Creative Ways That Artist And Labels Are Interacting With Music In Lockdown

Lockdown has been really hard and stressful for everyone. Every single plan that any of us had has gone straight down the drain. Coronavirus and quarantine (sounds like a band) has meant that we’ve had to find new and creative ways of working. This is particularly true for music marketing and the behaviour of how we consume music has changed massively.

There are lots of companies, labels and artists which are taking creative approaches to giving us music, so here are some highlights that you should take a look at:

Monomyth Records Lockdown Playwall:

Monomyth Records is an independent label based in Leeds whose roster of artists covers a number of musical styles which include: art-rock, hip-hop-jazz, rock, punk and folk, among others. Some of their artists were due to play at large festivals this summer, before Coronavirus happened.

Each day Monomyth focuses on a new artist by posting either a song of theirs or a video of theirs on the Playwall. A lot of these artists are based in Leeds so it’s a great way to get to know the local scene, as well as discovering smaller artists you may have not heard much about before. It's a great and innovative idea from the label, it’s not something I’ve really seen before, it’s a great idea from a label.

It’s a unique way of promoting music. You can tell that Bob does it because he loves music and wants to share people from his local music scene, as not every artist that is posted is on their roaster. It’s a great opportunity for these artists as it’s a great way of getting your name out there, and to be surrounded by other amazing artists, even if it’s virtual. It can be seen as slightly similar to a ‘playlist’ or a daily music highlight, but in a much more exciting and interactive way, you never know what’s coming next on this playwall.

A key part of music marketing and promotion is to create something that you love, and that you think people will like and share with their mates, with an extra bonus point if it’s unique. This is exactly what the Monomyth Lockdown Playwall does so well.

Highlights:

With the Playwall reaching it’s 56th day, that means 56 songs/artists to rummage through if you haven’t checked it out before. What an absolute treat for you. I’ve had a great time listening to and checking this every day to see what’s been added to it.

I’ve got friends that are in the local scene who have been added to the playwall, and I couldn’t be more proud and more happy for them. Luka is a particular highlight for me. Her song “End of the World” was added to the Playwall a little while ago. She’s an amazing singer and an amazing person and should be getting more recognition, so for her the Monomyth Lockdown Playwall is a brilliant opportunity.

ALLORA is another artist who deserves more recognition. I know and work with these girls and they are brilliant, both musically and as human beings, they really do deserve more recognition, but they are very up and coming so watch out for them. They’ve had a multi screen video of their song “Cold Blood” added to the Playwall not that long ago. It must be really hard for them to perfectly replicate their sound when they’re in completely different places, especially with how intricate their sound is, but they’ve managed it perfectly.

There are other artists and songs that I love that I wouldn’t have known about if it wasn’t for the Playwall. LEHI - TIMELESS supplies you with all the 80s, chill-synth-pop, The 1975 vibes that you might be needing. Manny Bianco’s ‘Me & Blu’ sound is really cool and unique, it’s quite electronic and features unusual synth sounds with soft vocals. It’s quite easy listening but also really holds your attention. But, if Dance Music is something you’re into, that’s there that too. ESKIMOH - Twisting Woid is a golouris EDM track which will bring you right back to festival season or a night out, even if that night out is now in your living room. It’s really worth checking out.

Multiscreen videos

The Monomyth Record Lockdown Playwall has also shown what creative things and creative ways that artists are creating during lockdown. Especially for bands who might be apart during this time.

ALLORA isn’t the only artist who’s multiscreen videos feature on the Playwall. A band called DeadWax perform their song “Pray To God” from their EP through the use of a multiscreen video which I’ve really enjoyed. Both the song and the video are quite excellent. Secondly, Peace Frog’s multi-screen video for their song “Oxford Comma” which is equally as intriguing. Finally, Harry Hanson’s multi screen video is very engaging as it involves a lot of people, a lot of effort and has a very cool aesthetic.

The Monomyth playwall has widened my knowledge of the local leeds scene and introduced me to some fabulous new artists that I’ll definitely be following more of. You should check out this Playwall too, there’s such a wide range of musical styles on here, you might just find your next favourite artist too.

Checkout the Playwall here: https://www.monomythrecords.com/lockdown-play-wall

Follow Monomyth Records on their pages:

Facebook: @Monomythrecords https://www.facebook.com/Monomythrecords/

Instagram: @Monomythrecordsuk https://www.instagram.com/monomythrecordsuk/

Livestreamed Performances

Livestreams and at-home performances seem to be popping up a lot recently, and though it may feel like normality, we didn’t often get this amount of interaction or (what feels like) intimate, and often now, acoustic performances from our favourite artists, especially due to artists having to self isolate and not always being able to have their full band and sound engineers with them.

There are so many artists doing this now, ones that spring to mind are Chris Martin from Coldplay, as well as the ‘Global Citizen One World: Together At Home’ “concert” that went out a few weeks ago. It was an 8+ hour feast of brilliant talent performing some of our most loved songs and covers from inside their home. It was spectacular to see what raw talent all of these artists have when all of the production is stripped back. It’s hard to name a few of my favourite performances from this live stream, but Billie Eilish, Lady Gaga and John Legend & Sam Smith’s performances spring to mind. It was a great celebration of music, in what felt intimate, as well as like being in a large community at the same time.

Nina Nesbitt

Nina Nesbitt has been very active on Instagram since the start of lockdown with a lot of music related content, as well as non-music-related posts. I’m always really excited whenever I see a new post from her on Instagram. She has been creating a lot of music over the past two months and creating cool and interesting videos to go with it. She documents her songwriting process for new songs she’s writing in under a minute making it really interesting and consumable. She also posts funny tik-toks and videos which are all worth checking out.

Finally, she’s been doing videos of ‘(re)creating/remixing songs’ from household items, which are always fun. She’s done this with a few of her songs like ‘Somebody Special’, ‘Love Letter’ and ‘Loyal to Me’, which includes videos and memes such as Gemma Collins, Kim Kardashian, dogs and a voice note from her ex. Nina has gone about it in good humour, however still making it good quality.

Instagram: @ninanesbitt https://www.instagram.com/ninanesbitt/

Tik-Tok: @ninanesbitt

Virtual Pints

Virtual Pints is something I’ve heard a lot more of since the start of lockdown. It’s a cool and interactive way that artists (among other people) are able to be with lots of fans in what feels like a very intimate environment. This is something we wouldn’t have really had the opportunity to be a part of before lockdown. SG Lewis is an artist who has done this really well. Occasionally he will host virtual pints, and you can request to be a part of the livestream with him, get on and have a chat. SG Lewis is a very friendly and interactive artist who loves to communicate with fans, and does a lot with us in mind. His livestreams and ‘Virtual Pints’ are no diferent. He’s really interested in spending time with us.

It’s a great way to keep that intimate connection with fans whilst feeling like you’re at the pub with your friends, and it helps to supply us with all of our pub needs whilst we are self-isolating.

He’s done a few tik-toks about how he made some of his songs, which are so interesting to see how a song is built from the ground up. These are worth checking out too.

SG Lewis Instagram: @sglewis_ https://www.instagram.com/sglewis_/

SG Lewis Tik-Tok: @sglewis_

Thanks for reading, check back soon as there’s more on the way.