Hysteria has swept the globe, forcing citizens around the world indoors in fear of contracting COVID-19, the rapidly growing Coronavirus plaguing humanity in the shortest amount of time. Most are scrambling to stay sane and provide for their immediate loved ones, stocking up on rations for — as of now — an indefinite amount of time in isolation. Some are able to earn wages while working from home under these new restrictions; others simply do not have this privilege. Artists, dependent on ticket sales and public performances, are amongst those hit hardest from this prolonged social isolation. And, the worst part is, nobody knows when this social embargo will be lifted. Will it be days? Weeks? Months?
Artists, dependent on ticket sales and public performances, are amongst those hit hardest from this prolonged social isolation.
Festivals as far out as Memorial Day Weekend are being rescheduled to September or October, leaving a lot of artists out of work and facing extreme income deficits to what they originally projected for their spring and summer seasons. Banding together, artists have taken to Facebook Live, Skype music lessons and, for lack of a better term, begging for paid contributions by any means necessary.
Rootfire, an independent reggae rock cooperative label allowing artists 100% ownership and musical rights, saw an opportunity amongst the madness to keep this struggling scene afloat. With so much love and support embedded in the reggae rock community, fans of bands can now chat with their favorite artists in realtime via scheduled Q&A sessions hosted on their RootfireTV network! Donations during these live sessions go straight to the artist’s bank account, allowing them to get by a little longer submersed in this performance drought.
Within days, this effort has raised over $5,000 worth of donations — and it’s not going to stop!
So far, RootfireTV has hosted livestreams with members of Satsang, Iya Terra, Sensi Trails, both Ries Brothers and solo artists, like Nattali Rize and Trevor Hall. Within days, this effort has raised over $5,000 worth of donations — and it’s not going to stop! Three sessions are going live this Sunday: Brandon Hardesty (of Bumpin’ Uglies) is scheduled for 2pm, Blaine Dillinger (of HIRIE) at 4pm and Thomas McDowall (of Jr. Thomas & The Volcanos) at 6pm. What a triple threat to end the week!
We, at Top Shelf Music, full-heartedly believe this initiative by Rootfire Cooperative aligns perfectly with our ‘bringing only good vibes’ business mantra. Thus, we are happy to report we have officially partnered with RootfireTV to promote these Live Q&A sessions for as long as this mandatory quarantine lasts. To tune in every day or to learn more about what you can do to help, visit the links below, our social pages or https://rootfire.net/tv/.
Donate directly to the RootfireTV Paypal:
Watch Live Jam & Q&A with Organically Good Trio:
Rootfire links: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Website
Share this article
or
Get music updates in your inbox