BY DR DIANA TOLMIE
That the COVID-19 pandemic has knocked the arts and entertainment industries for six is an understatement.
Social media followers are witnessing the most unlikely people publicly call out for work owing to cancellations and stand-downs. While arguing their raison d’être is largely fuelled by passion and rarely by money, they will be the first to agree their pay is less than other professional workers – a fact that feeds public misunderstanding about their value to society.
As such, otherwise notoriously resilient musicians are re-evaluating their motivation for following what has historically been viewed as an unstable career rife with mental and physical health problems – and now it would seem “non-essential”.
In figuring out the where-to-next, one needs to consult the history of musicians’ processes for coping under extreme duress, subsequent innovations, public perception and the current status.
Adapting in the face of adversity
We must remember that during the 11th and 12th centuries in Europe, jongleurs and minstrels (think freelancers) were shunned by their fellow full-time musicians and blocked by the musicians’ unions that provided employment. As they lived outside of the social class system, their children were forbidden to join trade guilds and any musician’s family members were deemed dishonourable. How they must have felt! Regardless, they kept on playing and composing their way to some sort of elevated status via the introduction of other professions to their portfolio of work – namely teaching, but also non-music vocations, for example, spy.
Turning lemons into lemonade
The Black Death of the 1300s saw a significant rise in compositions with related lyrics leading to the increased acceptance of secular music. This was a boon for the musician. Guillaume de Machaut of France was one such composer who had started this style prior to the plague, self-isolated in a cabin filled with wine, and emerged afterwards as the go-to guy of secular motets.
Music innovations resultant from other pandemic diseases can be further exampled by the HIV/AIDS outbreaks: famous popular artists wrote AIDS-related songs, musicians of all genres donated proceeds of concerts, and many joined forces to record albums in the name of fundraising and brand awareness.
An opportunity to raise public value recognition
The value of music and musicians during times of great disaster is noted throughout the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic. To inspire economic recovery, one theatre and cinema critic in Africa called for “good pictures and bright music, [to] act as a stimulating tonic for the over-wrought nerves of workers and convalescent alike, and take the minds of those who have lost relatives off their sorrows for a brief hour or so” (People’s Weekly, 2 Nov. 1918).
The communication of vital health messages during our current COVID-19 crisis is crucial. The Health Ministry in Italy has implored: “Now we’re asking artists, musicians, influencers, athletes to say, ‘You need to stay home’.” Their government is commanding those that are capable to fill social media with art and music to brighten the lives of those in lockdown.
Social media has since been swamped with self-isolated opera singers forming choirs on their balconies, lone musicians upskilling their technological prowess and creating split-screen multi-track videos, and orchestral musicians creating live one-person concerts, and connecting to audience members via online insights to their home life. The musician is beginning to get publicly noisy about their value to society, and this will only increase while there is social media, internet bandwidth, and electricity.
Value recognition from leadership
Historically, the Australian politicians who have publicly recognised the value of the arts and defended its existence are either very dead, long-retired, or in a minority. Sadly, the past decade has witnessed an erosion of arts cultural and economic value recognition – the nail in this coffin evidenced by the arts’ absorption in the federal Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications.
Most recently, Tony Burke MP televised the plight of the freelance artist, further recognising their altruistic contribution to bushfire relief in addition to the loss of their bread-and-butter income located within non-arts employment. I LOST MY GIG AUSTRALIA has tallied a staggering $330 million loss by artists, yet the government has been very slow to offer support for the independent musician. This is shamefully contrary to what the United States (of all countries) has recently invested in its arts community.
The Australia Council for the Arts has contributed by restructuring this year’s grant offerings – but this was not its responsibility, and the lengthy application process has remained. (To illustrate this argument, airlines who already possess federal and state subsidies recently asked for a further $5.6 billion injection.)
Other countries such as the Netherlands, with its smaller population of 17 million people, offer COVID-19 financial aid to freelancers at least matching the social minimum wage. They did not adjust their arts funding.
So what have we learnt, and what can we expect from life post-COVID-19?
There is no doubt that live music, as will any form of social gathering, will be highly appreciated once the lockdown laws have been lifted. Humans will be seeking to make sense of their recent experiences, and music will facilitate this. Musicians will have an appreciative audience very open to the innovations that had been incubated during isolation. It may be a golden age for the profession. But, there are some caveats, and perhaps some sacrifices to be had on the path to utopia.
The portfolio career will need to be more diverse
Like those of the 11th and 12th centuries, the adoption of music-related or non-music-related employment in the name of expanding a diverse and risk-reduced work portfolio will increasingly be a priority during our economic recovery. Through my own research, I have found this to be most relevant for the younger musicians who are in the beginning stages of developing their employability networks. The transferable skills of these musicians need to be acknowledged, deeply understood, and valued by a variety of non-music professions, and the broader public.
I am not suggesting apply to ASIO, although I read recently they are hiring and have preferences for musicians. However, I would encourage those who are struggling to make ends meet, and competing with the plethora of online teachers, that there may be more lucrative options that align with musicians’ core values. Think about areas requiring creative thinkers, problem solvers, a strong work ethic, and those capable of managing customer and co-worker relations.
Remember, as the musicians’ world has changed, so too has the non-musicians’ – and these skills will be increasingly valued.
Music making will need to be more creative, technology-rich, and relatable
Musicians will also need to embrace diversity that is not necessarily just genre-based. That is, those who work primarily in contract roles will need to increasingly embrace their own projects. Likewise, those who work in larger institutions (orchestras, opera, musical theatre) should expect more small ensemble work, education roles, and use of DIY digital platforms greater than previously experienced. Technology in several forms will be finally unavoidable; audience development and meaningful connectivity likewise.
