Live Nation New Zealand concerts to include temperature screening, contact tracing, social distancing (MusicBusinessWorldwide)
Other venue procedures meanwhile, will include contactless tech, more cleaning, operating at a reduced (100-person capacity) and venue staff will be wearing essential Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) such as masks and gloves.

“The situation is existential”: How the Covid-19 pandemic is affecting music royalties (Synchtank)
One thing is clear, income for writers is going to be significantly down in 2020 and the economic impact will not be felt fully until 2021 or even 2022. Already, collecting societies are caveating record-breaking revenues being reported in 2019 with the stark warning that 2020 will see a drop. It is not a question of if the drop will happen but rather of when and how vertiginous it will be.

Musicians making it work during Covid-19: Joe Pug (Forbes)
Specifically, Mr. Pug offers private Zoom concerts in which each person who pays is entitled to invite four other people to an intimate performance where Mr Pug plays three songs and converses with the attendees over a total running time of 15 to 20 minutes.

Coronavirus shut down the ‘experience economy’: Can it come back? (New York Times)
“If you go to the World Cup or a rock concert, it’s not just a commercial transaction,” said Priya Parker, author of “The Art of Gathering.” “It’s also an expression of identity.”

Stormy weather: The coronavirus pandemic’s impact on the music industry (JDSupra)
With tours unlikely to return any time soon, artists may have to find new monetization opportunities, possibly by relying more on advertising revenue, subscription models, merchandising, virtual tip jars, and even online music lessons.

EAA works on recovery plan for live (IQ Mag)
The European Arenas Association … which represents 33 arenas across Europe with an annual collective audience of over 20 million, is the latest industry body to develop guidelines for reopening.

Musicians fight for a future through coronavirus (Penny Fractions)
In the context of live streaming, some are advocating that the potential migration to a new medium doesn’t have to include advertising. (Curator/event producer Lauren) Goshinski suggests we should not simply allow the same bad structures to persist amidst and after this crisis.

Viewpoint: Edward Adoo on the challenges ahead for independent DJs during the Covid-19 pandemic (MusicWeek)
I happen to be one of those DJs who have been affected. When I am not presenting radio shows or appearing on TV, I spend most of my time DJing at bars and clubs across London, or on the summer festival circuit. It’s my third main source of income. Since the lockdown, that revenue stream has severed.

Thoughts
Last week I mentioned the Music Tectonics virtual conference and I was able to attend a few of the panels. Two take-aways:

Mark Mulligan: if you think about the primary "need state" of concert goers, it has switched from connection to safety. Those who address this, will be the first to market in the newest form of concerts.

There was a panel with Sung Cho from Chartmetrics and he mentioned they offer a free premium access until 24 May. Thought it was worth sharing and all you have to do is fill out this form.

In a previous edition of this newsletter I gave a shoutout to musicians speaking out about the mental impact of quarantine. If you haven’t yet, check the latest Future of What podcast that approaches this same topic of mental health.