Fighting Corona with music: Instagram becomes the hotspot of Virtual Concerts

In the tensed times of this global lockdown, musicians from across the globe are helping their fans stay positive through music. And Instagram has become their chosen platform. Check out the rise of Live streaming concerts on Instagram.

Hello, Yatris! Hope you are making the most of the on-going self-isolation time with some interesting activities and productive self-help dos. Its a long way to go, until we reach the end of the 3 week lockdown.

But, in this time of peril, musicians from across the globe are coming to the aid of their fans. So what if the virus has led to the cancellation of  concerts or postponed of tours? Many musicians have created their own stage in the virtual world. Instagram has become the chosen hotspot for these virtual concerts.

The beginning of this sudden performance spurs can be traced back to March 13, 2020 when Lizzo, an American singer-songwriter, hosted a group meditation session on Instagram. With her soothing flute music, she tried to encourage her fans to self-quarantine and to take care of each other.

https://www.instagram.com/tv/B9rq0CJh3y2/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

And following her initiative, numerous other musicians have been going LIVE on Instagram.

Diplo performed his first virtual DJ set along with Rhye on March 14 under the title ‘Corona Sabbath’. The performance was broadcasted across Instagram Live, Twitch and YouTube which gave the fans a good techno and electronic musical experience.

Under the hashtag of #Togetherathome, an initiative supported by Global Citizen, a lot of artists have been posting live performances from their home, starting with Chris Martin and John Legend. On March 17, the Coldplay lead put up a 30-min live performance, while Legend along with his wife, Chrissy Teigen gave an hour long soulful performance on Instagram.

https://www.instagram.com/tv/B90Ft_knpuT/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Carrying on this initiative forward, Charlie Puth posted a soulful piano-dien performance on March 19, with a performance by Niall Horan on the same day. And March 20 observed a bonanza of performances with back to back live streams by Hozier, One Republic and Shawn Mendes & Camila Cabello. And don’t worry if you missed them. You can still catch these performance on their Instagram handles and enjoy them from your own sweet bedroom.

But these LIVE streamings are not only restricted to performances. Miley Cyrus has started her mini talk show series, titled ‘Bright Minded: Live’ on Instagram where she has a discussion with a special guest on “how to stay LIT with love in dark times”. With guests like Ellen DeGeneres and Demi Levato, she will be regularly uploading the videos from Monday – Friday.

https://www.instagram.com/tv/B-Db3QTpw7I/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Furthermore, Pink posted a free concert/ piano lesson on her Instagram page to, as she wrote, “make you feel my love”.

Day by day, popular musicians are posting their music on Instagram, sometimes in bits and pieces, sometimes live from their living rooms, to not only encourage their fans but to share their love and care for those struggling to cope with this pandemic and those numerous doctors, nurses and municipal workers who are working to ensure our safety. And, with this post by Rob Thomas, calling his brothers and sisters in the music world to share a little something on Instagram, there might just be a wave of amazing performances coming our way!

https://www.instagram.com/tv/B90B3PZlm5X/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

It would be interesting to see, if post-lockdown, artists continue to engage with fans through regular virtual concerts.