It’s literally been years since I’ve posted anything other than an IG story on socials but this merits breaking the silence.
The music industry is facing the most detrimental season we’ve ever experienced. The reality is you won’t see a show in an arena or a stadium until late 2021 (and that’s being optimistic). It’s left thousands of crew members out of work, and believe me we wanna go back. We had the best jobs in the world. I could write a book to do my best to describe exactly how insane our jobs were and it still wouldn’t do the experience justice. I promise I’m gonna try and not be long winded here but this job is what I loved and I think it’s important for the general public to understand what’s happening.
When you go see an A list artist at a stadium you’re gonna notice a handful of people on staff. The artist (obviously). The band, if they aren’t hidden. Yes artists do this and more often than you think. The security standing in your way or not letting you pass without seeing your ticket. Then there’s some you may be aware of, maybe not. The sound guy for one. You might even see a tech or two running around on stage before house lights go down. So including the artist you’ve noticed maybe 10 or so staff members. It takes WAYYYY more staff than that to pull off a stadium sized show. It’s probably closer to 370 touring personnel and then another 3,200 hired locally in every city that show goes to. And that’s just one show for one artist!
There are thousands of us that have enjoyed hiding in the shadows of the stage to help artists curate moments just like the one in the picture. Our world is upside down right now and we are fighting to figure out what’s next for ourselves as individuals and as an industry. Some of us have done this since we were 17 and now in their 40’s and unsure how to successfully articulate to an employer of a job not even closely related to our industry, that he has what it takes to do the job he’s applying for. We are lost and some of us running out of savings and we’re just trying to survive until our jobs come back. We’re tired of arguing about this mask or that medicine or this political thing or that gaslight blogger stirring up trouble We just want to go back to work....SAFELY. There are WAY too many obstacles this thing has caused for us. Insurance being a big one. Logistics of moving 40 people around on busses from city to city. Yes there are ways to keep the crowd safe. But the crew! If one person on a touring crew gets it, that whole bus goes down. That’s potentially 12 people the tour would have to replace over night to keep going. And if it’s a band bus, that’s it. Pack it up. 5 bus drivers. 3 truck drivers. What if one them gets it from a gas station over night while transporting the crew and gear to the next city? There’s just too many risky variables.
So we’re out. Benched until this is over and people can travel and gather in groups of at least 1,500. Touring isn’t profitable on a small scale. Yes there are some drive in shows happening but there’s no way they’re making the money they usually do. The promoters are more or less just trying to keep the lights on. Admirable, but it’s not fiscally sustainable for the amount of time our industry is projected to be down for. When winter comes people aren’t going to go to those shows. It’s also too localized. You can only really do these shows regionally and before too long the market will either saturate or the demand will die down out of disinterest.
So what are we doing about it? Well to be honest...waiting. Most of us are drawing unemployment while we can and others are finding jobs where they can. My buddy just temporarily relocated to Orlando for a job. Another friend down in Atlanta put together a legendary band to promote MusiCares. A nonprofit branch of the Grammy Foundation. Their aim is to provide help to musicians and crew members who need it the most.
Me? I’m trying to fill the gap how I can. Right now it’s unemployment, but when those benefits run out the plan is to chase after something I’ve wanted for a long time...
Call Time Coffee is a dream I’ve had for the past few years and this situation is pressing me to finally make it a reality. At launch it’s going to be a small stand and I’ll set up where ever I can find a place in Nashville. My hope is to bring awareness of the crew member community to Nashville and to build a community that supports the crew members that make great shows happen. I also plan to donate .50 of every cup sold to MusiCares to support crew members in Nashville and beyond.
We’re just trying to figure it out. We hope shows come back sooner but as an industry we’re prepping for the worst. We’re all honest and hard working people. So if you see my stand, swing by for a quick cup of coffee and if a crew member asks you for a job even though, on paper, they may not be qualified, I’d challenge you to give them a shot. We’re used to high pressure deadlines, long hours, and hard work. Don’t be surprised if they start to outwork everyone in the office. 😉
Thanks for reading my book. 🤘🏻