The festival summer has been cancelled. No major events will take place until September 1. It is also slowly becoming clear that the event industry is one of the last sectors that can open again, possibly even later than September 1. That all sounds discouraging. But do positive developments also arise from this situation? Could the corona crisis also provide a new creative impulse among artists?
Sometimes it’s hard not to lower your head. Many professional artists are suddenly out of work. Emerging talents with a full agenda feel that they are not seizing their momentum. The most important season to put yourself on the map has disappeared in one fell swoop.
We want to say to all artists: hang in there.
The corona crisis can also contribute to a new impulse in the music and events industry. A fresh generation of artists (not summarized by age but by creativity) who – as soon as the market is allowed to open again in the future – is ready to express themselves.
Why the corona crisis can provide a new impulse among artists:
Artists can determine their own momentum
Organizers book most of their lineups for the coming season between the fall and spring. This means that an artist has to pick up and maintain his or her momentum at the right time of year. Suppose a DJ has a hit in the month of May. That’s too late to get bookings in the current season, but too early for next season.
Now an artist has time to build and maintain their momentum. Musicians and DJs who perfect their act, release as much good music as possible and use the time to build an online fan base, become more interesting to book. You will therefore see that after the crisis, some artists have grown faster than other acts, because they have managed to manage the crisis better.
Budgets are going down
A logical consequence of canceling festivals is that organizers will cover their losses with upcoming editions. We therefore expect that many organizers will cut their artist budgets. That may sound negative, but it can also ensure that there is more room for new talent or artists with a strong fan base.
Every step forward feels like a victory
We’re not trying to be mental coaches here. But every release, booking or good show is going to feel like a win more than ever. These kind of positive moments have a positive effect on your creative mindset.
As the society is opening in phases and smaller venues and events are likely to open earlier than the big festivals, we may expect a new impulse in underground events, small parties and dance bars. The past has shown that these are the places where interesting musical developments eventually take place. Isn’t the birthplace of house also in one Chicago club? Or the sudden emergence of dubstep in small squats in London?
Many striking and influential creative expressions arise from the most unlikely places or moments in history. Often also in a small and dark corner.
Programmers are getting more creative
We already spoke to various organizers who indicated that they would start programming less obvious line-ups upon their return. One of the reasons is that famous names often cost a lot of money and there is less budget for it. Another reason is that they expect that the public will be grateful as soon as they are allowed to go outside and that they will attach more value to the musicality and total experience of their event. A few expressed the expectation that they will lose part of their old audience and that a new generation of party goers will get to know their festival for the first time. The organizers also see that certain niche genres are on the rise online.
In short: these kinds of considerations also contribute to the fact that we expect many new names on the posters. The musicians and DJs who use the corona period to attract a new target group with distinctive music and online content create an edge over the rest.
The sound changed
Because festival lovers have to stay indoors for an entire season, they come into contact with new music in different ways. The do-it-yourself “Spotify-pop” sound is now doing particularly well on the earbuds, but is going to produce more hits that people want to hear on the dance floor.
In addition to the solid, monotonous electronic sound that dominated the festival scene, more organic and musical tracks are slowly making way again, because for a large part of the listeners this just sounds better when they are doing the dishes.
The tempo of tracks is slowing down: Spotify is already noticing that listeners are listening more to songs with a lower energy during the corona crisis.
The artist who knows how to anticipate this and binds his own audience is the artist who brings in the bookings in the post-corona era.
Electronic live acts are getting more popular
Live streaming is very popular right now. It’s one of the few ways for artists to connect and interact with their fans.
It also ensures that artists with an electronic live act stand out faster. It is visually more interesting to watch an artist making live music than another DJ mixing pictures together. Especially if the stream keeps cutting out with the latter, because the copyright police intervenes.
For electronic live musicians and live acts, this is the time to show and hear their own work. The new generation of artists who manage to reach many fans with these streams, prove their online value and will be booked faster in the post-corona era.
In short
We said it before in our previous blog: don’t give up. Create your own momentum. Now is the time to build a bigger fan base.