The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

The Impact of Covid on Aspiring Music Artists

By Oswaldo Sanchez, Class of 2023

Thanks to COVID-19 and the pandemic, a lot of businesses and industries had to shut down during 2020. One industry hit hard was music. The music industry was one of the first ones to shut down in the entertainment world, as well as one of the last ones to be fully active again. The music world took a sharp left turn in terms of earnings, specifically in recording and publishing aspect.

More established artists had difficulty recording and releasing music but thanks to their status had more resources to get the job done; but for a lot of independent artists/ up and coming artists this wasn’t the case.

New Jersey native artist, YUNGxROE

For most independent artists, quarantine was a time of awakening; it helped with the creative process, writing, and getting more focus. For a lot of up and coming talent, quarantine was the last push and the reason to start their music career.

 

In his case, quarantine helped him get to where he is at today. He took this time like many others to find what they are truly passionate about; and just like that the journey of a young star was born.

At the same time it was difficult, since the majority of the young talent in NJ didn’t have access to some of the resources more established artists had. Many struggled finding a studio to record and release music to build their fan base up.

New Jersey native artist, Bingsley OTB

It had ups and downs, but it’s safe to say that quarantine was a ride of emotions and opportunity, as well as loss and redemption. It was a hard time for all of us; more for some than others, it taught us a lot about ourselves and it affected the world in many ways. Now, the music industry has never been better and is flourishing once again. Artists are dropping projects left and right giving the fans what they want. One thing is certain, there hasn’t been a better time to be an artist or work in the music industry than now. We’ve grown and I am sure every person is glad it’s over.

Special thanks to FxnesseFliccs for the help with the photos of the artists feature in the story