jason hirschhorn's @MusicREDEF: 12/31/2020 - Special Edition: The Year That Wasn't

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I don't know when it will be safe to return to singing arm in arm at the top of our lungs, hearts racing, bodies moving, souls bursting with life. But I do know that we will do it again, because we have to. It's not a choice. We're human. Is this interest remix not displaying correctly? | View it in your browser. Is this seat taken? The setup for Travis McCready's controversial May 18 concert at TempleLive in Fort Smith, Ark. (Kevin Mazur/Getty Images) Thursday - December 31, 2020 Thu - 12/31/20 "I don't know when it will be safe to return to singing arm in arm at the top of our lungs, hearts racing, bodies moving, souls bursting with life. But I do know that we will do it again, because we have to. It's not a choice. We're human." -  Dave Grohl rantnrave:// So who had 2020 on their 2020 bingo card? Nearly a full year without live music. Or, rather, nearly a full year without live music as we used to know it. MADISON SQUARE GARDEN? No. FORTNITE? Yes. Standing room only? Forget it. Parked cars only? Sure. Vaccine passports? Sounds like a terrible bandname. SXSW? COACHELLA? GLASTONBURY? Doubtful, questionable and who knows—for 2021, that is. Democrats and Republicans in Congress coming together to provide the better part of $15 billion to rescue clubs and theaters that haven't been open since March? Why yes, that actually happened. It probably won't be enough, and so much has already been lost: venues, businesses, livelihoods. But there's reason for at least some optimism as we head into 2021 and put the disaster that was 2020 behind us. As we close it out, we offer a chronological snapshot of a strange, lost year as it happened, from the canceling of SXSW in March to the passing of the SAVE OUR STAGES act in December, with the occasional unexpected bright spot along the way... (A note, meanwhile, to rock fans tweeting or otherwise sharing the lyric "Got a feeling '21 is gonna be a good year": '21 does not, in fact, turn out to be a good year in the rock opera you're quoting. It turns out to be a rather horrible year. Let's make this '21 better than that '21. And better than this '20)... You're not heading out to a live show for New Year's Eve, and we'll beg you one last time not to seek out an underground dance party. Here, here and here are some livestreaming alternatives... Or if you want to watch a movie or two or three, here's REDEF chief JASON HIRSCHHORN's awesome Twitter thread of music biz documentaries, which could keep you busy well into the new year and beyond... Wishing you a safe, healthy, happy new year and a truly better 2021. See you Jan. 5. - Matty Karas (@troubledoll), curator tickets to my downfall Austin 360 What is Austin without SXSW? by Joe Gross One year ago this month, during the South by Southwest Conference and Festivals, the blocks on Red River Street between 10th and Sixth streets, and on Sixth between Interstate 35 and Congress Avenue, were almost impossible to walk down quickly. Between about noon and midnight, it was jammed, such were the crowds of people, most of whom looked like they were having the time of their lives. VICE First Their Side Hustle Disappeared. Then Their Main Jobs Did Too by Alex Norcia When the restaurants closed and tours were cancelled after the coronavirus outbreak, some Philadelphians lost two jobs on the same day. Level The Story Behind the Greatest Quarantine Party of 2020 by Bonsu Thompson Over 100 thousand people attended Derrick 'D-Nice' Jones' Instagram Live fete on Saturday. LEVEL tracked down some notable folks to relive the monumental jam. Los Angeles Times They were supposed to build stages for Coachella. Now they're building coronavirus triage tents by August Brown Some L.A. staging and event-production firms have, in a matter of days, remade their companies to build a first line of defense against the coronavirus. The New Yorker A Moment to Rethink How We Support Music by Nathan Taylor Pemberton Fund-raisers, grants, and governmental relief are all helping to keep musical artists afloat. Yet the industry may already be showing signs of permanent damage. Complex My Night at the Travis Scott 'Fortnite' Concert by Eric Skelton I hadn't been to a real concert for over two months, and I didn't have anything better to do tonight, so I downloaded Fortnite on my Nintendo Switch and attended my first video game concert. Here's how it went. The New York Times Small Clubs Are Where Rock History Is Made. How Many Will Survive? by Ben Sisario Independent venues are critical to local scenes and artists on the rise. With concerts on hold during the pandemic, they're struggling to hang on and fighting for government aid. The Atlantic The Day the Live Concert Returns by Dave Grohl "I don't know when it will be safe to return to singing arm in arm at the top of our lungs, hearts racing, bodies moving, souls bursting with life," Dave Grohl writes. "But I do know that we will do it again, because we have to." Vulture Of Course Charli XCX Invented the Quarantine Album by Meaghan Garvey If this is how we party now, pop's reigning futurist is here for it. The New York Times America's First Concert in Months Rocks an Arkansas Stage by Bret Schulte Fans who had to have their temperatures taken and wear masks for the Travis McCready show said it was worth it for the experience of hearing live music again. it was good until it wasn't The