Allan Goetz felt like the boutique music venue he co-owns had just hit its stride when the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
Goetz is part of a collective of six families behind the venue, 20 Front Street, which is in Lake Orion, Mich., just outside of Detroit. It opened in 2017 and was enjoying sold-out shows leading up to the closure imposed in March. The performance space is part of an industry hit hardest by the global health crisis.
Credit: contributed
Credit: contributed
If venues remain closed for the rest of 2020, the national music industry stands to lose more than $9 billion in ticket sales alone and, with half of the industry’s revenue generated by live music events, metro Detroit’s venues – and those around the country – are suffering. Goetz’s business is currently operating at 90% less revenue than they would ordinarily expect, and it’s been difficult, he said, to “pivot” as other industries have. “We were the first to close and will be the last to reopen,” Goetz said. “There’s no ‘take-out’ option for music.” Despite the challenges, 20 Front Street has joined others in the industry looking for alternative ways to monetize music consumption this year. Outdoor concerts in the summer, live-streaming through the fall, and a limited reopening in the future will help.
Goetz just hopes it’s enough.
Artists miss connection
Making the most of summer, 20 Front Street teamed up with Lake Orion’s Downtown Development Authority to host two outdoor concerts in the nearby Children’s Park. Musicians performed on a gazebo stage, while the audience sat in designated lawn squares, spaced six feet apart. The development authority funded the musicians’ fee, and tip jars were put out to further fundraise. The free shows filled the 100-strong audience capacity each time, which Goetz says demonstrates what live music means to a community. “People loved them,” Goetz said. “I really felt like — especially for the artist — they were very emotional. They really miss that connection, that response from a live audience. The clapping emojis are great but there’s only so many times you can sing into your phone.” In August, 20 Front Street joined forces with a hotel to host an outdoor “Night in Nashville” concert, featuring Nashville singer-songwriters. A stage was built behind the hotel so that a crowd of more than 200 people could watch from their hotel balconies and patio seating. Globally, streaming has grown from 9% to 47% of the music industry’s total revenue in six years, so it’s no surprise venues have turned to live streaming as another way to generate funds.
20 Front Street started producing Green Rooms Session videos on its YouTube channel three years ago, but the platform quickly became an important part of the venue’s survival strategy this year. “We record a show, premiere it on a Thursday, and people can donate,” Goetz said. “We split donations with the artists.” Singer-songwriter JD Eicher has performed at 20 Front Street several times and was significantly affected when he was forced to cancel more than 60 shows this year because of COVID-19. He had a European tour and a CD release tour planned, but he remains positive despite the setbacks. “In those moments, it was really very difficult to accept,” he says. “But with so much devastation related to the virus, I’m very stubbornly trying to remain aware that the impact on me personally has only been business-related and that my family and friends have been able to stay healthy.
“That’s the important thing right now.”
Pushing for relief
With his income taking an estimated 80% hit, Eicher has turned to alternatives such as the crowd-funding platform Patreon, online merchandise sales, outdoor shows and donations from live-stream concerts, such as the one he took part in last month at 20 Front Street. Eicher admitted, though, that live-streaming is not a financial replacement for a live show and is “more of a survival subsidy.”
There is also an impact on artists’ psyche. “I’ve had some deep conversations with some artists, and many were very depressed,” Goetz said. “Their gift is sharing their music with people.” 20 Front street is part of the National Independent Venue Association, which has launched #SaveMIStages campaign to encourage government support for artists and venues. The campaign is pushing for Michigan’s state officials to create a $10 million relief fund.
“Our small, independent businesses, which normally contribute billions of dollars to local economies, are on the precipice of mass collapse if this critical funding doesn’t come through,” said Audrey Fix Schaefer, communications director for the National Independent Venue Association. Approximately 90% of independent venues report they will close permanently in a few months without federal funding, according to a survey of the venue association’s 2,800 members. “We’re cautiously optimistic our elected officials understand that if they assist us now,” Schaefer said, “we can be part of the economic renewal of small towns and big cities.”
Currently allowed to reopen with 20% capacity, metro Detroit’s small venues still face minimal profits for the foreseeable future. At 20 Front Street, with pew seating for 100, concerts will be performed to an audience of 20, and Goetz estimated it will take several months to increase to capacity.
In the meantime, the uncertainty, Goetz said, is the hardest part. But his spirits have been bolstered by the support of the venue’s local fans. “Our staff have had people who have walked past in Lake Orion and just given money, and said, ‘I hope you are doing okay’ and ‘we can’t wait until you’re open again,’” Goetz said.
“The community is waiting.”
Kate Roff writes for Metromode, a digital news magazine focused on the communities, businesses and residents of southeast Michigan. This story is part of the Solutions Journalism Network, a nonprofit organization dedicated to rigorous reporting about responses to social problems. The story originally appeared online here:
About the Author
