This week in Canada the theatres are dark, the concert halls are silent and the art galleries are empty. As all arts and entertainment venues close their doors to help prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus, the losses are beginning to mount. The large losses and the ironic gains of the pandemic are offering sharp lessons about why we need the arts. – Kate Taylor, The Globe and Mail
Some silver lining, amid the uncertainty and the literal isolation, is an abundance of virtual entertainment options. It is truly the time to get one’s cultural fix, remote as it is. Out of Canada’s opera and classical music scenes, seven major figures (including Barbara Hannigan) offer their listening picks for times of crisis. – Jenna Simeonov, The Globe and Mail
The star-studded iHeart Living Room Concert was broadcast in Canada on March 29. Hosted by Elton John, it invited Canadian viewers to support the Canadian Red Cross COVID-19 response by online, SMS, and phone donations. – FYIMusicNews
Toronto drummer/composer Ernesto Cervini has performed and recorded with a handful of groups, some led by him and others contributing as a collaborating member. He likes music that makes him feel like he is flying, as in his recordings with a sextet called Turboprop and a new release, Tetrahedron. – Modern Jazz Today
During these first 10 days of social distance, I have been going wherever Bruce Springsteen takes me. No other artist has been as capable of drawing out and salving what I feel, or as useful a companion on my auditory tunnelling expeditions. – Eric Andrew-Gee, The Globe and Mail
Few conductors are fortunate enough to be assigned the greatest challenge in the entire operatic literature, but Sir Andrew Davis was about to face it again. Or he was until COVID-19 hit, forcing the closure of theatres, concert halls and opera houses. – William Littler, The Toronto Star
The concert business shutdown is creating a credit crisis that’s choking indie promoters. The industry that emerges when it’s done will be more competitive — and concentrated — than ever. – Dave Brooks, Billboard
“It is already foreseeable that the economic consequences of the corona pandemic will be devastating for the entire creative industry,” says Dr. Harald Heker, CEO of GEMA. – Tim Ingham, MBW
As the global pandemic continues to take have a devastating impact, we continue to speak to musicians about their experiences dealing with the effects coronavirus. – Brett Callwood, LA Weekly
According to Billboard, album sales dropped 29 percent in the past week with only 1.52 million records sold in the past week. The sales tally takes CDs, vinyl records, cassettes, and digital sales into account. – James Crowley, Newsweek
Covid-19 has created an international musical reaction, a ‘striking’ response, which bears out scholarship on the beneficial impact of music-making, according to Professor Eric Clarke, Oxford expert on the psychology of music. – Oxford University
It appears that another video-led platform is seeing growth amid the Coronavirus crisis. ByteDance-owned short-form video-sharing app TikTok saw an 18% week-on-week uplift in downloads in the United States last week (March 16-22). – Murray Stassen, MBW
The Celtic-punk band’sThe Claddagh Fund charity raised more than $60K for the fund in connection with its “Streaming Up From Boston” live-streamed performance on March 17. The St. Patrick’s Day week shows in Boston were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic so it decided to reach an even bigger audience with a full-length performance streamed on YouTube, Instagram and Facebook. Steve McLean, Samaritanmag
In 1970, Phil Ochs released Greatest Hits, an album titled with savage irony as his career fell apart. But 50 years on, it remains a powerful indictment of an America losing its way. – Joshua Sanchez, The Guardian
The 17-minute epic touches upon obscure Civil War ballads, classic movies, and even songs by the Who, the Animals, and Billy Joel. – Andy Greene, Rolling Stone
With countless hours of stay-at-home plans now on everyone’s schedule, there’s no shortage of great music documentaries on all the major streaming platforms (Netflix, Hulu, HBO, Amazon Prime) to keep fans happy and surrounded by therapeutic melodies to ease the national anxiety in the weeks to come. – Live For Live Music
Kerry Doole
Kerry Doole has worked as a Toronto-based freelance arts journalist for the past four decades. He has written on music and film for major newspapers, trade and consumer...
