, only to be cut the day before by the venue. At that point, and with America becoming further and further on lockdown, we had to do what was best for the health of the fans and community. I, like the rest of the production world, would much rather be doing shows for smiling fans right now, but these are the cards we were dealt.
What do you think we can do as a community both as industry workers and fans alike to band together and help in this situation?
I understand the hurt that the community is feeling and we’re all out of work because of this, and rebuilding back will not be a short term thing. Right now, I’d just say don’t panic, just be aware of your surroundings. I see all of these petitions online through places like change.org thinking they’ll make a difference and get us additional grants and funding for unemployed, to me, that’s a joke and going to go no where. Rather than taking this time to sit on facebook signing petitions; use this time to invest in yourself and the free resources all around you in the digital world we are in. Take the time to better your craft, and learn something new, I know I will.
We’re all dealing with this together, don’t be afraid to help each other out, it’s a great time for emails and sketches and a great time to start building the next huge thing. Don’t be afraid to try something new or talk to the people around you and in your industry, we’re all dealing with it right now and for the most part everyone is still only an email or phone call away. Don’t consider yourself unemployed, make your self worth more when things kick back in.
Devin Sandoval – Live Music Fan
Who are you and where are you from?
My name is Devin Sandoval and I am from Shoreham, NY.
What are some of your favorite bands to see live?
Some of my favorite artists to see live would have to be Coheed and Cambria, Hail The Sun, Ceschi Ramos, I The Mighty, and Dance Gavin Dance.
How is this situation affecting you?
From the local album release party show to the large-scale stadium production show, the COVID-19 situation has halted attending concerts entirely. Personally, I’ve had around six events cancel/postpone, although I know of some diehards, who follow tours, that have had their entire spring cleared of events. I know as a fan I worked hard for, planned for, and anticipated for these shows and experiences to come to fruition. I have to rearrange flights, worry about getting refunds for canceled shows, and plan new travels for rescheduled shows. There is fear that the rescheduled dates will conflict with other plans that have been made throughout the year, and that is certainly less than ideal. Many people use concerts as a way to unwind, and deal with stress, and now, these alterations are causing stress in themselves. That being said, while missing a show might be a negative outcome, I feel it pales in comparison to the current situation of the bands, crew, photographers, reporters, etc., who just had their entire jobs and lives postponed.
What do you think we can do as a community both as industry workers and fans alike to band together and help in this situation?
In order to help the artists we care about, I think we should continue to purchase, stream, and share their music. Additionally, it is important to pick up merch, not only from the band, but if a photographer or artist you enjoy has prints for sale, consider picking one up! Additionally, bands/artists doing livestreams (either paid or unpaid) would be a great way to connect with fans and keep a fanbase invested. This could be as simple as an acoustic set, or full band set ups, as some other groups have done. In terms of the workers though, the first thing that comes to mind, is that when these shows do happen, and you do pick up merch (or even if you don’t), tip the crew members when applicable, or at least give a genuine thank you for kicking ass through these uncharted times.
Sean Heydorn – Head of Rise Records
Who are you and what to do you do?
Sean Heydorn, head of Rise Records
Who do you work for currently or who are you most associated with?
The entire Rise Roster. In terms of this conversation, our artists that are supposed to be on tour – The Acacia Strain, Dance Gavin Dance, Angels & Airwaves, Knuckle Puck, Kvelertak, Social Animals, Le Butcherettes, ISSUES, Dave Hause and more.
How is this situation affecting you?
It has completely torpedoed our plans. While we don’t participate in our artists’ touring business, it’s one of the largest marketing drivers for rock music. Our album releases, rollouts, song drops are totally intertwined with the on the ground activity. In addition to that, we have scheduled releases with a heavy physical component – there are so many question marks around what the current situation will mean at retailers. There are also challenges around the product itself as so much originates at, or goes to different countries.
What do you think we can do as a community both as industry workers and fans alike to band together and help in this situation?
I think first we have an obligation to identify the members of the community who are most vulnerable. So many artists, crew members, boutique agencies work for little to no money, have thin margins, many also hold second jobs that happen to be in the most vulnerable fields (venue, bar, restaurant), so their supplemental income is challenged as well. We need to work immediately to figure out how to help and offer support they may need. Second – we have to look at the releases that are in motion, figure out how we can take a lot of the marketing that was tied to touring, and move it into the digital realm. That’s also an evolving conversation as nobody knows the real timeline here – but the marketing costs money, and you’re typically marketing towards a date or dates, and those are moving.
Rocky Rodrigues – Merchandise Manager
Who are you and what to do you do?
I am Rocky Rodrigues and I am a touring merchandise manager!
Who do you work for currently or who are you most associated with?
I currently work for a handful of bands: Exhorder, As It Is and Unwritten Law. I’m probably most associated with As It Is because their fanbase are younger, so a lot more social media is involved. People see me on their socials and at shows and I get associated with the boys that way the most.
How is this situation affecting you?
The tour I was just on with Exhorder was cancelled a few dates shy of the end and we all had to go home promptly with how restricted traveling is starting to get. The other shows and tours I had lined up and other I was about to lock in are postponed. My job off tours is working for Live Nation doing VIP assistant work and doing merch as local venues across the Bay Area. All of those shows are postponed now too. My income is halted for the foreseeable future and everything is very up in the air.
