With music fans responsibly self-isolating and social distancing and venues on lockdown, artists are finding creative ways to navigate the coronavirus outbreak and its profound impact on the entertainment industries. To help you keep track, Pitchfork is rounding up a daily slate of concert streams, digital gatherings, community support efforts, and other endeavors artists are undertaking to support everyone’s wellness. Check back to this page every day for new listings and recaps.
Monday, April 13, 2020
- Alexis Taylor: The Hot Chip singer will stream a live performance from La Blogotheque’s Instagram at 1 p.m. Eastern as part of the outlet’s Stay Away Show series.
- The National: The group’s weekly “Exciting Communal Event” is back at 5 p.m. Join in and consider supporting the band’s tour crew.
- Boys Noize: From 8 p.m. Eastern, the German producer (and cross-genre collaborator of Skrillex, Danny Brown, Chilly Gonzales, and others) is due to host his daily set, which can span from ambient sounds to improv and more, on Twitch.
Wednesday, April 15, 2020
- Jake Xerxes Fussell: The folk singer will stream a set on the Facebook and Instagram pages of Duke Performances from his home in Durham, North Carolina.
Thursday, April 16, 2020
- Sound Mind: A Covid-19 Mental Health Benefit Concert: Artists include Dawes’ Taylor Goldsmith, Foy Vance, Dispatch frontman Chad Urmston, Langhorne Slim, Jade Bird, and Ballroom Thieves will perform live from 8-11 p.m. Eastern. Watch it on YouTube.
Friday, April 17, 2020
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“Music Lives”: LiveXLive Media and TikTok are hosting a 48-hour livestream called “Music Lives,” as
Billboard
notes. Over 35 artists, including Swae Lee, Nas, Big Gigantic,
Anitta, Trippie Redd, 10K.Caash, and Matoma, will participate in the
event, which benefits the MusiCares COVID-19 Relief
Fund.
“Music Lives” runs from April 17–19.
Saturday, April 18, 2020
- Bang Bang Con: In the wake of their postponed Map of the Soul world tour dates, BTS have arranged a live-watch marathon of BTS concert recordings from 2014 through 2017. The eight-part festival begins at 11 p.m. Eastern on Saturday, April 18 and returns at the same time on Sunday, April 19.
- The Killers: The band will do a live performance and answer fan questions from Twitter on Instagram at 3 p.m. Eastern.
- One World: Together at Home: This expansive concert to encourage people to stay home features several major names, including Lady Gaga, Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder, Billie Eilish, Lizzo, Kacey Musgraves, J Balvin, Burna Boy, and more. It starts at 8 p.m. Eastern, and the full lineup is here.
Playlists
- Carl Cox: The British house and techno producer has launched a new weekly updating playlist with the promise of “surprises” going forward. “I wanted to do this playlist to share all the amazing music I get on a daily basis and to really build strength in our community in these challenging times,” he said in a statement.
- Drag City: The independent Chicago label made a “squeaky clean” playlist called “Disinfecting Wipes” in hopes of soothing fears and wiping the slate clean. It also made a two-hour playlist of tracks by the band Bitchin Bajas for yoga purposes.
-
Hamilton Leithauser: Leithauser is inviting fans to his “quarantine
hell”
and taking suggestions for his “out of tune guitars” playlist.
- Jamie xx: Jamie’s new playlist “Played By Jamie xx” features songs he’s “been playing out and at home, new & old.” He encourages fans to support the artists in the playlists directly.
-
Kevin Drew: Broken Social Scene’s Kevin Drew has created the Calm Jams for the Times of Now playlist. The first edition features his
favorite ambient works.
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Light in the Attic Records: Reissue label Light in the Attic is crowdsourcing tunes for its new playlist Calm in the Attic: An
Ambient Playlist for Stressful Times.
-
Matt Berninger: The National’s Matt Berninger has launched the Social Distancing
Distortion
playlist to help people “stay healthy, body and mind.”
- Matty Healy: The 1975’s Matty Healy has a new isolation playlist, “At About 6-7,” kicking off with Arab Strap’s “The First Big Weekend” and featuring everyone from Frank Ocean and Radiohead to Les Rallizes Dénudés and Astrud Gilberto. He plans to keep the playlist up to date.
- Neon Indian: A new Italo disco mix from Alan Palomo was made in an effort to raise money for COVID-19 relief in Syracuse, Italy. Donate here.
- Phoebe Bridgers: The Stranger in the Alps singer-songwriter tipped her cap to Bhad Bhabie with a cheeky isolation playlist that plays on the phrase that made Danielle Bregoli famous.
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The Prince Estate: A new fan-curated Prince playlist called “Prince ♡ Music Is Medicine”
has arrived courtesy of his estate. “Prince once said, ‘Emotionally,
I stay centered through music. It’s the best medicine in the world,’”
the estate wrote in a statement. “In this moment of uncertainty, fans
from around the world came together to help curate this
career-spanning list of Prince’s most uplifting, healing, and
feel-good songs.”
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Rich Brian: Rich Brian made a self-isolation playlist for HYPEBEAST.
It features Kendrick Lamar, JAY-Z, Childish Gambino, JPEGMAFIA, and
more.
- Steve Gunn: The guitarist and songwriter shared Inside Out, a playlist featuring music by Ennio Morricone, Psychic TV, Robert Wyatt, and more.
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100 gecs: The gecs join the playlist game. “ear potions,” the duo writes.
“its music idk….”