Virtual concerts for all types of music lovers to stream from home

Since the beginning of March, we have seen big impacts regarding the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus. Due to this outbreak, industries across the board have been affected — from cancelled sporting events to big companies like Boeing suspending at-work business — and it’s easy to see how our community has been affected. Because of the stay-at-home order and cancellation of group gatherings, the music industry has been severely impacted by the spread of this virus as well.

Large venues such as the Tacoma Dome and the Showbox Theaters in Seattle have since cancelled or postponed all of their shows in order to align with these measures and combat the spread of the virus.

With concerts and shows being cancelled all across the country and venues on lockdown, the music industry has taken a big hit and is looking at ways in which it can face these cancellations and present alternative actions for those residing within the community.

Since the beginning of the outbreak, numbers of musicians and celebrities have taken their acts to social media platforms — whether it be through Twitch streaming, Facebook Live or Instagram Live — to show their support and condolences for everyone given the current state of things.

Here’s a list of what’s been going on so you can keep up to date with some of your favorite artists:

Global Citizen

A movement founded in 2011 classifies themselves as “engaged citizens who are using their collective voice to end extreme poverty by 2030.” This movement educates and learns as a community about issues around the world and is committed to producing changes that last. Now, in light of the COVID-19 outbreak, they’ve taken their efforts to Instagram to launch #TogetherAtHome.

#TogetherAtHome utilizes Instagram Live to host mini-concerts in hopes of creating solidarity amongst the global community and bring awareness to the pandemic in an effort to urge viewers to support WHO and take action. So far, they’ve given the spotlight to artists Skip Marley, Jack Johnson, John Legend, Evanescence, Bastille and many more. These performances range from 15 to 40 minutes and are open for viewing on their Instagram page @glblctzn.

#DontStopTheMusic

Sennheiser, a 75-year-old audio production company, has also taken to Instagram Live and kicked off #DontStopTheMusic, their virtual concert series. They debuted this event on Mar. 28 throughout the day and have since presented an arrangement of works from DJ Jay Style, The Talbott Brothers, St. Panther, DJ Fly, Bob Sinclair, Mat Kerekes of Citizen as well as Third Eye Blind. You can catch future events on their Instagram @sennheiser.

The Fader

Since SXSW is potentially canceled this year, The Fader — a label and music magazine created in 2002 — is set to host Fader Fort, a nine-hour live broadcast open to the public and comprised of over 40 artists in an effort to bring music to those at home and raise money for charities that support relief for COVID-19. You can learn more about the details on their website at http://thefader.com/fort.

Bud Light Dive Bar Tour: Home Edition

Another company taking their events to streaming is Bud Light. With their Bud Light Dive Bar Tour: Home Edition, the brand has been partnering up with musicians since Mar. 20 to stream live concerts from their Instagram or Facebook pages. So far the virtual tour has presented Jake Owen, One Republic, Dierks Bentley, Clayton Anderson, Charlie Puth as well as Chelsea Cutler and Jeremy Zucker. You can stay up to date with artists, places and times on their Twitter page @budlight.

STAY THE F*CK AT HOME series

Moreover, if you’ve been in tune with the post-punk and hardcore scene Norman Brannon, who created  “Anti-Matter,” a zine and compilation from the 90s, has taken his efforts to Instagram Live as well to host mini-shows and interviews with individuals in their new STAY THE F*CK HOME series during quarantine to urge viewers and listeners to take precautions seriously. So far they have been joined by Geoff Rickly from Thursday, Jeremy Bolm of Touche Amore, Tim Kinsella of Cap’n Jazz, Chris Conley of Saves the Day along with others and more to be announced. You can catch these shows on their Instagram @antimatterxxv and view the stories for 24 hours after broadcast. 

Songkick

Another outlet providing a variety of “live” concerts and shows is Songkick. Created in 2007 as a platform to help fans follow, track and purchase tickets for their favorite artists the site has recently announced that they will be providing daily live streams from multiple artists and encourage — but not require — viewers to donate to MusiCares COVID relief fund to support the community. With various artists airing daily throughout the next several weeks you can keep up to date on their website at https://www.songkick.com/live-stream-concerts.

Stream Aid 2020

On Mar. 28, Twitch hosted Stream Aid 2020 to benefit the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund, created by the United Nations Foundation, for WHO. The site premiered the event 9 a.m.–9 p.m. with over 50 artists ranging from country, rock, pop and alt to cater to all audiences and urged individuals to “go live to save lives” and ended up raising a total of $2,766,857.12 which was donated to the fund in full.

#HappyAtHome

TikTok, a new app rising in popularity, has also decided to join the livestream series with their own titled #HappyAtHome. The stream continues each night at 5 p.m. and has featured creators like Megan The Stallion, Yungblud, DJ Khaled, Alicia Keys and many more.

While this is just a short list of events you can tune into during these times, if you’re curious about learning about more options as we continue to deal with the pandemic, NPR released a list featuring dates and artists set to perform on streaming sites. You can check the site at: https://www.npr.org/2020/03/17/816504058/a-list-of-live-virtual-concerts-to-watch-during-the-coronavirus-shutdown.

Furthermore, the staff at Billboard have been continuously updating their site to keep their viewers up to date with the most recent streaming events across platforms. You can keep up with their releases at: https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop/9335531/coronavirus-quarantine-music-events-online-streams.