By Sam Durhman
As COVID-19 has taken a devastating hit on the industry of live music, artists are finally seeing a light at the end of the tunnel.
Local country music artist David Lewis is relieved things are getting back to somewhat normal. When asked about how COVID has affected live music recently, Lewis talked about how things are now looking.
“This past summer it was pretty bad,” said Lewis. “It was a dry spell there for a few months but now it’s just starting to come back around.”
Artists like David are taking a huge toll as many of their shows for most of the year 2020 were canceled. Lewis was lucky to have a small in-person show out in Giddings, Texas. Families and fans came out to enjoy themselves with food, dancing and live country music for the first time since the pandemic started.
“It was a breath of fresh air,” said Christian Sparks, a Texas State junior and diehard fan of David Lewis. “After these dreadful months of being locked inside, I finally got to go outside and enjoy a great show by one of my favorite country artists.”
Every artist, no matter how big or small, is severely damaged by this virus. According to the World Economic Forum, “the music industry has been hit hard by coronavirus with live performance revenue the biggest casualty. A six-month shutdown is estimated to cost the industry more than $10bn in sponsorships, with longer delays being even more devastating.”
Lewis is scheduled to have another show in November which will also be in Giddings. Small towns like Giddings will be the first to start having live music events. Big cities will most likely take a much longer time. Live music isn’t expected to be the same for a very long time.
David Lewis Photo Essay
Music & COVID-19 Infographic
