How Artists Are Helping Other Artists Stay Afloat During Quarantine
2020 has proven to be one of the strangest years in many of our lifetimes. With the pandemic spread of COVID-19, multiple facets of society, the economy, and our personal lives are in disarray, and most notably, the music industry is struggling. Due to social distancing measures and stay-at-home policies sanctioned by local, state, and federal government, live music events have been canceled from city to city. Record labels have been delaying upcoming albums from numerous major artists in light of this, considering an album’s performance can be widely impacted by its accompanying live tours.
But what about the little guys? Indie artists are like the small businesses of the music industry, and they’re struggling more than anyone else right now. Many independent artists find their music-related income in playing gigs, which also gives them publicity and the opportunity to be picked up by talent scouting agents. With the current lack of live shows and many people becoming unemployed, indie artists are relying on the internet more than ever right now.
But the music doesn’t stop. Etai Fuchs, an independent artist himself, started up Gardenhead Records and with help from Gabriel Loredo, a member of the band Unicorns At Heart, and Blue Salt Records, he set out to make a compilation project for small artists. The compilation consists of unreleased songs and covers exclusively available on the new collection. They describe the project as “a compilation to raise money for musicians who had shows cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic” and stated “all of the proceed are going to the artists!”
The compilation features the following artists: Checkmate, Rut, Strange Weekend, Bluish, Bunny Boy, Kicksie, Pictoria Vark, Etai, Equipment, Jordana, Firesites, Pen Palindrome, Shnayto, Swim Camp, Jackson Tarricone, Beach Freaks, Jungheim, Unicorns At Heart, Mexican Slum Rats, Joynoise, How I Became Invisible, Pinkshift, Lake Alden, Pretty Ugly Boy, Werner Von Der Heide, and Jeffrey Lewis. The compilation includes 26 exclusive tracks, all bundled together for the great price of $10. (You can give more if you’d like!)
During these odd times in our society, projects like this are crucial in helping out independent musicians and shining a light of hope for those in rough situations.♠
