Article by: Shaelyn McCormack
2020 has been the year of Tiger King, toilet paper shortages and last but not least, COVID-19. The devastating impact of COVID-19 across the globe has been exponential, but today we focus on the silver lining of how COVID-19 has brought the electronic dance music community together in more ways than one.
Adapt
While live shows and festivals are on hold likely until 2021 or later in the United States, live streams have been taking the community by storm every weekend. Some live streams are throwbacks to past festivals, while others feature actual live performances from artists. Major festival names like Lost Lands, Electric Daisy Carnival and Lollapalooza have taken the opportunity to adapt and allow music lovers to embrace this shared experience in a socially distant way. While it doesn’t compare to having your neighbors’ sweat on you at the rail, you can still stay connected by live chatting or video chatting with your rave fam as you stream some of your favorite artists. If you dress up that’s a bonus and your own special reward for keeping tradition alive!
Connect
New connections are just one like away! Social media brings the EDM community together by uniting ravers from around the world with just the tips of their fingers. Whether you prefer the EDM Twitter crowd on the bird app, the festival app Radiate, or something else, there are plenty of ways to get to know others in the community. Not only will you stay up-to-date on festival reschedules and upcoming live streams, but you can also stay current on the scene’s latest song releases and get the details on which artists are #cancelled for playing at underground shows and disregarding the safety and health of the community.
Celebrate
There’s no feeling like listening to a new drop for the first time, and lucky for us, artists have more time on their hands to passionately focus on creating new music. Our agenda includes never before heard tracks dropping left and right, upcoming artists stepping into the spotlight, and exciting new collabs from old favorites like Bronson. If you want to celebrate b2b connect, share your playlists containing unprecedented amounts of new music with your followers and watch as you connect with the new crew.
Rally
COVID-19 has taken a toll on businesses and the music industry has not been left unscathed. With most tours and festivals cancelled or rescheduled, many jobs have been lost. For up and coming artists as well as touring artists, it is survival of the fittest. We, as a community, must support and uplift our PLUR brothers and sisters by being activists; seek out and sign petitions to provide financial and economic support to the affected music industry workers and institutions.
In what other ways has the EDM community formed a stronger bond and shown its resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic? Let us know what you think on socials @moonlvnding.
