Music’s one of those gifts that can change your mood immediately. It’s like the perfect drug. It can get me out of a funk, a low point or help me lift or calm myself. Music is deeply spiritual and helps me connect with my core values. It helps me grieve, celebrate, relax and dance (very badly). Its gift is its ability to transport your mind, body, soul and spirit to a place you intend to be or didn’t know you wanted to be.
At this moment thousands of music makers, producers, event coordinators, pack-down crews, sound-mixers and more are struggling to pay bills and feed their families. This year we’ve had the great privilege of working with The Recording Academy and helping it in its fight against the sad and devastating impacts of COVID-19 on the music community. Next time you listen to music, spare a thought or a prayer, or even better a few dollars for these folks, many of whom work behind the scenes to make music happen.
Contrary to some opinions, most in the music community are not making big-money and raking in large checks. Most eke out a living, pursuing and expressing gifts that benefit us all. Many live gig to gig, many thousands are truly struggling. This article about Amy Madden in the New York Times puts it well.
It’s been eye-opening and heartening to experience the smart, hard-working, low-ego (it’s mostly true) people that make up the music community. It’s also heart-breaking to see thousands upon thousands of impacted people having to apply for relief.
It is a triumph that the MusiCares’ COVID-19 Relief Fund has raised more than $14 million dollars to support thousands of music industry professionals affected by the pandemic over the last six weeks. It is the largest amount of support, with the most recipients helped, for any single event in their history. To date this year, they’ve vetted and approved more than double the number of clients (20,200) than during their largest past fiscal year (8,600). But it’s not enough and the fight continues – there is simply not enough funds to meet the needs out there. Please join me and Porter Novelli to support the MusiCares COVID-19 Relief Fund.
I can’t imagine a life without the gift of music and I admire anyone who puts it all on the line to pursue their dreams, like many in the music community do. If you follow me, you know I don’t write much but I needed to write about this, especially on this Giving Tuesday.
Again, next time you listen to music, please spare a thought, a prayer, or a dollar for this much needed and well-run fund and the folks it supports.
Kia Kaha (stay strong).
*Click here to see his original article published to LinkedIn