Local Music Venues: Their History and Future

By Avery Roche | December 9, 2020 |

Boston is home to many historic and influential music venues, but these sites are struggling to keep their doors open with the impact of the global COVID-19 pandemic. In this blog post, I will be addressing how the surviving venues and Boston’s music scene have coped with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and what new methods they have developed for providing audiences with live music. I will also examine what the smaller subset of communities of fans and artists are doing to keep music alive.

Boston’s rich history and love of music is a large part of how the community defines itself. Boston experienced the devastating loss of The Great Scott and the cancellation of many events that are looked forward to year after year. At the beginning of the nationwide shutdown due to COVID-19, Boston was hopeful and the community was grateful for what live music they did have.

In this blog post, I used online databases, researched the recent developments in the music industry through technology, and looked into the impact that the pandemic has had on all small businesses to reveal the various ways Boston has worked to keep live music possible. I have observed live streams of concerts through the use of Youtube, Twitch, Facebook, and many other social media platforms since the beginning of the nationwide shutdown caused by COVID-19. These online methods are valuable because they often provided me with the ability to observe the audience’s participation and reaction to how they are accessing the performances.

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A still from the Dropkick Murphys live stream concert on March 17th, 2020, 4:07

Due to Boston's large Irish community (21% of the city claims Irish descent), the losses of the iconic St. Patrick’s day celebrations in 2020 were devastating to many people. The community impact of live music is seen in this Youtube streamed live concert performed by Dropkick Murphys on St. Patrick's Day. The American Celtic punk band formed in Quincy, Massachusetts in 1996 was able to provide some entertainment during the COVID-19 quarantine to a large audience through the use of many different platforms. I had access to this performance and community engagement by watching an uploaded version of the virtual concert as well as a live-updating stream of comments that correlate with what the audience was seeing at the time. This form of virtual performance was very helpful to my research because of the set up of the streaming platform. For instance, a comment from Michael Halseth before the performance had even started said “26k [viewers] and climbing might just be the biggest show they've played.” This helped me to understand how Dropkick Murphys may not have been able to profit from ticket sales for this show, but they were reaching an audience unlike they ever had before. This kind of exposure can be extremely beneficial for artists, gaining new fans, and even receiving donations from those watching. In addition to this live stream being valuable for the band, I saw many comments similar to Madeleine Filipiak who said “Thank you!!! This saved my day! GO IRISH!!!! GO BOSTON!!! Cheers from Tucson Arizona!” During a time of such uncertainty and devastating news, virtual performances were providing some light into people's lives and creating a sense of community and hope. In this live stream, I witnessed how audience members interacted with each other or didn’t, how they chose to represent themselves, and what they felt about the experience.

On the other hand, I experienced a different form of a virtual concert which was provided by Northeastern University over the summer. This performance was of Jeremy Zucker who was set up in his apartment in NYC through the use of Microsoft Teams. This was my first time attending a show on this platform and my first at-home concert during the COVID-19 lockdown. My personal experience with this virtual concert was very different from the reactions I was seeing through the comments on Dropkick Murphys show. I felt very isolated from the music, the other fans, and the artist.  I was worried after this live stream that virtual performances would not allow me to feel a closeness to the community surrounding the artist as in-person music does. However, after observing the St. Patrick's day performance and reading through thousands of comments, I realized the difference between the two virtual performances was the setting. Jeremy Zucker was in his apartment playing guitar for himself and singing along. Dropkick Murphys, on the other hand, were at a normal concert venue, with lights and a full band, multiple cameras, and much more. They were able to recreate a live concert exactly how they would perform normally, just without the audience. This allowed for much more of a cohesive community feel when experiencing the performance and I was so relieved to see a glimmer of what concerts mean to me.

