New York, NY (Top40 Charts) It's forced me to live stream like many other artists...
Singer Songwriter Georgia Crandon (from Georgia & The Vintage Youth) who has received praise from BBC
Radio Essex, BBC
Radio Cornwall, Mo Pleasure (Earth Wind & Fire) and
Pixie Lott - will be raising money for the NHS and
Music Venue
Trust (MVT) in an attempt to avert the impact Coronavirus is having on these establishments with the release of a rearranged cover of the Elvis Presley's '68 comeback special track, "
If I Can Dream", following a successful live streaming campaign.
Like many other independent unsigned singer songwriters, Georgia Crandon has struggled to financially survive as an independent artist in a world of streaming that pays a pittance. Has the Coronavirus pandemic changed the status quo of the way we listen to live music for the foreseeable future? And does this create opportunity, potentially becoming a force for good in the music industry?
The music industry is constantly changing and even before controlling Coronavirus lead to lockdown, A&R Managers rarely ventured out beyond their own computers to discover new bands. They were primarily concerned with a band's number of on-line subscribers, followers or listeners. The music industry certainly needed a shake up. As a result of the lockdown, talented, unsigned singer-songwriters and musicians took to their smart phones to start live streaming globally across all social networks and this is providing an opportunity that may not have otherwise been explored.
Georgia Crandon covered the song, 'If I Can Dream', (originally performed by Elvis and written by Earl Brown as a tribute to the late
Martin Luther King Jr.) as a consequence of a viewer's request in her regular, "Friday Night Live Show" aired at 7pm and aptly titled, 'Quarantine & Wine' broadcast on Instagram and Facebook. Georgia performed an outstanding rendition of the track superbly accompanied by Charlie Manning on guitar. Georgia said of the live cover, "Singing through those powerful words completely moved me. A song about hope, strength, fear and dreams of peace, with words that express how we are all feeling right at this moment".
Georgia received so much praise and positivity from the live cover that, despite the lock down, she decided to record her version of the song and brought in musicians like Mo Pleasure (Earth, Wind & Fire) and John Waugh (Saxophonist from The 1975) to accompany both her and Charlie on a video stream. The final version was mastered and cut in record time and all monies raised will be donated equally to the NHS and MVT. "I finally felt like I had a purpose to sing this song", Georgia said.
When asked about how Coronavirus has affected her career Georgia added, "It's forced me to live stream like many other artists nowadays." Georgia admits that she was never comfortable with live streaming or social media. "My fix came from performing live in a sweaty old venue in front of hundreds of live music loving fans. But now that's all changed." Georgia's fanbase is growing rapidly over Instagram, Spotify and YouTube as her Friday Night Live stream continues to engage with new fans from all over the world. "I'd have never normally released a cover" Georgia says, "…But the fans wanted it, and it seemed to be a small thing we could do to try and raise some cash for these two magnificent charities that are being hit hard by the impact of Coronavirus."
Georgia and her band The Vintage Youth toured the UK in 2019 and performed at a sold-out Royal Albert Hall in front a capacity crowd of over 5,500. She was, ironically set to tour China before Coronavirus broke out as well as Germany, Ireland and the U.S. The release of her new EP, "Overthinker " was placed on hold and the interim cover release of, 'If I Can Dream', will hopefully raise cash to provide resources to help the NHS overcome the pandemic and The
Music Venue
Trust to provide support to grass roots music venues that are in dire need of financial assistance.
Coronavirus. A force for good, no. A catalyst to encourage artistic live streaming and change the music industry, yes. And with lyrics like, "If I can dream of a better land where all my brothers walk hand in hand", a symbol of hope for a bruised world where we can all wish for the greater good.
Go to https://georgiaandthevintageyouth.com/ificandream to donate to either the NHS or
Music Venue
Trust (MVT)
