American Songwriter has been running live streams on our Facebook page pretty consistently for the past month with a long list of great performers and songwriters. We hope you’re enjoying them. We’re not finished by any means so give us a like on our page or sign up on our email list and you’ll get the latest info. We also put together a feature on tips for hosting your live stream session, in partnership with AKG Lyra.
There are quite a few music manufacturers and friends of ours who are also doing their part and supporting struggling independent musicians with live streams. Here are a few for you to check out:
Martin Guitar
Martin Guitar is always a songwriter’s friend and they’ve committed to supporting them during the crisis. Their “Jam In Place” takes place on a near daily basis on their Facebook page. Featured acts have included John Oates, Ana Christina Cash with John Carter Cash, G. Love, Brian Fallon, Toby Costa, Son Little, Alyssa Bonagura, Tenille Townes and others.
Fishman
Fishman makes products to help songwriters advance their craft for live and studio performances, including the Platinum DI Box, pickup systems, Loudbox amp, and TriplePlay Connect. To date, they've done livestreams with a wide array of artists, which you can view here:
Matt Scannell (Vertical Horizon),
Greg Koch, Steve Stevens (Billy Idol)
John Driskell Hopkins (Zac Brown Band)
Chris Carrabba (Dashboard Confessional)
Andy Falco (The Infamous Stringdusters)
Chris DeMaria, VP of Marketing & Artist Relations commented:
"Our hope is that we can provide our fans and followers with some interesting artist content and help them stay connected to music and music makers. We want to offer a positive and inspirational 'distraction' at a time when things are anything but normal. We've been going live on YouTube, Facebook and Twitch simultaneously most weekdays at 3pm so that fans on the West Coast and in Europe can watch live and ask questions.
"The artists have all been very forthcoming and seem to really enjoy the connection as well. We really appreciate them opening up their lives and their homes. It serves as a reminder to all of us that this terrible pandemic is affecting everyone, but we can still share our passion for music."
TonewoodAmp
Tonewood, makes of the Tonewood Amp, a unique product which gives you reverb, tremolo and delay by magnetically attaching the unit to the back of your guitar has built their business on supporting the independent artist. Past events included Andy McKee, Larry Mitchell and Jake Allen Their next live streams are Monday April 27th with Nashville Artist Steve Mandile at 1pm PST, followed by Calum Graham on May 4 at 1pm PST.
"Every week ToneWoodAmp will share a day's revenue with a different musician, lending a helping hand to these who have lost gigs due to COVID-19,” Tonewood’s reps said. “You get a chance to listen to their music, ask questions about their work, and learn more about the ToneWoodAmp. It's our way to help these amazing humans receive a little help from their friends.”
Taylor Guitars
Taylor Guitars Facebook page has been sharing and promoting amazing, local talent for several years, and their NAMM show booth artist appearances are a hot ticket. They’ve increased live streams on Instagram since last month and have included Barenaked Ladies, Jewel, Good Old War, Daniel Donato and more. They’ve also filmed a cross-section of artists during last year’s AmericanaFest which will be released over the course of the next few months.
Taylor Artist Relations executive Tim Godwin said: “We love building guitars that serve as inspirational tools for artists at all levels, and we go out of our way to support our artist family, especially in times like these. We have an incredible social media team at Taylor that does a great job of exposing artists to our audience, and now more than ever, we are all looking for something entertaining to watch that can bring people together. It’s a great way to see what we do in action.”
PRS Guitars
The Experience PRS Guitars, a celebration of all things PRS, may have been cancelled due to coronavirus but that doesn’t mean you can’t stay one on one with the company. Their Facebook page is the starting point to find live Q&A’s with their tech team, as well as featuring artists performing live. Founder Paul Reed Smith had some heartfelt words to offer his extended musical family which you can view here.
Gibson
Gibson has been very active recently, beginning with supporting musicians in their Nashville hometown who were seriously affected by the recent tornado that swept through town right before the coronavirus pandemic put the city on lockdown. They’ve partnered with Rolling Stone and are showcasing artists and auctioning offer limited edition guitars from Joan Jett, Lukas Nelson and James Bay through their Gibson Gives/ Gibson Foundation at CharityBuzz.com now through Friday, May 8.
Fender Musical Instruments Corporation
Fender is offering a few different types of Facebook live videos, including Fender Play Live, where they analyze a band’s musical style like ZZ Top and Weezer); Artist Check-in with tech talk from Chris Shiflett, Julian Lage and others; and Technique of the Week, showcasing favorite riffs, techniques and tips with you. They’ve also released Fender Player’s Guide, a free guide to help new players with tips on getting started.
LR Baggs
Talk about being ahead of the curve! LR Baggs, makers of pickups, DI boxes, PA amps and more, has been producing gloriously filmed artist video sessions for several years. So, while they’re not doing live streams on their Facebook page right now due to mandatory stay-at-home orders, there is a treasure trove of performance available on their website. Many were filmed at Americanafest and other festivals, including Rodney Crowell, Robert Earl Keen, Peter Frampton, Carolyn Sills Combo and more.
“Our hearts go out to all of you who’s lives are being upended by this unprecedented event. Be kind, be understanding, be considerate, be safe and help those less fortunate than yourself. And please keep making music and dreaming your dreams. We will get through this.
- Lloyd and Nadine Baggs (LR Baggs)
Sennheiser
If you’re a singer, you know Sennheiser. The company is in their 75th year and they’ve taken to Instagram to feature some of their endorsed artists as well as dive into some tech-oriented live streams to educate performers on live sound and more.
Earthworks Audio
Earthworks Audio is scouring the internet and promoting a ‘30 Days of Performances’ video rabbit-hole, shining the spotlight on both bubbling under talent and musicians who may not always be in the spotlight but certainly contribute their musical talents to songs “Since we're all stuck at home, we thought it would be a good time to showcase a few of the very talented artists, engineers and producers that use our products. We hope these videos bring some happiness and inspiraton during this hard time.”
A sampling of artists already featured include:
- Drummer Jonathan Moffett performing “Beat It”
- Brooklyn Duo with a cello and piano rendition of Coldplay's "Yellow,"
- Hannah Trigwell, an English singer-songwriter from Leeds, West Yorkshire
- Andie Case, an LA-based original singer/songwriter artist who did a cover of Demi Lovato’s “Anyone”
- India Carney, a singer/songwriter from Brooklyn, New York who covered Rihanna’s “Diamonds”
I followed and bookmarked all these pages, that I haven’t already because of the content their putting out and the way they are trying to keep people connected. My biggest hope is that people remember that there are always people stuck at home who beefit greatly from doing the things people are doing now.