It’s not feeling quite like the year for big, earth-shattering resolutions but taking some small, positive actions is good. We know you care about the devastating impact Covid-19 has had on the music industry too, so here’s three things you can do to help musicians in 2021.
1.Value musicians’ talent by paying for it!
Back near the start of the pandemic in March 2020 Bandcamp decided to waive its revenue share on the first Friday of every month, meaning last year nearly 800,000 fans paid artists and labels $40 million by buying their music on those days. Bandcamp recently announced that this will continue through 2021 on the following days: February 5th, March 5th, April 2nd, and May 7th. So please buy your favourite artists’ music whenever you can (obvs) but if you have a limited amount to spend, save these dates so you know that 93% of your money reaches the artist/label.
Some musicians have set up a Patreon membership through which you can support their creative work by paying a monthly fee in return for exclusive access, tracks and perks. Here’s three we’d recommend from some of our fave artists, friends and collaborators:
Kansas Smitty’s jazz bar and band: https://www.patreon.com/kansassmittys
Singer, songwriter and producer Sans Soucis https://www.patreon.com/sanssoucismusic
Guitarist, songwriter and producer Oscar Jerome https://www.patreon.com/oscarjerome
2.Make your voice heard
We need to remind the government at every opportunity how valuable our artists and music industry workers are, so please join and support the coalitions and campaigns that are working hard to fight their corner, by sharing on social media, completing surveys to help them build evidence or writing to your MP.
For example UK Music’s #SaveOurSummer2021 campaign is calling on the government to support the multi-billion pound live music industry so it is ready to restart when safe to do so later this year and in particular to introduce an insurance scheme.
And the Musicians Union is calling on the government to #InvestInMusicians with financial support and increased individual creative project funding, so they can keep making music through the pandemic and bounce back as the industry gets back on its feet.
3.Donate to a music charity like the Abram Wilson Foundation
Times are tough for a lot of people, but every penny you can give to the Abram Wilson Foundation will make a real difference to the young people and emerging musicians we support through 2021. It means we can keep delivering our two key programmes that together aim to inspire, connect and open doors to the music industry and give diverse young talent an equal chance to realise their creative potential:
Our Career Development Programme which provides mentoring and strategy sessions for up-and-coming musicians;
and
Future Sound, our music education programme that helps young people from disadvantaged backgrounds with musical potential develop their musical and composition skills with inspiration and guidance from professional musicians.
We have to act now. As our Chair of Trustees, Fred Bolza says: “The future will require a soundtrack. Let’s use our passion and industry connections to help young people translate their potential into a music career – so we don’t lose the next generation of talent.”
So if you can, please give £10 per month to the Abram Wilson Foundation.