Loose Theories.

A couple of months ago we were frantic. How would creatives in the art and music industries survive through this proposed lockdown scenario? No gigs, no venues, no festival season. There will always be a need for music, however, and there is always a way to provide. We have seen a turning point for the industry- live streaming sets and festivals with lineups just as impressive as before.NTS are hosting Remote Utopia this Saturday, featuring ‘performances’ from the likes of Four Tet, Rejjie Snow, Bicep and Tame Impala amongst many more. Erykah Badu is scheduled to be hosting a meditation session which sounds needed for many stuck inside right now.

New releases have been through the roof, with independent artist Leila releasing her new single Sorry, collaborating with Cornic for the track. Mishu released his Quarantine Mix on Loose Theories official site Digital Diversity, our online exhibition featuring everything from music to animation, in support of the NHS during the pandemic.

We spoke to First Word Records, an independent London based label, focusing on Jazz and Soul all the way to house. They’ve released tracks with Don Leisure, Children of Zeusand Yazmin Lacy, we asked founder Aly Gillani about First Word’s experience during lockdown:

‘We work remotely as a company anyway so we’re used to working from wherever we are. For our artists it’s harder- some are close to finishing albums and can’t get into the studio to finish mixes together. I think at the moment our main concern is making sure they’re OK financially, as best we can. Also, checking in with everyone, just catch up and keep an eye on their mental health too. Uncertainty for artists already living precarious lives can take its toll.’

I asked Aly for any advice for the artists and workers in the music industry right now,

‘Hang in there! If you have immediate financial issues, speak to the Musician’s Union, Help Musicians and PRS. There are grants out there for you. Keep talking to friends and colleagues- we’re all in the same boat and now is the time to lean on each other as a community. Don’t feel pressure to be productive! It’s not that simple. If you can work on music then great; if not, work on other stuff: your website/online presence, accounts, whatever it is. Equally, this is a very extreme so if you’re struggling, it’s enough to just get up, exercise, speak to your friends and eat. There’s no right way to deal with this situation- just do the best you can!’

If work doesn’t want to happen, volunteering for the charity live streams and podcasts that are filling our platforms at the moment is another option. DJs and artists are participating in 24 hour sets, collaborations and giveaways for donations. SoundCloud and Spotify have started donation schemes for artists and marketing teams are looking for content to post online. There is stuff to be done.

First Word are keeping busy- ‘We have a few releases we’re working on- some physical releases were already in process so we have to just plough ahead. We’ve moved some things back but have brought some forward. One of our artists, Tawiah, has a live recording of her live album launch that is ideal to release at a time when live shows aren’t happening.’

Now the questions have turned to what’s next? Will the industry stay digitalised? To what degree? No doubt the night life scene will bounce back, we are all too excited to get back out, but what about streaming vs physical music? Independent businesses are surely taking a toll from this crisis.

‘I think the situation shines a brighter light on issues that were already there- rent in London was making it so hard for venues to survive and I worry that many won’t be able to re-open. I hope that fans will have a greater understanding of how hard it is for independent artists, venues, shops and labels to survive. Maybe fans will understand that we can’t survive on streaming income alone.’ — Aly, First Word Records

This year has been a shock to us all, listeners and artists, labels and venues, the industry (the whole world, in fact) has changed drastically. Now we have been given the time to perfect the craft, work with people we couldn’t ever have done before and stay safe.