During this time of quarantine, musical artists have found ways to entertain their fans. Quarantine concerts have recently been popular throughout the streaming services of Instagram live and Twitch.
Popular artists such as Torey Lanez, T-Pain and H.E.R. have been streaming their greatest hits as well as their upcoming music. Producers also take advantage of this opportunity by having DJ battles.
These battles show the deep catalogs of the productions they have while providing entertainment for the people who can’t go out. One of the first people who started online concerts was DJ D-Nice.
D-Nice’s Club Quarantine provides a variety of music for people who enjoy the party scene. Celebrity guests such as Bernie Sanders, Jennifer Lopez and Oprah have joined D-Nice to promote his concerts.
D-Nice's concerts also have one of the largest runtimes on Instagram with over 12 hours on the streaming app. Of course, D-Nice did take breaks in between to use the bathroom and grab something to eat.
D-Nice paved the way for other artists to have live DJ battles and concerts as well. One of the most notable DJ battles was between Mannie Fresh and Scott Storch, who are two legendary music producers. Mannie Fresh brought out classic hits such as “Go DJ”, “400 Degreez” and "Back That Azz Up". Scott Sky had a more diverse playlist with songs such as “Still Dre”, “Cry Me A River” and "Me, Myself and I". This battle brought in over 200k viewers and it shows how many hits these producers had. Both producers provided amazing performances, but Scott Storch was given the edge by fans and viewers who were in attendance.
The next battle was between T-Pain and Lil John, which brought in over 250k viewers. Similar to the Mannie Fresh and Scott Storch battle, it was a hard battle to judge, especially with the deep catalog that both of the artists have.
T-pain brought out classics such as “I’m Sprung”, “Buy You A Drank” and “All I Do Is Win”. Lil John matched T-Pain with songs such as “Get Low”, “Yeah” and “Shots”. While this battle was back and forth for over half of the stream, fans and other celebrities sided with Lil John towards the end.
Last, but certainly not least, there was a battle between hip-hop legendary producers RZA and DJ Premier. While this did not exceed the numbers of the first two battles, it was trending on all social media platforms. The battle ended with fans showing more favor to DJ Premiere.
Instagram gained a huge audience from these concerts and the artists also gained some new fans. However, the real question is: Will these Instagram concerts still be around once the quarantine is lifted? There is an argument for both sides of the spectrum, especially since these are well-acclaimed artists putting on shows for streaming services.
One huge question that we have to ask is: Will money get involved if the concerts will continue through the pandemic? Artists mostly make their money from album sales and touring, so it would not be surprising if artists would require that these streaming services would start charging for their services that they are providing.
The next question is: Will this add another element in how music is distributed? Normally, people listen to music by listening to albums in their respective places, as well as going to concerts so fans can hear their favorite artists perform. Continuing these concerts and DJ battles could provide another route for current artists and new artists to gain more fans and increase sales on their respective albums.
Last, but certainly not least, is: Will the streaming services allow for these concerts to continue after the quarantine? While Instagram is allowing these concerts to take place, there is a strict policy on playing music on Instagram. This could eventually cause the concerts to stop, unless Instagram gets to gain some revenue from these concerts.
Overall, these concerts have provided some great entertainment for fans of music. Hearing classic and upcoming songs brought back some memories for younger and older fans of these artists. However, the continuing question is if these performances continue, or will it just be a fad?
Courtesy of Essence.com
