The Impact the Coronavirus Is Having on Our Music Scene
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UPDATE (12/03/20): Since releasing this article, several updates have popped up that confirmed our suspicions on the future of the industry during the coronavirus outbreak.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has officially declared COVID-19 as a pandemic, bringing on a whole new level of changes. Even more bands, including My Chemical Romance have been forced to cancel and postpone shows. Spring music festivals such as SXSW have been completely cancelled, while others like Coachella have rescheduled until the fall. New guidelines have been put in place state by state dictating that events with crowds over 250 people should be cancelled.
Italy is on lockdown and it is only a matter of time until other countries start banning events all together, no matter the size. In the US, international travel is being limited, meaning after March 13th, touring bands from Europe (minus the UK) will no longer be able to come to the States.
COVID-19 has hit the industry hard with bands and crew being unable to work, losing their main source (and some cases only source) of income. Outside music, The NBA have cancelled the entirety of the 2020 season. The fact a whole basketball season has been cancelled unfortunately has fans speculating for the worst possible outcomes in the music industry.
Cover photo originally from Duke Today
As the Coronavirus (COVID-19) begins to spread from an epidemic to pandemic, several bands are not taking any chances and instead are canceling their upcoming tours. Artists like Set It Off, Jimmy Eat World, Avril Lavigne, Green Day, and most recently Yungblud, have been forced to cancel tours in Asia.
According to Billboard, over 20,000 shows have been canceled due to the rapid spread of COVID-19. Asia is not the only continent to start canceling events, as the outbreak in Europe is increasing rapidly. Italy recently introduced a sporting ban, which could affect a more general event ban in the near future. In fact, Supersuckers have canceled all of the Italian dates on their Europe tour. France already introduced an event ban, effecting several music venues. As of right now, the US have not announced any event bans.
Bands such as New Years Day are modifying their meet and greets to accommodate new safety guidelines regarding the spread of the virus. So far there have been over 90,000 cases worldwide of the Coronavirus with over 3,000 deaths and 50,000 full recoveries. Both the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and World Health Organization (WHO) have encouraged thorough hand-washing as the best preventive measure. There are no vaccines available as of yet, but multiple countries are in the process of finding an approved vaccine. For more information regarding the Coronavirus follow the links from the CDC and WHO. Follow our Show Directory to stay up to date on tours near you.