PBS News Hour

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Sreenivasan

THE WORLD OF LIVE PERFORMANCE IS MOSTLY SHUT DOWN LIKE EVERYTHING ELSE RIGHT NOW, DEPRIVING AUDIENCES OF PLEASURE AND ARTISTS-- AND THOSE WHO WORK WITH THEM-- A WAY TO MAKE A LIVING. NEWSHOUR WEEKEND'S CHRISTOPHER BOOKER SPOKE WITH A NUMBER OF PERFORMERS AND EXECUTIVES ABOUT HOW THE MUSIC INDUSTRY IS RESPONDING TO THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC. >> OKAY. >>

Reporter

AS MANY OF YOU HAVE SEEN, SOME OF THE WORLD'S MUSIC SUPERSTARS HAVE BEEN BROADCASTING PERFORMANCES FROM THEIR HOMES. IT STARTED WITH COLDPLAY'S CHRIS MARTIN ON MONDAY, FOLLOWED BY JOHN LEGEND ON TUESDAY. THEN CAME DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE'S BEN GIBBARD. >> I WANTED TO WALK THROUGH THE EMPTY STREETS AND FEEL SOMETHING CONSTANT UNDER MY FEET. >> FOR FANS OF THESE STARS, VIRTUAL CONCERTS ARE THE CLOSEST THEY WILL COME TO A LIVE MUSIC PERFORMANCE IN THE FORESEEABLE FUTURE. LIKE EVERYTHING ELSE, THE MUSIC INDUSTRY HAS GROUND TO A NEAR HALT WITH FESTIVALS AND TOURS CANCELLED ACROSS THE WORLD. AND THAT HAS ONLY INCREASED THE ANXIETIES FOR THE THOUSANDS WHO WORK IN AN INDUSTRY THAT HAS ONLY RECENTLY STARTED TO RECOVER FROM A DIGITAL REVOLUTION THAT DEVALUED RECORDED MUSIC AND MADE LIVE PERFORMANCE THE ONLY WAY MOST MUSICIANS CAN MAKE A LIVING. >> I THINK, AT THIS POINT, WE'RE NOT EXPECTING ANY LIVE SHOWS TO BE HAPPENING ACROSS THE STATES UNTIL MAYBE LATE JUNE. >> ZENA WHITE IS A MANAGING DIRECTOR OF PARTISAN RECORDS, A SMALL INDEPENDENT LABEL WITH OFFICES IN BROOKLYN AND LONDON. ONE OF THEIR ACTS, THE BRITISH BAND IDLES, WAS FEATURED LAST YEAR ON NEWSHOUR WEEKEND. IDLES WERE SCHEDULED TO TOUR SOUTH AMERICA THIS SPRING BEFORE HEADING TO CALIFORNIA'S COACHELLA FESTIVAL IN APRIL. BOTH THE TOUR AND COACHELLA HAVE BEEN POSTPONED. OBVIOUSLY, IT'S NOT JUST THE BAND THAT THIS IMPACTS. >> YEAH. I MEAN, I THINK IDLES HAVE-- THEY ACTUALLY HAVE BEEN, AS OF THIS YEAR, TOURING WITH A CREW OF I THINK UP TO TEN PEOPLE IN THE BIGGEST SHOWS. SO-- AND YOU HAVE TO THINK ABOUT THOSE ARE USUALLY FREELANCERS, THAT ULTIMATELY THEY'VE GOT WIVES, FAMILIES, HUSBANDS AND PEOPLE BACK HOME TO TAKE CARE OF. SO, THERE IS DEFINITELY A KNOCK- ON EFFECT. >> SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THE CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK, "BILLBOARD" MAGAZINE HAS BEEN KEEPING A RUNNING LIST OF THE DRAMATIC DOWNTURN IN LIVE PERFORMANCES. EVERYONE FROM THE ROLLING STONES TO ALANIS MORRISETTE HAVE EITHER CANCELLED OR POSTPONED THEIR CONCERTS. BUT FOR SOME, IT STARTED EVEN BEFORE THE CORONAVIRUS ARRIVED IN THE UNITED STATES. >> WE WERE SUPPOSED TO GO TO CHINA IN APRIL AND THEN OTHER PARTS-- KOREA AND JAPAN, AS WELL. SO, OTHER PARTS OF SOUTHEAST ASIA. AND THEN THAT-- YEAH, THAT GOT CANCELED QUITE A WHILE AGO THOUGH, SO. >> SINGER/COMPOSER MAC DEMARCO SAYS THE CHINESE CANCELLATION WAS JUST THE BEGINNING. >> WE'VE HAD TO CANCEL A COUPLE OTHER THINGS, TOO. I'VE HAD A LOT OF FRIENDS CANCEL SHOWS. >> DEMARCO WORRIES ABOUT THE IMPACT