As the world began to realise just how serious the coronavirus outbreak truly was, numerous concerts and festivals were cancelled or postponed.
With strict lockdown measures imposed, bars, discos and clubs have fallen silent. Although people have been asked to stay indoors, men, women and children time and time again have perched on their balconies to sing and play music. A strong gesture of solidarity, tied together with the love of music.
Summer, aside from the sweltering heat, usually brings promises of weekends jam packed with parties, concerts and festivals leaving music lovers spoilt for choice. But this summer will be particularly different. Just as this upsets music lovers, one could just imagine how musicians and artists feel.
The Malta Independent spoke to a number of musicians, ranging from those in the classic music genre, to those in rock and pop, to see what they have been up to and ask them what effects COVID-19 will have on the local music industry.
Alexandra Alden- Musician, X-Factor Judge
I was in the process of setting up concerts, an album release and a tour throughout the summer, but all these plans are on hold now. I was also in process of planning a few music events ranging from song-writing workshops, to Open Mic Nights. At the moment, I am focusing on writing and composing songs, giving online song-writing, singing and guitar master classes and building my home studio. I am also taking the time to re-evaluate my own growth, and I feel I’ve had the chance to press the reset button, something I was longing for after such a busy couple of years working in TV. My belief in the arts, especially during times of trouble, never diminishes and I do find that people find comfort and connection within it.
I think it’s hard to predict what the ‘new normal’ will be after this is over; it is too early to say how the local music industry will change. Once the pandemic passes, there might be a rise in arts related activities as people will be desperate to meet, connect and engage on this level and many will be looking forward to going out to watch concerts and so on. The local music industry is small, compact and very young. It has great potential to grow further if artists continue to be given the right support and are motivated both intrinsically and extrinsically to enrich the local artistic landscape.
David Jr Meliak- Singer/song writer
Since I am fairly new to Malta’s music scene, last year was the first summer where I performed rather than visited such music festivals as a spectator. This summer carried a lot of promising events, in which I would have been part of, with a possibility of having more interested attendees for my music after my participation in the last season of X Factor Malta.
Whilst I am not at the stage where I can depend financially fully on music, I believe that my participation in the televised show would have given me the chance to attain certain revenue through music and contribute more towards my musical career. Since Covid-19 pandemic has forced all of us to seclude ourselves in our homes, I have been keeping my audience updated through daily vlogs, informing them about my process in song-writing and recording sessions.
With regards to what the local music industry will be like post-covid-19, I don’t have a clue as to how it will unravel. There is no telling what form of entertainment we as a population are itching for. We might see a boom in our club scene, or maybe our days at home have taught us to appreciate a more cathartic form of art that boosts that part of the industry. I trust that creatives finding themselves at a standstill are all devising how to come back bigger and better, and improve on their artistic skills.
Destiny Chukunyere - Singer
It saddens my heart knowing that most of the entertainment planned for this summer has been cancelled or postponed, like Isle of MTV, Beerfest and other concerts. These festivals aren’t only entertaining, but they unite people together. On the note of finances, these are vital and important, but the situation is what it is, and so we have to make sure that as artists we grow in terms of our music and as human beings. I take things day by day because I can’t predict the future. Through technology, I can continue doing what I love and sharing my passion with people around me who love it.
Gisele Grima - Pianist and Music Educator
Our lifestyles and professional lives had to change overnight when the COVID-19 situation became more serious. At present, many artists have needed to accustom themselves to new ways of working. In the artistic and entertainment industry, there is no Plan B for such circumstances, since our work depends on live performances, be it for small or large audiences. I did have some events cancelled up to July because of the situation, but those will hopefully be rescheduled when things calm down. As a fervent supporter of the arts, I will certainly miss attending events apart from participating in them. The summer months are always packed with artistic entertainment for varied audiences, and I think it is everyone who will be feeling this void.
I think these extraordinary circumstances have made artists appreciate their isolation more and use it to reflect on their work through the discovery of new ways of engaging audiences. Time away from the stage also presents artists with more time to plan and devise new projects and performances. I am sure the current situation is still proving to be fruitful for many.
Husko - DJ
For most Maltese artists, summer is definitely peak season and we need to prepare for the next few months. This can be done by performing in other ways such as through live-streams, or focusing more on streaming platforms such as Spotify. I think the COVID-19 situation will cause a reset in the industry. There will be much more focus on local talent, since we cannot bring any in from abroad for a while. I hope this will make the local population a bit more aware of its home grown talent and others to be more open to the idea of experimenting with new genres after such a long time without them.
Howard Keith Debono - Music Producer & X-Factor Judge
As an artist, agent and festival organiser, I’ve experienced both the cancellation of a festival I co-organise (Earth Garden) and cancellations for Jagged House artists. This also means that there will be double bookings happening next year, if a vaccine is found. So this summer, the entertainment industry will not be showcasing their events, which is a problem as live performances is where artists make the majority of income. Third-party income from corporate companies and various entities might also struggle; and all this will have a domino effect. I am discussing with record labels, and they foresee a two-three year recovery.
