Instead of a potent combo of Latin-jazz-rock fusion, The Cat Empire are today using their trumpets to sound a rallying call for fans to support Australian artists in the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic, which has effectively stripped them all of their livelihoods in one fell swoop.
With Scomo yesterday announcing a ban on all non-essential indoor public gatherings of more than 100 people for up to six months, the live music industry has essentially been shut down, and with it, the primary income stream for all of our domestic touring artists, from the smallest to the highest levels.
The Cat Empire, for instance, had their current sold-out tour of Europe postponed after just four shows, and then copped the back-to-back cancellations of both BluesFest Byron Bay and Groovin’ the Moo, amounting to 17 shows cancelled in just 2 days, amounting to over $750,000 of lost income for the band.
So today, they’re aiming to improve the situation for their fellow artists by launching an initiative dubbed ‘Lockdown Get Down’, a simple way that fans can support their favourite artists at the cost of no more than a click.
The Cat Empire’s manager Correne Wilkie explains: “After giving so generously to bushfire recovery efforts around Australia recently, we know that people are low on cash reserves to help others, but this idea won’t cost you any more than what you are already paying to listen to music. And if you use a free streaming service, then it won’t cost you anything, but you can play a critical role in helping our industry”.
The band are asking us all to:
- Please stream more music non-stop on your preferred streaming service
- Create a playlist, name it “lockdowngetdown”, and share it with your friends
- Post your Lockdown Get Down pics and vids online with hashtags #lockdowngetdown and #thecatempire
“Our industry is under serious global threat as gatherings in public spaces are not allowed to continue”, Wilkie concludes.
“There are no bail out packages for musicians, or songwriters, sculptors, photographers, creators… And yet, we desperately need the beauty of artists reflected in the world so we can find our way through the dark times.”
So go on, get streaming!
