Bulletin YOUR DAILY ENTERTAINMENT NEWS UPDATE MARCH 17, 2020 Page 1 of 34 INSIDE Recording Academy and • From Drive- MusiCares Commit $2M In Concerts to Livestream Raves, For Coronavirus Relief Fund Artists Band Together to Keep BY TATIANA CIRISANO Music Alive Amid Coronavirus The coronavirus outbreak has left countless the ground, and people in the communities who know • With Coachella members of the music community in a financial exactly how to help, and what’s going to be a differ- & Coronavirus 1-2 bind, as each tour and festival cancellation means ence-maker for a lot of people,” he says. “Some people Punch, Indio’s Local Economy Faces Hard dozens of lost paychecks. That’s not to mention need help with their rent, some need to buy groceries, Road Ahead concern over the virus itself, which has begun to some need medical care. The infrastructure around afflict members of the industry. MusiCares is set up to deal with specifically that.” • Billboard Music In response, the Recording Academy and its chari- Similarly, three days after Hurricane Katrina rav- Awards Postponed table arm, MusiCares, are today (March 17) launching aged the gulf region in 2005, MusiCares and the acad- Due to Coronavirus a coronavirus relief fund for music professionals ad- emy dedicated $1 million to help victims of the storm. • Billboard Latin versely impacted by the virus, starting with an initial After a five-year effort, MusiCares ended up distribut- Music Awards $1 million donation from each. MusiCares is also in ing more than $4.5 million to more than 4,500 music Postponed Due to the process of securing donations from several major professionals — helping with everything from medical Coronavirus streaming services, record labels and other music expenses and relocation costs to instrument repair. • British Label Sales companies, plus a number of high-profile artists, ac- Still, the coronavirus pandemic comes with new Grew to £1.1 Billion in cording to a representative. challenges for relief efforts: Not only is it a global 2019, Says BPI The virus known as COVID-19 is just the sort of im- problem with far-reaching effects, but it’s ongoing — • Tencent Music possible-to-predict pandemic that MusiCares was set yielding news updates daily and even hourly. Entertainment up for, Recording Academy interim president/CEO and “My first thought was, ‘this is going to get out of Revenues Jumped chair of the board Harvey Mason Jr. tells Billboard. control. The need is going to overwhelm us and our 34% to $3.65B The nonprofit helps individuals in all corners of ability to help our music community,’’’ Mason Jr. in 2019 the music industry cover a range of financial, medical admits. But he and the academy quickly snapped into and personal emergencies, meaning it has “boots on (continued) PROMOTION N S A L O E MAY 30, 2020 20 20 COUNTRY POWER PLAYERS Billboard’s sixth annual Country Power Players BONUS DISTRIBUTION issue will profile the people who have driven CMA Music Week 6/4-6/7 another solid year for the country music industry, generating billions in sales, streaming and touring. CONTACT This special feature will also include a photo Lee Ann Photoglo portfolio featuring the top artists, songwriters, 615.376.7931 | [email protected] musicians and executives, as well as coverage Cynthia Mellow of the most talked-about topics in country music. 615.352.0265 | [email protected] Joe Maimone Advertise in Billboard’s Country Power Players 212.493.4427 | [email protected] issue to congratulate this year’s honorees while Debra Fink reaching key decision-makers who are driving 323.525.2249 | [email protected] the music business. COVER DATE 5/30 | ISSUE CLOSE 5/20 | MATERIALS DUE 5/21 Editorial content subject to change bb_country_Power_players_ad_2020.indd 1 2/5/20 9:57 AM BBHouse_Country Power_04_021520.indd 1 2/5/20 12:18 PM Page 3 of 34 IN BRIEF action: “We’re going to have to do some- MusiCares chair Steve Boom echoes the thing extraordinary to be able to keep up need for additional donors in a press release. From Drive- with that.” “The music industry is built on the work of MusiCares-eligible music profession- musicians, artists, and music professionals. In Concerts to als — those who have had at least five years It is in times like these, that the industry of employment in the music industry, or needs to come together to support those Livestream Raves, six commercially released recordings or who are struggling, particularly those who videos — can apply for funds on the Musi- rely on touring incomes to survive,” he says. Artists Band Cares website, where they will be required “We know this fund will need to be signifi- to show proof of gig cancellations due to cant. We will not be able to do it alone, and Together to Keep coronavirus precautionary measures. From