“I have called, emailed and/or texted every venue owner and promoter I know in the last few days,” Kevin Sur, founder of Seattle music event producer Artist Home, wrote in a March 11 Facebook post. What’s true for local musicians is true for music promoters, publicists, managers, security personnel, venue owners and the many others who make their living from performance-related work. Local saxophonist Kate Olson says a prolonged time without performing is “tough - emotionally and psychologically, as well as financially,” because her entire life is centered on sharing music live. “Combine that with reduced hours for our day jobs and it’s starting to be scary.” “I lost all of my band’s March dates, reduced studio time on our EP, and in a holding pattern for April dates,” says Garret Hendricks of the band Garrett and the Sheriffs. Plus, because most musicians are employed as gig employees, they are not eligible for many state-provided safety net programs. The sudden - and potentially indefinite - loss of work has been financially and psychologically devastating for many in Seattle’s music industry, especially for those musicians whose main source of income is live music performance. Long-booked Seattle shows, recording sessions and appointments for private music students have evaporated in a mere matter of days, and there are likely many more cancellations to come. Massive national festivals like SXSW and Coachella: canceled. Seattle-based festivals like Balkan Fest Northwest: canceled. International and domestic tour dates for Seattle artists: canceled. With the official recommendation to “socially distance” and refrain from large gatherings in the midst of the COVID-19 outbreak, the cascade of event cancellations and postponements has already begun. But this March, things have been anything but booming for local venues like Neumos - which had to cancel or postpone seven of its 11 remaining shows this month - and the rest of Seattle’s music scene. “March through May are our best months typically,” says Sammy Larson, who works in marketing and ticketing for Capitol Hill music venue Neumos.
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