What do you think we can do as a community both as industry workers and fans alike to band together and help in this situation?
I think the live streams that are starting to brew up are an amazing way to keep fans connected. I think it’s new territory we can keep developing and into something even better in the future, even when live shows are able to continue. Merch is obviously another huge factor here. People who can afford to help out and support bands absolutely should, but for those who aren’t able to because they are also out of a job at the moment, can still support through sharing those links and profiles. We all should keep collaborating and brainstorming ways to help out the touring crews that are affected by this too, unlike bands we don’t have additional sources of income that can come in, and many of our jobs at home are shutdown too, destroying both of our means of income really. It’s hard to think of a definite solution in a capitalist society where we cannot function without making or having money, but the isolation and downtime we are now presented with can really show us our cores again, help us reconnect with our artistic souls deeply again-or maybe even for the first time. I have faith we’re going to figure a way out of this dark time. We just can’t lose hope and we can’t let each other drown. The silver lining here is truly that this is going to force us to learn how to be a community again which I believe will only strengthen our music industry when we come back. Less focus on clout and numbers and more focus on the love, passion and strength in numbers we have through music and the art that comes from it.
Rick Armellino – Musician – HAWK & Ice Nine Kills
Who are you and what to do you do?
I’m Rick Armellino. I produce music on the road and in my studio, I sing for HAWK, I play guitar for Ice Nine Kills.
Who do you work for currently or who are you most associated with?
I identify with each (HAWK/Ice Nine Kills) equally and try to give them each my all.
How is this situation affecting you?
I do make a lot of jokes about how thankful I am to have some extra time to get all of the recording studio projects done and finish writing my own music but the whole premise of the joke is short sighted. I’ve cancelled the dates two projects coming in and regardless of whatever payment agreement myself and the artist have first, I really can’t give any answers on when we can work together, when they can fly out. I have a bunch of question marks I have to schedule in. When this is all said and done, all of my gigs are going to want to get back into gear however I’ve had to cancel 2 dates. On a personal level, the whole thing fucking stresses me out. I keep thinking someone I love is going to get it and they’re going to get it when the hospitals are too overburdened to help them. But on a business level, I’m getting kind of a breath of air while knowing that the other shoe is going to drop and all of the sudden I’m going to be juggling everything again.
What do you think we can do as a community both as industry workers and fans alike to band together and help in this situation?
I think that if you got into the music or entertainment business, you kind of signed a contract to be community minded. That’s a feature of the whole system. So if you’ve got work and you’ve got resources you’re going to need to take care of people and seek opportunities for them. I don’t think now’s a good time for artists to soapbox statements about the way things should go or anything… I think the situation is serious enough that we need actual plans of action. Right now everyone is out of work and if we all regroup and we are in terrible situations that’s going to make everything suck. However, we do actually have some things working for us: Fans are going to be stuck at home, on the internet, dicking off. Part of our job is to give them content and shit to do so that’s at least something. Ultimately, my heart goes out of everyone and I’m doing my best to be there for the people in my team and to keep moving forward.
Conor Hesse – Bassist – Erra
Who are you and what to do you do?
I’m Conor Hesse and I play bass in Erra, in addition to working for/with various artists, management companies, and record labels.
Who do you work for currently or who are you most associated with?
I’m most associated with Erra, although I worked for Issues most recently (prior to the DGD tour’s postponement).
How is this situation affecting you?
As with most others, this situation is a large burden financially for me, as the majority of my experience and rapport is established in music and more specifically touring.
What do you think we can do as a community both as industry workers and fans alike to band together and help in this situation?
I’m not sure, and it’s something that I’m still trying to wrap my head around. My first thought is that if artists were receiving more revenue from streaming, merchandise sales, etc, they’d be in a better position to take care of themselves and their crews financially (on a salary/retainer basis). I don’t know the ins-and-outs of the finances of streaming services (Spotify, Youtube, Apple Music, etc), but if they are in a position to pay artists more (considering that the artists are creating content to drive traffic to their platforms), it’d put everyone in the music industry in a better place. Additionally, artists need to get creative in building more revenue streams. But again – I really don’t know and I think this is a tough position for everyone.
Alex Mungal – Lighting Designer, Technical Director
Who are you and what do you do?
I am Alex Mungal, lighting designer and technical director from Ontario Canada. I work with artists to design and create lighting, video, and special effects for live concert/touring application to bring their music and performance to an added dimension.
Who do you work for currently or who are you most associated with?
I work with several touring artists, including Asking Alexandria, Ice Nine Kills, Dance Gavin Dance, Animals As Leaders, and several others.
How is this situation affecting you?
Due to the current events regarding COVID-19, all touring, concerts, and events of over 50-200 people are suspended and postponed until further notice. This puts a serious damper on my job, and countless other touring crew for various bands who have had their careers impacted.
What do you think we can do as a community both as industry workers and fans alike to band together and help in this situation?
