The pandemic has been hard on everyone. Many people have lost their jobs along with their incomes. One profession that has often been overlooked for the past year is musicians. A majority of the money made from most musicians comes from playing shows and the royalties that come along with it. Now that things are finally getting better, here is how musicians are starting to tour again. 

Before the pandemic, musicians were touring without a problem. This was necessary because only a small percentage of the money made from streams goes to the musician. In the case of someone like Justin Bieber, who has hundreds of millions of streams, this isn’t much of a problem. Other artists, though, must tour to make a living. With a tour comes tickets, packages, and merchandise sales. The last thing the music industry saw coming was touring being halted. 

With the pandemic, musicians had to get creative. A lot started doing live stream shows early on, some of which are still put on today. Some shows are free; however, others require tickets simply because they need the money to keep going. Moreover, these streams allow artists to connect with their fans during a time that is hard for everyone. Another creative idea that has been enacted by many musicians is drive-in tours. The process for these tours involves buying a ticket for the car, which has a max capacity of people that are allowed to arrive in it. I’ve been interested in going to a drive-in show myself. I bought tickets for a show in May for a band called Mt. Joy, and my car can have up to four people in it. Obviously, it is not ideal, but it’s better than watching live music through a screen. The pandemic has definitely made for some creative events, especially from those with creative professions. 

Now, with some normalcy being restored throughout the world, artists are planning on getting back to normal. A lot of musicians have made plans for regular tours starting as soon as this summer. Artists such as Harry Styles and Luke Combs already have shows booked at PNC arena in Raleigh. Of course, like any event that has taken place throughout the past year, social distancing guidelines and safety precautions will be in place. So while it won’t be completely normal, it will be nice to finally see our favorite music in a live setting, like old times. 

Just like everything else in the world, the music industry has changed during the pandemic. Artists have had to change the way they do their job: how they release music, connect with fans, and, of course, perform. While they have been successful in coming up with new and fun ways to do everything, it is really cool to see everything going back to normal after everything the world has been through. Everyone should look forward to being in person, supporting and listening to the artists and the art that brings people together.