ON LESS WELL- KNOWN ACTS ESPECIALLY AFTER THE CANCELLATION OF MORE FESTIVALS, INCLUDING AUSTIN'S SOUTH BY SOUTHWEST. THERE WERE 2,000 MUSICAL ACTS SCHEDULED TO PERFORM THIS YEAR, AND THE FESTIVAL HAS ALREADY LAID OFF A THIRD OF ITS WORK FORCE. >> LUCKILY, FOR US, MONETARILY, IT'S LIKE, I THINK WE'LL BE OKAY, YOU KNOW? BUT IT'S CRAZY TO WATCH, YOU KNOW, OTHER MUSICIANS AND BANDS ESPECIALLY WITH, LIKE, THINGS LIKE "SOUTH BY." IT'S, LIKE, PEOPLE SCRAPE THE MONEY TOGETHER TO, LIKE, FLY OUT THERE FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD. IT'S-- A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE BUMMED. I HAD A FRIEND THAT HAD TO COME HOME FROM EUROPE A COUPLE OF DAYS AGO. A COUPLE FRIENDS WENT HOME TO AUSTRALIA. THEY WERE JUST STARTING A GIGANTIC TOUR. IT'S LIKE THERE WAS A GUY DOING A MUSIC VIDEO HERE. HE'S LEAVING TODAY. YEAH, IT'S, LIKE, IT-- IT SUCKS. IT SUCKS. >> AND THEN, WHAT ABOUT ACTUALLY RECORDING? >> IT'S KIND OF WHAT I DO ALL THE TIME ANYWAY. I NEVER REALLY LEAVE MY GARAGE. KIND OF ALWAYS JUST IN THERE, RECORDING. SO, YOU KNOW, HATE TO SAY IT, BUT IT KIND OF WORKS FOR ME. >> HARD TO DREAM IN THE LIGHT OF DAY BETTER HIDE FROM WHAT THEY SAY. >> FOR COUNTRY STAR AND GRAMMY WINNER SHELBY LYNNE, THIS PERIOD IS AS CONFUSING FOR HER AS IT IS FOR THE REST OF US. >> I GUESS WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO WAIT. WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO WAIT AND SEE. I DON'T THINK ANYBODY KNOWS WHAT THE HELL WE'RE GOING TO DO RIGHT NOW. >> HER NEW ALBUM, TITLED SIMPLY "SHELBY LYNNE," IS SLATED FOR RELEASE ON APRIL 17, BUT SHE'S NOT SURE WHEN SHE WILL BE ABLE TO HIT THE ROAD AND PROMOTE IT. FROM AN ECONOMICS PERSPECTIVE, WHEN YOU'RE MANAGING AND THINKING OF YOUR YEAR, HOW MUCH OF A DISRUPTION IS THIS FOR YOU? >> I MEAN, I CAN'T SIT AROUND AND WORRY ABOUT THINGS I CAN'T CONTROL. AND I THINK IT'S JUST A TIME FOR FOR US TO BE REFLECTIVE AND-- AND MAYBE LOOK AT THINGS A LITTLE DIFFERENTLY INSTEAD OF HAVING SOME WAY TO RUN AROUND AND BE ALL CRAZY ALL THE TIME. MAYBE WE'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO. MAYBE WE'RE SUPPOSED TO JUST CHILL. AND I KNOW DEEP IN MY HEART... >> BUT EVEN THOSE WHO ARE WORRIED ABOUT WHAT HAPPENS IN THE SHORT-TERM BELIEVE MUSIC WILL PLAY A NECESSARY ROLE IN GETTING US ALL THROUGH THIS. >> ULTIMATELY, WE DO SEE THIS AS FINITE. AND WHILST WE DON'T THINK THAT THE WORLD WILL QUITE BE THE SAME AGAIN OR AS WE KNEW IT, WE DO THINK THAT PEOPLE ARE GOING TO WANT MUSIC. AND ALREADY WE'RE HAVING PEOPLE HIT US UP ALL THE TIME. "WHAT ARE YOUR PLAYLISTS?" "WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO?" "I NEED SOMETHING TO KEEP ME POSITIVE." AND I THINK MUSIC IS A GREAT UNIFIER, AND-- AND THIS VIRUS IS THE GREAT EQUALIZER. YOU KNOW, WE'RE ALL IN THE SAME BOAT, SO HOPING THAT ARTISTS CAN FIND SOME SENSE OF PURPOSE IN BEING ABLE TO INSPIRE AND KEEP PEOPLE'S DAY-TO-DAY UPBEAT. >> FOR NOW, FANS LOOKING FOR INSPIRATION FROM LIVE MUSIC WILL BE LOOKING ALMOST EXCLUSIVELY ONLINE. >> STOP IT, PLEASE BEFORE IT'S GONE TOO FAR.