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Jeremy Zucker via Northeaster CUP’s Instagram page, May 1st, 2020

Live music as a whole is in danger due to this pandemic, including small and large scale music festivals. Based on an article titled “Festivals Post Covid-19”, we know that “no risk assessment in the world could have prepared the industry for the lock-downs and social distancing measures that we are currently experiencing,” (Davies). Regardless of the size of the concert, festivals to coffee house performance, there was no chance for live music to continue due to the complete shutdown that the US experienced in early 2020 (and will possibly experience again in early 2021), to combat the further spread of COVID-19. Not only is social distancing compliance a cumbersome issue for live music attendance but so is the airborne nature of COVID-19. There have been numerous reports of the significant spread of the virus in groups engaged in singing together.

Seeing how live music has adapted to the limitations of COVID-19 has made me realize the possible benefits of how communities interact now. When discussing the topic of digital ethnography we must address both the complications and the increased opportunities it has created. In the case of live streaming concerts, we see both sides. To start, virtual concerts hurt music venues, and everyone working at the venues, the musical artist, and everyone working for the performers, and they can hurt the connection between an artist and their fans that they typically feel during a live in-person show. These types of events are not as profitable for the artist and leave the venues empty. On the other hand, virtual shows allow for a much larger audience, both in terms of the number of people who can attend and where they are located. These shows are more accessible to anyone interested in joining and allow bands to grow.

Venues struggle to survive because often many fans only think about how their favorite artists are not able to perform and make money and fail to acknowledge how the venues are empty and also not receiving any revenue when the economy is shut down. However, until it is safe to congregate in large numbers again, it is hard to imagine how to use the venue spaces profitably. Because of this, it is essential to see what can be done to support our live performance spaces.

The National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) is working to push the Save Our Stages Act to be passed in Congress. This act would pass COVID-19 relief legislation that would give music venues in America a chance of survival. They provide an automated email that can be sent to your local government officials after you fill out some basic information. This email states that 90% of live music revenue has been lost this year and with the continued closures of live music venues into 2021 and no support from Congress, 90% of NIVA’s independent venues will stay closed forever. Also, money spent on live music venues simulates the local economy and without these venues, the economy will hurt. Venues such as the Boch Center, Wally’s Cafe, and many more including theatres and comedy clubs are included in The National Independent Venue Association. I sent emails to both the Congress representatives in Boston and my hometown of Fairfield, CT to reiterate the importance of keeping these spaces running.

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Wally’s Cafe, November 22nd, 2020 (Avery Roche)

Great Scott exterior, 2020

Great Scott fans mourn the club's closing in 2020.

To further this research, I would like to know what additional adaptive strategies people in the industry are utilizing, how creative employees and employers are becoming, and if any successful musicians are making sizable donations to keep the industry afloat in this unprecedented time. It is important to remember that the community that revolves around music is not limited to the musicians and the audience, but without live music, many people and places are unable to survive. The Great Scott was open for a successful 44 years before COVID-19 quickly closed their doors forever. This important venue not only provided a home for local aspiring musicians but also local college students looking for part-time jobs, talent buyers, bartenders, and many other employees. The loss of live music has had a profound impact on many, many lives. For me, there is nowhere that I feel more alive than at a concert. It is a total sensory experience, unduplicated via a virtual modality.

The production of live music is my chosen vocation. With this as my college major, I am left wondering how I will find employment after college and if I have lost out on gaining valuable work experience due to COVID-19.

Personal Jeremy Zucker concert ticket, November 9th, 2019, The Sinclair at 52 Church St. Cambridge

As a community, the entire performance industry is suffering and is on life support. We will have to see how creative and adaptive the industry becomes and for long we will be making adjustments due to the pandemic. I am encouraged to read that artists such as Billy Joel have sold out shows beginning again in 2021. The fans are eager to return to stadiums. As for the local venues that have been dark for 10 months, we can only hope the Save Our Stages Act will pass and somehow venues will survive to provide a live, in-person platform for new artists as well as a place for emerging associated music industry workers to begin their careers again.

