HOLLYWOOD, CA - FEBRUARY 10: Andrew Taggart and Alex Pall of The Chainsmokers perform onstage as MasterCard And Billboard present The Chainsmokers and Miguel live in concert at Create on February 10, 2016 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Christopher Polk/Getty Images for MasterCard)
The major music streaming platforms and tech companies, including Amazon Music, Facebook, SiriusXM, Pandora, Spotify, TIDAL and YouTube Music, have all agreed to contribute millions of dollars to the COVID-19 Relief Fund to benefit out of work musicians and music industry professionals affected by the coronavirus, it was announced Tuesday.
The fund was established by The Recording Academy through its charitable arm MusiCares, which launched last week with a $2 million commitment that would go to aid artists, production technicians and more freelance, gig economy music professionals who were impacted by the loss of income due to live music event cancellations.
While no exact figures were given, MusiCares and the Recording Academy say that millions more than the initial $2 million have been donated by the participating music distributors.
“The music community is in great need so The Recording Academy greatly appreciates the collective support and emergency aid that this coalition of music industry and tech leaders has provided,” Recording Academy interim president and CEO Harvey Mason Jr. said in a statement. “We hope these partnerships inspire other organizations to stand behind the music community in this time of great uncertainty. We continue to encourage our peers to embrace the collaborative power of music and to support impacted industry professionals in both trying and good times.”
All the Recording Academy chapters have also committed to fundraising within their local communities, and Mason also sent a letter to Congress calling on the government to include the music industry in any relief package.
If you wish to support our efforts to assist music professionals in need, visit here, or if you are a member of the music industry in need of assistance, visit: musicares.org.
All the Broadway Shows Killed (and Postponed) Due to Coronavirus Shutdown
When New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo closed Broadway theaters on March 12 in response to the coronavirus pandemic, the New York theater scene was heating up ahead of the Tony Awards -- with 31 shows playing and another eight scheduled to begin performances by mid-April. But the uncertainty of when theaters (and Broadway-bound tourists) might return has forced some producers to close shows early -- or push new productions to sometime in the future.
Closed: "Hangmen"
Martin McDonagh’s new comedy, starring Dan Stevens ("Downton Abbey") and Mark Addy ("Game of Thrones"), announced March 20 it would not reopen after playing 13 preview performances ahead of an expected March 19 official opening.
Closed: "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?"
The revival of Edward Albee's classic drama, starring Laurie Metcalf and Rupert Everett, had played just nine preview performances before Broadway went dark. With the scheduled April 9 official opening off the table, producers decided to close the show on March 21.
Postponed: "Flying Over Sunset"
The new musical by composer Tom Kitt ("Next to Normal," pictured), lyricist Michael Korie ("Grey Gardens") and book writer James Lapine ("Into the Woods") was scheduled to begin performances on March 12 ahead of an official April 16 opening. On March 24 the Lincoln Center Theater announced the show's opening would be pushed to the fall.
"Birthday Candles"
Noah Haidle's play, starring Debra Messing and Andre Braugher, was due to begin performances in early April. But on March 25, Roundabout Theatre Company announced it would open this fall instead.
"Caroline, or Change"
Roundabout also delayed the opening of its revival of the Jeanine Tesori-Tony Kushner musical "Caroline, or Change," starring Sharon D. Clarke in an Olivier Award-winning performance. The show had been set for an April 7 opening at Studio 54.
All Broadway (and Off Broadway) theaters have shuttered until at least April 12 -- and there's no word yet on when performances might resume and whether this year's Tony Awards will proceed on June 7 as planned.
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“Caroline or Change” is the latest affected
When New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo closed Broadway theaters on March 12 in response to the coronavirus pandemic, the New York theater scene was heating up ahead of the Tony Awards -- with 31 shows playing and another eight scheduled to begin performances by mid-April. But the uncertainty of when theaters (and Broadway-bound tourists) might return has forced some producers to close shows early -- or push new productions to sometime in the future.
