Last week we shared with you the uncomfortable truth about the devastating effects COVID-19 is having on the music industry as a whole. While we’ve had a glimmer of hope this week with the news that the UK now has a roadmap out of lockdown, the reality is that there are still a few months to go until the 21st June date that the Prime Minister has promised. Much of the events industry has been out of work for a year now. Instead of moaning about how bad everything is, we thought we’d offer up a few positive & practical things that we can all do to help our beloved drum n bass scene thrive during these unprecedented times…
1. Spread The Love
This is the easiest way to support… Simply share links on your social media pages. Heard a drum n bass tune you like? Post the Spotify link on Facebook for your friends to find! Seen your favourite DJ is doing a live stream? Share the link on Twitter. Bought a nice item of D&B merch from your favourite record label? Upload a picture of you wearing it to Instagram.
Don’t forget to tag the artist / brand in your posts
2. Listen Differently
Music streaming sites have been accused of paying artists notoriously poorly for their work. Spotify, one of the most popular streaming sites, is one of the worst offenders.
Did you know that different streaming services pay out different amounts to musicians when their music is listened to? One way to increase the money going into your favourite artists pocket is simply by switching platforms. Napster currently pays $0.019 per stream, compared to just $0.0038 per play from Spotify… This means that your favourite artist will get paid 5 times more by having you listen to their music on Napster instead of Spotify!
Even better, cut out the middle man & buy the MP3 directly from the artists / labels website or BandCamp page so they retain 100% of the sale price.
If you prefer to listen to DJ mixes instead of streaming individual tracks, consider listening on Mixcloud instead of Soundcloud? As we highlighted in the debut episode of LoveThatBass Radio, Mixcloud is the only open platform that pays rights holders (artists, labels, songwriters, publishers), hence our decision to use the platform exclusively to host our monthly drum and bass podcast.
3. Buy Tickets
Event promoters and clubs need your help. Many haven’t earned a single penny all year due to social distancing and venues being closed.
This website your looking at right now was only started due to my job as an event promoter suddenly becoming unviable when COVID struck. I’d been working full time for one of the scenes most well-know promotion brands for almost 20 years up until that point! And I’m not alone, I’m just one of the many promoters, event staff, production technicians, venue owners, and ticket retailers whose income has been hit due the the events industry grinding to a halt.
Drum And Bass Festivals such as Innovation In The Dam, Hospitality Weekend In The Woods, Tranzmission & Escape2 have all been announced. The governments roadmap out of lockdown makes the chances of them going ahead now seem a lot more realistic than they did at this time last week.
We’d urge you to go ahead and buy event tickets if you can afford to. Most events will of course offer refunds, or roll your payment over to their next event should the worst happen and the UK not meet the 4 tests for ending social distancing. Having that payment on trust in their account will help keep your favourite event afloat until all is well in the world again.
4. Get The Look
Most of your favourite artists, events or brands have their own ranges of merchandise these days. What better way to support a brand you to love than by wearing it on your chest?
With revenue from streaming being not so great, you might be surprised to know that a lot of music artists make more from their merch than from their music!
Here at LoveThatBass we are always very appreciative of anyone who supports us by buying a t-shirt or cap. We channel all profits from our merchandise sales back into covering the running costs of this website. The more you support, the better we can be, we’re sure it’s the same for all other drum and bass brands & artists.
5. Subscribe
Many artists have turned to subscription services such as Patreon to supplement their income during this turbulent year. Artists like TC, Cyantific, Noisia, DJ Hybrid, Phibes & Teddy Killerz are on there, offering incentives such as exclusive music, production tutorials, remix stems, mentoring & even track mastering services in return for your monthly subscription.
Logan D’s Low Down Deep label offers you the chance to get their promos 3 weeks early via their monthly or yearly subscription packages, Blackley’s label CRE8DNB offers something similar with their Monthly Dub Club. Check to see if your favourite drum n bass labels website has a subscription service you can sign up to.
Any Other Ideas?
Got any ideas of your own that you think we’ve missed? Head over to our Facebook page and let us know your suggestions
While You’re Here…
Enjoying all the free D&B content we publish on LoveThatBass? If you appreciate the effort we’re putting in each day then why not buy us a coffee? Any donations will go directly towards the running & maintenance of this site
