2020 Blog
How Can We Support Artists During Lockdown?
Covid-19 had a huge impact in the music community. Artists had to cancel shows, festivals, release parties and so much more. Sadly, for many of them, this is their only income. As we stay at home, there are many things we can do to support them during this time”
Here are 4 ways you can support your favourite indie artists:
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Buy Records and Merchandise - although physical stores may not be open, you can purchase online directly from the artist’s website or from a record store. This will benefit both the artist and independent record stores such as Phonica Records, Sister Ray, Reckless Records, Alan’s Records, Honest Jon’s Records, Love Vinyl, The Little Record Shop/Cash 4 Records and many more. Merchandise – some artists will have merch on their websites whether a t-shirt, booklet or a poster. These small items will help the artist in any way during lockdown. There are many merch stores online that support indie artists such as Indie Merch Store, Back Street Merch, 8ball, EMP and more.
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Social Media – social media is an incredible tool to spread content about an artist, whether it is sharing a song, a new album or general information. It will benefit the artist in the long term, increasing their fanbase on different platforms and getting new opportunities to grow their brand and music. Artists have also been performing live on social media and joining independent music organisations such as AIM, BPI, AMA, PRS and many others interacting on panels, live concerts and more. Anyone can take part in these.
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Digital Download – digital downloads and purchases are a great way to support artists who do not have physical releases, depending on the price of the album, this is a smart way for artists to earn their income and for fans to help. You can purchase albums from Apple Music, Amazon Music and more.
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Streaming - platforms such as Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music and many more have increased users in the last five years, many artists upload their content and get paid, this will help the artist to generate a small income and more recognition as streaming numbers increase.
