For months, virus-related closures have devastated the live music industry, causing distress for concert-goers and spelling disaster for musicians.
Curbside Concerts, a platform that gives live music fans an opportunity to host ‘socially distant’ concerts, is teaming up with musicians to deliver live music directly to the fans at their homes.
“We live in a challenging time and the energy of live music can create such joy for people. It’s been greatly missed,” said Eric Gould, a professional musician and one of the leaders of Curbside Concerts, “This is a way for live music to happen face-to-face, for musicians and music lovers with a mutual respect for safety.”
Concerts take place ‘curbside’, or in most cases in driveways or on front lawns. Musicians drive to the concert address, set up their gear, and plug-in to a power source provided by the host.
Hosts are required to practice social distancing with anyone outside of their immediate household. If a host is not practicing social distance, the musician has the right to leave before the performance time is complete without providing a refund. Neighborhood gatherings are permitted as long as they don’t violate local ordinances and comply with social distancing guidelines.
Concerts run for 60, 90 or 120 minutes and have hourly rates set through 3 different tiers of artists. Live music enthusiasts can go on the website and enter their zip code, which populates with musicians in their area available for performance.
Guthrie/Bell Productions announced it has teamed up with Curbside Concerts to organize artists in the Capital District.
“Curbside Concerts is a way for artists to still earn some income, and fans can experience some unique and intimate performances,” said Kim Neaton of Guthrie/Bell Productions. “Waiting to get back to shows is tough on us all, but we know there will be another side of this where we will be back doing what we love with the music and people we love. In the meantime, if artists can bring the show to some fans in their area, we can continue to strengthen the music community and make new connections in a time when it has otherwise been difficult.”