With the outbreak of COVID-19, social distancing has been put in place, restricting the gathering of crowds. This has resulted in the cancellation and postponement of many music festivals, tours, album release parties, dance clubs, venues, and concerts. One of the biggest being the cancelation of Coachella and having it be pushed back to October of this year. 

When you take a look into the music industry, there are far more people affected by these cancelations then just the performer or entertainer. Think about all the people and money it takes to create, promote, and release an album. Then to put together a tour, book all the venues, create a setup for the show, and then to put on a good production. When you take all that hard work, and time, and stop it, it’s devastating. It can leave thousands of people without jobs, especially when that job is performing for crowds across the country. 

This cancellation is a big slap in the face to touring musicians and those who aren’t quite fortunate just yet to be selling out arenas. Independent artists thrive on album releases and those first few tour dates to make a living. With that loss, you could compare it to a “farmer losing their crops.”  That analogy is from independent Nashville singer-songwriter Caleb Caudle. He is one of many artists who postponed their tours until later, safer dates. 

Of course, many artists and musicians are trying to find a positive among all this uncertainty. Having your job be put on hold is heartbreaking, but making sure the fans, themselves, and their teams are safe is better than putting them at risk. To make it up to fans, some artists are going live to put on mini-concerts from the comfort and safety of their own homes. Many of them, however, are eager to return to a stage to perform for fans around the world, once we are all safe that is.

In the meantime, help support artists during this time by tuning into their Instagram lives, follow and support them on social media, and stream their music. Maybe you’ll discover a new band or artist while we all have this extensive amount of free time on our hands.

To help and learn about the symptoms and precautions you should be taking to help stop the spread of COVID-19, please go check out the CDC’s website about the coronavirus. Please stay safe so we all can return to watching our favorite musicians perform live.

For more on the cancelations, Rolling Stone has got an extensive list regarding everything canceled thus far.