Right now, this is a period of waiting. We can only hang on, do our best to stay positive, and support each other as a community. Everybody is going through a hard time. There are some fortunate enough to have online and remote work done, such as management, booking, and designers, but some people don’t have that option. All we can do is wait patiently, practice social distancing, and remain calm. Personally, Im taking this opportunity to tidy up the house and do some organizing, programming and even providing online training sessions for other technicians. Long story short, hang in there, because when our industry gets out of this coma, we are coming back with a vengeance, and some of the greatest shows these bands have ever put on.
Matt Pike – Partner, 33 and West
Who are you and what to do you do?
My Name is Matt Pike, I am a partner in the talent agency 33 and West
Who do you work for currently or who are you most associated with?
Some of the artist that we represent are Dance Gavin Dance, Converge, Devo, Attila, Sepultura, Napalm Death and a whole lot more.
How is this situation affecting you?
Well, as an agent and an agency we thrive and survive off of the touring world. Bands playing shows, booking tours. With what is happening on a global level at the moment it has put a halt on all of that. We are now in a situation where we are canceling and postponing shows trying to get these artists back out on the road so they can start making a living again.
What do you think we can do as a community both as industry workers and fans alike to band together and help in this situation?
That’s a great question. I am not sure what we can do other than band together and support each other. Every one is affected for sure.
Travis Wade – Tour Manager, FOH Engineer
Who are you and what to do you do?
Travis Wade, freelance Tour Manager and front of house engineer
Who do you work for currently or who are you most associated with?
Dance Gavin Dance
How is this situation affecting you?
Like many people in in our touring community we rely on this time of year to pull us out of the holidays and down time and get start to get ahead of any upcoming expenses. I was relying on this, now postponed, headliner to get back on my feet after this time and get ahead of some of my expenses. This was my time to start building a little nest egg to start the year. Overnight 8 weeks of income came to a halt. No one was at fault for this, no one wanted to have to postpone, and everyone knew this was not exclusive to us or our tour. This was such a truly new, and unique situation that came in fast and everyone was hit hard by.
What do you think we can do as a community both as industry workers and fans alike to band together and help in this situation?
We need to remember we are not alone and this affecting everyone. In the course of the week this chaos ended all speed this touring season had been building up. We may be spread across the country but we are a small community of people who tour full time for a living. Check on your friends, offer help where you can, and be optimistic that we will all get through this with minimal hit to our personal and professional lives.
Frank Fanelli – Tour Manager, Lighting Director, VIP Coordinator, Merchandiser
Who are you and what to do you do?
My name is Frank Fanelli, and for the last 14 years I’ve been working on the road as a tour manager, merch dealer, LD, and VIP coordinator for bands and artists in heavy metal, R&B, punk rock, jazz, rap, hardcore, and hip hop.
Who do you work for currently or who are you most associated with?
In 2019, and early 2020, I’ve consistently been working for Black Veil Brides, Earthgang, Pennywise, JID and Andy Black.
How is this situation affecting you?
The unfortunate aspect of our jobs as full time touring crew members is that when tours aren’t happening for any reason, it’s a strain on our bank account. I tour 9-10 months out of every year because there’s no guarantee that I’ll be able to have a clear retirement plan when I get older. I’m completely independent. If I don’t tour, I don’t make a cent. My main purpose for starting the NOMADS FUNDRAISER was for the people who are maybe just starting to get into this line of work like I was in the late 2000’s. I dropped out of High School, stole lunch money from my Mom so I could eat, and moved out of my house at 17 to try to live this dream. I don’t envy ANYONE who just took that leap for the first time in early 2020 only to get shut down by the epidemic.. so we’re here to hopefully help ease that financial tension.
What do you think we can do as a community both as industry workers and fans alike to band together and help in this situation?
I got a phone call explaining to me that the next 4 months of my livelihood were unfortunately taken away from me due to the virus, and I moped around for 2 days feeling sorry for myself. When I had this fundraiser idea, and things started to take off, I realized right away that it was silly to spend time being depressed. It was way more liberating to band together with likeminded friends in my same position to make a difference in the music community that are currently giving me the best years of my life. Meme’s about this situation may be hilarious at times, but they aren’t saving lives, or putting food on your friends plate during a rough time. Action makes the major difference, and I hope others jump on board sooner than later.
I hope this has been some good insight into how this impacting everyone – not only the music industry but those in any service industry as well.
I can’t reiterate enough, your favorite bands will be back on the road as soon as possible! My best advice is to take proper precautions and take care of yourselves – be safe and be informed. Please be patient and know we are all doing what we can to diligently get back on the road, not only for our own sakes but to provide you with the shows you all deserve! Like all storms, this too shall pass. We are all in this together. Support the bands, support the crews. Let’s show the world that we as music scene are united now more than ever!
My heart and the hearts of everyone at The Prelude Press go out to everyone, absolutely everyone who is impacted and in any way and suffering from this situation.
As Frank mentioned above, he has launched a GoFundMe to attempt to help people in this time of need. The link is below. In an effort to do my part, I will be announcing something on social media next week and will be donating the proceeds to Franks GoFundMe. So until next time…
I hope the best for all of you, we will see you soon, and don’t miss bus call!
