Staying connected during the pandemic [Magazine Featured]

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, people from all walks of life have struggled with the isolation caused by social distancing. The virus has changed the way we all live our lives on a day to day basis, forcing us to limit ourselves to the bare minimum of human contact and social interaction. This has impacted all sectors in a variety of ways, forcing communities to find new ways to stay in touch, with many migrating to the online world. The electronic music industry is a sector that is built on shared love for the genre, incredible festivals and its dedicated fan community. Since COVID-19 took hold, the vast majority of events have been forced to postpone or cancel, limiting the opportunity for fans, artists and industry professionals to interact with each other face to face. But over the last year, we’ve learned a lot about the resilience that can be found within each and every one of us. The electronic music community has continued to unite throughout the course of the pandemic, but in ways that nobody expected.

Firstly, live streams have become a major aspect of the industry as we know it. Especially at the beginning of the pandemic, when every artist jumped online to offer a live stream, whether broadcasting a performance or simply taking the time to have a one on one discussion with fans. This not only bridged the gap between artists and fans during an isolated time, but it also provided fans with the chance to reconnect through a shared love of the music. From there, major events also sought to deliver their own live stream experiences, with varied approaches. Every live stream reinforced the bond shared between fans and the music, reminding everyone of what they were missing due to COVID-19 and allowing people to once again celebrate their shared passion for the genre.

While sharing a virtual livestream experience, fans took to social media sites like Reddit, Discord, and Twitter to discuss each set, sharing enthusiasm for the tracks played while marvelling at the abilities of the artists. This isn’t a situation that has exclusively been caused by the pandemic however, as fans who are unable to attend any specific major event have always united online, commenting away as each track is dropped. But the pandemic has certainly strengthened the bond between fans, as they continue to discuss dance music from their own homes and across social media. Discord plays host to a variety of groups celebrating electronic music, and these groups unite people from all over the world.

Image Credit: ADE / Provided by Global Publicity