As I surf the feed on Instagram every day, watching what past guests from my weekly “Now Hear This Entertainment” podcast are up to, it’s encouraging seeing some of them posting about being back out playing real shows, meaning, in-person, not sitting at home and broadcasting via livestream.
Frankie Raye (pictured) from Episode 279 is loaded with gigs in the greater Tampa Bay area. Shannon LaBrie from NHTE 340 just played a show or two in Nashville last week. Missouri-based Paralandra (NHTE 267) has been performing. Melissa Bret (NHTE 9) is performing live in Atlanta.
Ah, just when we thought it was safe to assume that the country and stages were opening back up.
Friends, do NOT get fooled into thinking that everything is okay now and we can all take live entertainment for granted as though it will be there for us as it always has been in the past.
For starters, here in Florida our (Coronavirus) numbers are trending back up. Noticeably. To the tune of 5,500 new cases over the weekend.
But even more than that is the fact that despite what I reported above, there really isn’t a full compliment of live entertainment options out there. In fact, it’s quite the opposite and it’s not good at all.
One month ago I wrote a blog inspired by the National Independent Venue Association making a push to get Congress to pass a Save Our Stages Act and a RESTART Act “to ensure the survival of independent venues, theatres, and even the event promoters across the United States.” One month before that, a guest blog was published from a performer who had suffered a string of canceled performances due to the pandemic.
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And now, over the weekend, I saw something that told me that we need to keep this discussion going, even if it does mean three months in a row of having a blog written on this site about steps needed for getting our entertainers back where they belong.
Granted, I do very much realize that not everything you see published on Facebook is true (lots of it is far from accurate, I get it). However, when I see something that paints a very bleak picture for one of our major entertainment markets in the U.S. (New York), talks of massive job loss from big time employers in the industry, and tells of the countless people having to scramble for some kind of work, I mix in reality to know that it’s one post that you probably shouldn’t question the accuracy of – at least, out loud.
So yes, it’s great that some folks ARE getting SOME work back, but let’s not be lulled into thinking that everybody is happy, healthy, and living large. There’s still a LOT of work to be done so that entertainers can get a LOT of work again. Do what you can to make a difference, even if that’s only by supporting them with music downloads or tipping them while watching those who are still having to livestream from home. They need it now more than ever.
Share your thoughts with me about this via @NHT_tweets on Twitter. Or, instead, use Facebook or LinkedIn, or even good old email.