Personal Sun Seekers and Duncan Fellows concert ticket, November 21st, 2019, Great Scott

Endnotes

Adam 12. City Scenes: Remembering Boston's Great Scott. NPR, NPR, 7 Oct. 2020,
www.npr.org/2020/10/07/920446571/city-scenes-remembering-bostons-great-scott.

Cox, Ryan. "Ryan Cox: Live Music Adapts amid COVID-19." University Wire [Carlsbad] 2020:
University Wire, 2020-03-24. Web.

Davie, Owen. How One Retired Teacher Created A Virtual Music Venue During Quarantine.
Hypebot, 16 Oct. 2020, www.hypebot.com/hypebot/2020/10/how-one-retired-teacher-created-a-virtual-music-venue-during-quarantine.html.

Davies, Karen. "Festivals Post Covid-19." Leisure Sciences (2020): 1-6. Web.

Farrar, Molly. "Local Performers Reflect on Permanent Closure of Iconic Boston Music Venue
Great Scott." University Wire [Carlsbad] 2020: University Wire, 2020-05-12. Web.

Gay, Malcolm. Whenever Clubs Do Reopen, the City's Live Music Scene Won't Be the Same -
The Boston Globe. BostonGlobe.com, The Boston Globe, 10 Sept. 2020, www.bostonglobe.com/2020/09/10/arts/whenever-clubs-do-reopen-citys-live-music-scene-wont-be-same/.

Hiller, R. Scott. "Exclusive Dealing and Its Effects: The Impact of Large Music Festivals on
Local Music Venues." Review of Industrial Organization 45.2 (2014): 153-75. Web.

Houghton, Bruce. Facebook, Instagram Update Music Guidelines and It's Bad News For Live
Streams. Hypebot, 4 Sept. 2020, www.hypebot.com/hypebot/2020/09/facebook-instagram-update-music-guidelines-and-its-bad-news-for-live-streams.html.

Kraker, Liz. "COVID-19 Left the Live Music Industry in Shambles, so DJs Are Finding Other
Creative Ways to Connect with Fans." Business Insider [New York] 2020: Business
Insider, 2020-08-12. Web.

@northeasterncup. Hey Northeastern, CUPs gone virtual! Tune into the (NU exclusive) Jeremy Zucker virtual concert and Q&A at 8pm Thursday, May 7th. The event will take place on Microsoft Teams; swipe for instructions on how to tune in. *Recording of this event is prohibited** Instagram, 05/01/2020, https://www.instagram.com/p/B_priY3F5Xc/.

Save Our Stages, www.saveourstages.com/.

Solis, Steph. Performance Venues Allowed to Reopen to 50% Capacity in Lower-Risk Mass.
Communities. MassLive, 29 Sept. 2020, www.masslive.com/coronavirus/2020/09/indoor-and-outdoor-performance-venues-allowed-to-reopen-to-50-capacity-in-lower-risk-massachusetts-communities.html.

Streaming Up From Boston. Performance by Dropkick Murphys, Youtube, 17 Mar. 2020,
www.youtube.com/watch?v=5j06g0TE_Ao.

Sullivan, Jim. Despite Successful Crowdfunding Campaign, Great Scott Will Not Reopen.
Despite Successful Crowdfunding Campaign, Great Scott Will Not Reopen | The ARTery, WBUR, 25 June 2020, www.wbur.org/artery/2020/06/25/great-scott-will-not-reopen.

Titlow, John Paul. How Live Music Is Coping, And What The Near Future Will Bring. NPR,
NPR, 13 Aug. 2020, www.npr.org/2020/08/13/901796934/how-live-music-is-coping-and-what-the-near-future-will-bring.

McGill, Kevin. COVID-19 Could Mean the End for Independent Music Venues across the
Country. WCVB, 5 Nov. 2020, www.wcvb.com/article/covid-19-independent-music-venues/34589932.

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