What is the musician’s responsibility for the successful evolution of the profession?
I was a panellist at a CSIRO conference in 2019 discussing, for my part, the future of the musician in 2040. During the discussion, I was asked: “What keeps you awake at night?” My answer was that we will have a future where true authentic experiences will be rare, live music will be increasingly valued, and our audiences will be willing to pay our worth. The musician’s profession will be as valued as a brain surgeon’s. This will be the first time this has happened during the record of our profession. Ever.
However, I lose sleep with the thought that maybe we will miss our chance to capitalise on this first-time-in-history opportunity. I fear the following will contribute to the status quo:
- The professional DNA of comparative undervalue embedded in the musicians’ psyche;
- The altruistic nature of sharing music for free;
- A lack of government financial or moral support despite the growing noise regarding musicians’ economic contribution;
- A discouraging economical and intimidating professional environment.
How can musicians change the status quo?
Despite the experienced inconvenience and misery, musicians have to recognise they have been gifted a once-in-a-profession opportunity. So to musicians, I suggest:
1. Charge your worth
This has been bluntly put and is nothing new, but beyond-relevant to online content creation. Call it Digital Busking, if you like, where consumers can pay what they feel your online content is worth. At the very least, utilise your online performance as a link to further music sales. Or for those offering online masterclasses, consider the Adobe Model (introduce the product for free for a limited time, then charge). Barter for goods and services – the “Two Pigs for My Goat” model. Above all, let one’s social media strategy have an agenda to drive home the musician’s value proposition.
Feel icky about doing this? It means your personal identity (self) is strongly entwined with your musical identity (your product). That is normal, but remember your choices represent and affect your professional community. Encourage others to do the same.
2. Use this time to innovate and upskill
This will mean technological upskilling while preparing to expand two forms of employment opportunities: digital and physical.
Like Guillaume de Machaut, now is the time to bravely push fear aside, and use the new environment and creative material this crisis has presented us, to prove to the world what we already know: that music is relevant and central to what it means to be human.
Use this downtime – fill the house with inspiring wine, if you have to – and emerge as the new go-to person for your passion.
3. Advocate
As we engage with complete strangers online, we have access to new audiences never previously imagined. Make meaningful connections, have open discussions – ask their opinion about music. What do they value and why? How can they help you with your mission to increase the societal worth of music and musicians?
Will we recover from the COVID-19 crisis? Will we return to our previous life?
To this often-asked question, I reply: “Do we want to?”
We have experienced a new way of living, which will see long-term impact. Depending on one’s perspective, perhaps this is not a bad thing. The economy will bounce back eventually (iron ore will see Australia through). But in the meantime, it must be acknowledged that public values have been recalibrated – I believe, in favour of musicians’ societal value – but musicians need to make their worth explicit.
A cold hard fact is that unless livestock handling practices are revised, the next zoonotic disease pandemic is sooner than we think. Considering this, our current situation has demonstrated that live music is best experienced, well, live – and our present-day technology does not have a digital replication for this. Expect to see a rise in virtual reality music innovations evolving from the singular to the collective experience. Anticipate virtual global live orchestras, bands, and audiences – all without the internet lag problem.
These innovations will solve many of the current performing musicians’ and educators’ woes, but will create new dilemmas largely in the name of an increased competitive global marketplace.
This will not be a problem if we have advocated our worth, both economical and societal. Musicians may argue they need training to develop such a sophisticated self-promotion skill.
A new agenda for tertiary music institutions
There has been growing inclusion of professional practice education within degree program, however greater importance on these initiatives is required. It is evident many musicians were inadequately prepared for this pandemic, and not trained to cope with such disruptive change to their profession. Those who have shied away from digital technologies have been seen to quickly embrace them in the name of survival. Therefore, it is crucial to introduce digital literacy – either as a core course, or embed the principals throughout undergraduate music degree programs.
For some, the 19th Century was a nice place to be, but we have been hit with the full reality of the 21st – and it is time it was embraced.
Musicians have a tremendous opportunity to learn from the pandemic experience, adapt, and emerge as the valued professional previously never considered.
I am forever mindful of these words:
“In a time of drastic change it is the learners who inherit the future. The learned usually find themselves equipped to live in a world that no longer exists.” – Eric Hoffer.
About Diana
Dr Diana Tolmie has led an exciting life as a freelance woodwind specialist in a multitude of genres, performing in countless interstate and international tours, plus live radio and television broadcasts.
Appearing with many Australian professional orchestras and the acclaimed Malaysian Philharmonic, Diana has additionally explored chamber music with her internationally recognised group Collusion, performing Australian new music and dance collaboratives.
A recipient of the Churchill Fellowship Award and the Queen Elizabeth Trust Scholarship, more recently Arts Queensland and Australia Council for the Arts funding has contributed to her international performance activities.
Diana is full time Lecturer of Professional Practice at the Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University passionately teaching performance, pedagogy, musicians’ health and vocational preparation. Her teaching excellence has been recognised and awarded an AEL Group Learning & Teaching Citation (2014), a Highly Commended in the Employability within the Curriculum category of the Griffith University Awards for Excellence in Teaching (2016), and a University Australia Citation for Outstanding Contribution to Student Learning (2018).
Currently endorsed by D’Addario Woodwind, Diana is looking forward to her continued release of solo and chamber music recordings.
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Featured image shows COVID-19 artistic impression by CDC on Unsplash.
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