Diplomat Can Wuhan's Punk Scene Survive the Coronavirus? by Larry Mullin Venues and musicians in Wuhan, China's underground rock capital, are struggling with lockdowns after the outbreak of COVID-19. Pitchfork How Musicians Are Fighting for Streaming Pay During the Pandemic by Andy Cush With concerts on hold, it's abundantly clear that most musicians can't live off streaming income alone. How could the system be fixed? Billboard The Hot New Music Trend of 2020: Songs About How Much This Year Sucks by Jason Lipshutz "Can we just get to 2021?" asks Avenue Beat's new viral hit. Other artists are ready for this nightmarish year to be over, too. The New York Times Concerts Aren't Back. Livestreams Are Ubiquitous. Can They Do the Job? by David Peisner With no return date for shows in sight, fans and artists are adapting to a new way of experiencing music together. Whether it'll keep everyone satisfied -- and paid -- is still unclear. Slate New Orleans Without Music by Lizzie O'Leary, Patrick Williams, Jesse Paige... The city's music scene can't work without visitors. What will become of its venues, musicians, and economy? NPR Music Financially Vulnerable, Independent Music Venues Worry Of Having To Sell by Marissa R. Moss Independent music venues continue to be among the businesses hardest hit by the global pandemic. The corporate behemoths of concert promotion, however, can weather the storm. The New York Times Jazz Lives in Clubs. The Pandemic Is Threatening Its Future. by Ben Sisario and Giovanni Russonello The entire concert industry is struggling as the Covid-19 shutdown continues. But a genre rooted in live performance and in-the-moment dynamics is in particular peril. Pollstar Overcome With Emotion At Fitz & The Tantrums' Drive-In Show by Andy Gensler We were prepared for anything, except for maybe just how cathartic and transcendent it would be hearing pure, unadulterated, gloriously performed live music from Fitz & The Tantrums with 286 other parked vehicles and their passengers at the City National Grove of Anaheim. DJ Mag Plague raves: is clubbing in a pandemic ever ethical? by Ed Gillett Some high-profile DJs have been criticised for playing big, crowded legal shows — dubbed 'Plague Raves' — in Europe during the COVID-19 crisis. Some have started playing socially-distanced events as a baby-steps route back to something approaching normality, while others are staying put at home until coronavirus passes. It's a minefield to navigate. Music Tech Solutions Pandemic: Livestreaming is Silicon Valley's Great Step Forward to the Venue DNR by Chris Castle Livestreaming was intended to be temporary. It was a bridge between a pre and post COVID reality. But it's not. The biggest of Big Tech companies intend that it is permanent and they mean to control it. Rave New World Rave to the Grave by Michelle Lhooq In search of redemption and revolution in the pandemic nightlife underground. Los Angeles Times The anti-Spotify: How online music company Bandcamp became the toast of the COVID age by Randall Roberts With artist-friendly Bandcamp Fridays and initiatives that benefit progressive causes, the online music platform has become beloved beyond its indie roots. FLOOD Magazine Clubs in Crisis: The Battle to #SaveOurStages by Jim Sullivan With artists and venue staff at the forefront of the fight to keep live music alive, we talked to Best Coast, Phantogram, illuminati hotties, and more artists and club owners about the industry's future. The Washington Post Remember concerts? In covid-free New Zealand, it's a reality and not just a memory by Amos Barshad The nation took drastic efforts to wipe out the virus, and bands and fans are among those reaping the benefits. The New York Times He Helped Create Lollapalooza. Now He Wants to Save Live Music by Ben Sisario Many small venues where artists get their start are in peril. Marc Geiger, a longtime music executive, is starting a venture he hopes lives up to its name: SaveLive. Bloomberg Twitch and TikTok Help Breakthrough Artists to Bypass Big Music by Thomas Pfeiffer With concert venues closed, musical careers must be forged on streaming platforms instead. Los Angeles Times The year the music died by August Brown It was the worst year for live music in... well, ever. The Times spoke with two dozen musicians and live-music pros to assess the damage done by the pandemic. Rolling Stone Save Our Stages: How an Industry Hail Mary Became Live Music's $15 Billion Lifeline by Jon Blistein For Dayna Frank, owner of First Avenue in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the feeling was completely indescribable. For Kerri Park, general manager at World Cafe Live in Philadelphia, there was a palpable shift towards positivity. For Christine Karayan, owner of the Troubadour in Los Angeles, there was still some understandable hesitancy. The Daily Beast The Suits Are Doing Fine, but the Musicians Are Hurting by Justin Carr Whatever happens next, please take care of your friendly neighborhood creative weirdo whose music has helped you make it through this plague year. MUSIC OF THE DAY YouTube "Lockdown" Anderson .Paak Title: Pandemic. Content: #BlackLivesMatter "REDEF is dedicated to my mother, who nurtured and encouraged my interest in everything and slightly regrets the day she taught me to always ask 'why?'" — @JasonHirschhorn REDEF, Inc. NY - LA - EVERYWHERE redef.com YOU DON'T GET IT? Subscribe Unsubscribe/Manage My Subscription FOLLOW REDEF ON © Copyright 2020, The REDEF Group