I think we can all agree the enormous amount of stress and concern that coronavirus has caused has affected a lot of people. These feelings have extended and have basically bulldozed the music industry, more specifically affecting independent artists and venues.

Concerts and live performances were one of the first things to go when coronavirus took over the United States and with that many artists postponing their tours or cancelling them all together. Of course, the planned concert-goers got their refunds, but this left many smaller artists without a stable income and not much of a way to work.

Tours and selling merchandise at shows are one of the biggest ways for bands to make their money and definitely one of best ways for fans to support their favorite artists. Streaming through large platforms like Spotify, underpays the artist substantially, so without these shows a lot of independent artists are left with no source of major income. The problem with this too is that even if concerts could happen again tomorrow, a lot of these musicians won't be able to afford to tour at all.

Not only this, but concerts are crucial to the music community. It doesn't stop at the musicians and bands themselves, but the crew and venues that back them up too. A ton of people in the community lost their jobs due to COVID whether they were managers, photographers, crew, sound and lighting - the list goes on and on.

Independent venues are probably the most at risk. These places are a big part of how these underground/unknown bands can get their start and where many independent performers play. Without being able to book shows, venue owners have no way to pay the rent for the building, forcing many of these local places to close. St. Louis, where I live, their well-loved Ready Room have had to move out because they can't keep paying high rent when the future of concerts is not definite.

Even though the future for live shows seems bleak, there are ways to help out!

Supporting your favorite bands is important right now and whether you can give money or not there are ways to help. You can share their music with fans or post about them on social media. If you do have money to spare, buy their merch! Whether it's a t-shirt, or a record, or even just a sticker - buying their merchandise has been one of the best ways to support your favorite musician during quarantine.

There's a lot going on to save your local music scene and independent venues; which is also a great way to help out your artists so that they have somewhere to perform when this is all over. Save Our Stages and the Restart Act are both trying to help save the independent music scene and the stages that hold it up. To get the Restart Act in action, call your representatives to sign and support it. Visit https://www.saveourstages.com to send emails to your representatives to support NIVA and the Restart Act. If you are a fan of live music and a frequent concert-goer then it's crucial that you take action and keep music live!