that’s why we are asking the entire music there, Mason Jr. says, “It’s really a partner- community including labels, streaming Music Alive Amid ship between MusiCares staff looking into it services, and anyone who is able to join us in and working with the individual recipient to this important effort. We’re all in when the Coronavirus find out ‘what happened, how did it happen, good times roll, and it’s important that we’re where am I, and where do I need the help?’” all in when times are tough, too.” BY ANDREA DOMANICK He emphasizes that MusiCares will allo- Other coronavirus relief efforts for the cate funds based on need, with a preference music community include musician finan- ours and concerts may be on for “people that really need help — that live cial assistance organization Sweet Relief’s hold for the foreseeable future, paycheck to paycheck,” he says. “These are COVID-19 Fund along with local efforts, but musicians around the world not the artists that are going on worldwide like the Seattle Artists Relief Fund and are banding together to prove tours on jets.” Banding Together ATX fund for the Austin Tthat the show must — and will — go on. That’s why MusiCares is calling on those live music community, following the cancel- From livestreaming performances to col- who can contribute to the fund to do their lation of its South By Southwest festival. laborative recording projects to “drive-in” part, too — whether that’s by donating “$5 concerts, artists are tapping technology and or $ million,” Mason Jr. adds. their creative networks to develop support “I think it’s going to be one of our great- systems and stay connected with fans as est challenges for the next couple weeks self-quarantining becomes the norm amidst and months, to be able to get this going and the escalating coronavirus pandemic. serve as many people as we can serve,” he Over the weekend, dozens of artists says. “The Recording Academy and Musi- and venues announced they would be live Cares are here for you in a time of need, and streaming upcoming performances that we hope to be able to alleviate some of the were canceled due to venue closures. On suffering or hardship you’re going through.” Sunday, Spanish singer-songwriter Alejan- DECISIVE INTELLIGENCE. DELIVERED DIGITALLY. CLICK HERE FOR FREE DELIVERY DIGITAL NEWSLETTERS Page 4 of 34 IN BRIEF dro Sanz teamed up with Colombian rocker the software to Google Poly, where anyone “We have to find creative ways to do spe- Juanes for a live streamed performance will be able to download and modify the cial things, because we are still here, we are called La Gira Se Queda En Casa Para Todos, designs. still active and alive,” said Babbitt, conclud- or “The Tour Stays Home for All,” which “What’s really awesome about the inter- ing the broadcast. “We need to support each received more than 5 million views in under net right now is that everything you want to other to find creative solutions in these chal- 24 hours and became the top global trending do can be accomplished for free somehow, lenging times.” video on YouTube Monday. The Metropoli- some way,” Keehn says. “Hopefully people Other artists who have lost work due to tan Opera also announced it would begin will want to contribute to this and help show cancellations are using circumstances streaming free performances from its “Live develop it further. The climate is ripe for it as an opportunity to remotely collaborate on in HD” series on its website beginning Mon- right now, and I don’t see any other options. creative projects. Touring bassist and writ- day. Other artists who have streamed or are The things I was banking on to make money er-producer Allee Futterer, who performs planning to live stream shows include U.K. on to survive off of are gone right now. This with acts like Mayer Hawthorne, Donna rock artist Yungblud, J-pop entertainment is the only thing I know to do.” Missal and Kiesza, began organizing a re- giant LDH Japan, Dropkick Murphys, In- Beyond the growing ubiquity of streaming mote writing camp for artists of any medium digo Girls and Burger Records acts Shadow shows, other artists are developing creative to remotely contribute to EPs that Fut- Show and This Uni. Christine and the alternatives to safely convene around music terer will then edit and send to a mixer and Queens, Neil Young, Keith Urban, Pete in person. Los Angeles experimental musi- release the following week. Its first edition, Wentz of Fall Out Boy, John Legend and cians Celia Hollander, Booker Stardrum, Community Arts Project: L.A., will be put out Miley Cyrus have also all performed or an- Jeremiah Chiu and Ben Babbitt teamed up March 23, featuring collaborations from Los nounced streaming performances and digi- with Dublab Radio to organize a “drive-in” Angeles-based artists.