The local music industry will change in various ways. There will be a surge of events and if this is not handled well, this could spell disaster. Secondly, there will be limited third party funds to work with. In the transitional period, between where we are at and where we are going to be, online performances will increase, but this is such a saturated market. There will also be a devaluation of arts. This is all up to the Arts Council of Malta but it seems that there is the wrong mindset, where policies for fund applications do not align with professionals’ needs in the industry. As professionals, we need to first protect those who 100% depend on this sector, and not those who are hobbyists who still get their income from another job. Online events do not translate into revenue; live performances are the heartbeat of the industry.
Ian Schranz - Singer of Bark Bark Disco/ Drummer of Beangrowers
As a musician and also bar owner (Hole in The Wall), all trade in that industry will currently be on pause and so any income associated with it will stop. Musically, I guess it’s a dead-halt, so I’m assuming most musicians will turn to writing and recording instead during this period. Indie and alternative bands will survive, regardless of the income they receive (or not) from their music. They will always continue to make it.
Ira Losco- Singer, X-Factor Judge
The momentum has been lost. Artists who were riding the wave of their success at the moment that Covid-19 broke out, or who had their work recently released are not going to start off where they left off. More time and investment now needs to be injected by those who want to have a realistic chance at carrying on as before.
Even when this happens, it doesn’t mean every artist/musician will respectively return to what was before the virus kicked in.
When the virus passes, I believe there will be a resurgence of events all at the same time. organizers and club owners will want to maximize in the least time possible. This will create a saturation which might not yield the most promising or best results. We can’t foresee what the new normal is going to be. However I do believe people are craving social settings and outings and that might be an encouraging start to the industry.
Janelle Borg – Lead guitarist of Genn
This summer was to be our first proper festival season; we were booked for festivals including Boomtown, which unfortunately got cancelled. Malta doesn’t have a lot of venues to begin with and a very limited industry. I’m honestly worried how the venues are going to survive this. The alternative scene will be the hardest hit since there’s already very little financial backing. Musicians who lost their day jobs and who depend on self-funding will suffer. I do hope funding promises will materialise as it’s a nightmare for any musician out there who depends on gigs and tours alone.
Kurt Abela- Singer from Oxygyn
Whilst summer is usually a time when we focus on performing, due to the circumstance we have decided to focus on internal projects, such as song-writing and recording, so once all this blows over we’ll have new material for our listeners to enjoy and for us to perform.
Post-Covid-19 is definitely going to be an interesting time. A part of me wonders if the live scene will be the same as it was, how many people would be open to attend crowded events? There is also the potential for online performances to grow; whilst not being the same as playing to a live audience, it is a concept which can be delved deeper into. Also, I believe many artists will take the time to work on their craft so once all this is over, we can have more vibrant and creative events than we’ve ever had before!
Mario Vella- Singer from Brikkuni
What truly hurts is the improbability of experiencing live music in the immediate future, both as a concert goer and especially as a band member. I still feel that playing live is vital to the well-being of musicians, honest listeners and music itself. Paying for new productions will be a more complicated affair since the primary source of income for such productions comes from live concerts. I suppose this situation will contribute to a further increase in DIY recordings. I also expect music to rely on even more visual aid than it already does.
This does not mean it will be a good thing for the art-form. Music has already suffered a lot in the wake of televised generics and a severe shortage in attention span owing to the dominance of social media. Irrespective of this, good music will still be produced as long as humanity thrives. Whether the industry ‘thrives’ is another matter altogether.
Michael Cluett - DJ & Co founder of District
If we suffer a second wave that leads to an extension of social distancing requirements into July and August, then we will have the surreal experience of having zero live gigs.
This scenario is a huge concern for financial and psychological reasons. The one positive outcome of this is that myself, and other musicians will have more time to focus on producing music and bouncing ideas off each other. Whilst technology provides a means of streaming DJ sets on socials, nothing will ever beat the buzz of a live performance.
The impact of the virus has been huge. We had to alter District’s plans for the summer; we had over half a dozen international artist bookings which have all been deferred to a later date. Fortunately we have a roaster of super talented local residents who are excited at the prospect of taking centre stage, if we are lucky enough to have a locals-only summer.
As a country I hope we can adhere to the health guidelines and see the gradual easing of more restrictions, but it is completely understandable and correct that those related to mass gatherings will be among the last to be lifted. Public health and our follower’s safety remains the number one priority, so any changes must be guided by science and sound reasoning. We’re ready and willing to find solutions and a common way forward at the appropriate time, together with local authorities who, I have to say, have been very active in driving the music industry forward in recent years and show belief in the vision that some of us have for its future.
Timothy Garrett - Musician
I, as everyone else, have had all my shows I had booked this year, and for the foreseeable future, cancelled or postponed. I was supposed to have some recording sessions with one of my bands in September too, but now things are uncertain on that as well. From my end, I plan to continue with my routine of making and practicing more music for its eventual release and I have also found more time to read. I was recently reading that some health professionals have been advising people not to expect any sort of live events to return until August 2021 at the earliest, so I think there will be a shift to more online performances for the foreseeable future. Whilst not an ideal stage or circumstance in any way, I’m interested to see how different artists will adapt to this new performance format and make it work to their advantage.
Wayne Camilleri - Guitar player and sessions musician
With no weddings or concerts, many artists are looking at a season of zero income, as our business is closed for the foreseeable future. This has an enormous impact both financially and as a performer. Playing live is something I’ve done regularly for 20 odd years now, so it’s a tough situation. Through means of technology we can still collaborate and get your music out there, but that is all that can be done for now.