The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has wrought havoc on the music industry, with events canceled, postponed, repositioned online, or delivered in a ‘hybrid’ offline-online mode. But a group of 8 festival organizers and 18 bands is rallying together to host an unprecedented collaborative online concert of world music this weekend.
“Big and small music festivals have been cancelled worldwide, indefinitely. Freelance professionals, service and technical entities that existed specifically for festivals have lost their business and incomes,” says Sonya Mazumdar, CEO and Director of EarthSync, based in Chennai, India.
“Like-minded festival directors came together to support each other, work collectively, and primarily create opportunities for artists who are the crux of music festivals,” she adds, in a chat with World Music Central.
EarthSync’s festival, IndiEarth XChange has teamed up with eight other world music festivals to form Culturas 360°, an annual online music project. The first kick-off will feature 18 bands, and will be streamed online for free this weekend on Saturday, March 27 and Sunday, March 28.
“Closed travel routes left artists and professionals stranded. With all stages closed worldwide, the entire artist community has been in a way abandoned for other so-called essential services,” Sonya laments.
The partner organizations are the hosts of Sunfest in London, Ontario (Canada); IndiEarth XChange in Chennai (India); MMM Festival in Maputo (Mozambique); MARE in Santiago de Compostela (Spain); Ollin Kan Festival in Mexico City (Mexico); Kriol Jazz Festival in Praia (Cape Verde); Havana International Jazz Festival in Havana (Cuba); WOMAD in Recoleta (Chile); and Artes á Rúa in Evora (Portugal).
See my photo-essays on earlier editions of IndiEarth XChange in Chennai, and the pandemic lockdown activities of the Indian Music Experience museum in Bangalore.
Artists and Host Festivals:
- MamaSonika Ollin Kan
- Son Rompe Pera Ollin Kan
- Maya Kamaty IndiEarth XChange
- Pratik Shrivastava IndiEarth XChange
- Abraham Cupeiro Nordesia
- Francisco El Hombre Sunfest
- Septeto Santiaguero Havana Jazz
- Morena Son Havana Jazz
- The Lemon Bucket Orkestra Sunfest
- Khoomei Beat IndiEarth XChange
- Moticoma MMM- Mozambique Music Meeting
- Cheny & Xixel MMM- Mozambique Music Meeting
- Kalimarimba WOMAD Chile
- Carmen Lienqueo WOMAD Chile
- Jenifer Solidade Kriol Jazz
- Triunico Ares A Rua
- E.T.E Sunfest
- Siti and The Band IndiEarth XChange
In addition to this two-day online festival each year, there will be other activities promoting music cultures and forms around the world. The collective’s aim is to ensure that even in these hard times, the voice of every culture is acknowledged, valued and protected.
The organizers are also appealing to sponsors and audiences to generously fund and donate to support the world music ecosystem. This includes production studios, editors, cultural organizations, and heritage institutes. The organizers will be leveraging their recording sessions and video production in this regard.
“You and your gift are critical to the survival and well-being of the human race. Stay strong and committed, do all you can to hold out till better times comes,” Sonya says, in a rousing call of support to musicians.
“Worldwide there are thousands of people who deeply care, and are trying to do everything they can to rebuild stages for you to perform again,” she emphasizes.
“Many sponsors in the private sector, have slowly began to understand and recognize the value of supporting the arts in this new online format,” observes Alfredo Caxaj, Co-Artistic Director of SUNFEST, hosted in London, Ontario, Canada.
“Their brands can be seen now by orders of magnitude more people and from many new countries. In many instances, the audiences stay in the web for longer time,” Alfredo adds.
A number of fine arts exhibitions and art galleries are already operating in hybrid offline-online mode, and this practice may carry on into the music world as well. “Corporations are now acknowledging the great number of possibilities for their brands in this new format. Regardless that eventually we’ll return to normal activities, the digital platforms will stay from now on,” Alfredo emphasizes.
“Arts organizations, particularly in the music sector, are also acknowledging that the digital component can tremendously enhance activities, and help reach out to new and diverse audiences,” he adds.
Alfredo urges audiences to keep supporting artists, venues, festivals and clubs as much as they can. “The sector that has been most affected during the pandemic is the live music sector. We were the first one in closing down, and perhaps, we’ll be the last one in reopening. Audience support currently is more crucial than ever before,” he says.
He signs off: “Very soon, we’ll be able to come together again and celebrate life in its full expression!“
Author: Madanmohan Rao
Madanmohan Rao is an author and media consultant from Bangalore, and global correspondent for world music and jazz for World Music Central and Jazzuality. He has written over 15 books on media, management and culture, and is research director for YourStory Media. Madan was formerly World Music Editor at Rave magazine and RJ at WorldSpace, and can be followed on Twitter at @MadanRao.