The early summer months brought us a glimpse of pre-pandemic life, with mask mandates being lifted and events happening at full capacity. Shows, concerts, galas, parties - all held with peace of mind that hadn’t been felt in a long time. Now, the rise in variants coupled with low vaccination rates has brought us back to square one. To the typical person, it may not mean much to start going out less, maybe skip out on a party or two. But what about the people whose livelihood is dependent on large, in-person gatherings? Local musicians at Jazz Fest, French Quarter Festival, Buku, etc. now have few options to meet income needs that suit their career. Being that local musicians are such an integral part of New Orleans culture and history, it is important to support their passions to keep the music alive. Here are a few ways to do so:
Buy their products or make a donation through channels that they fully own
Tune into live streams and donate
Pre-order albums
Take online music lessons
Contribute to emergency funds
Connect artists to grants and relief funds
The Music and Culture Coalition of New Orleans (MACCNO) is an organization that works to provide assistance to musicians in need. They have resources for financial, food, housing, mental health, and hygiene assistance. Check them out here: https://maccno.com/
Sources:
https://www.nola.com/entertainment_life/keith_spera/article_a5e20162-01e8-11ec-a536-fb4b3b4a3da4
https://www.tourgeardesigns.com/blogs/blog/9-ways-you-can-help-musicians-during-covid-19