While most artists, events and labels alike have been quick to adapt to virtual ways in these trying times of quarantine, some are taking it a step forward to fundraise as a part of it and do their bit of good while donating proceeds to multiple different relief efforts.
On March 27 and 28, Beatport Live planned a massive live streaming event called ReConnect where what began with 24 artists and 24 hours of performance grew to 33 artists from across the world and over 33 hours. The event was hosted on Twitch and broadcast live on Facebook, YouTube, and Periscope. With the aim of taking DJ’s from their living rooms to fans in their living room, the stellar line up included names like Carl Cox, Bonobo, Paul Oakenfold, Nora En Pure, and a lot more.
Beatport teamed up with AFEM (Association For Electronic Music), and all the TIPS collected on the Twitch live stream were donated to charitable organizations that help alleviate the financial burden that coronavirus has imposed upon so many in the electronic music community. Further donations were sent directly to the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund, a WHO-led effort to respond to the pandemic and help send essential supplies and personal protective equipment to frontline health workers. The event raised $185,000 for COVID-19-related charities, by ‘connecting DJs from their living rooms to other people’s living rooms.’
While the artists came together from all over the globe, so did the viewers. The stream saw over 8.5 million views from over 150 countries and also over 6,200 donors.
Speaking about how the idea of the event came around, Beatport’s CEO Robb McDaniels said “People can still dance. You can dance anywhere; you can dance alone; you can dance in groups — but dancing is going to make you feel better. As the house party concept developed, we had to connect DJs from their living room to [other] people’s living rooms.”
While artists were given complete creative freedom by Beatport, the only guidelines remained in terms of set times and giving the team leeway before and after their sets in case of technical difficulties. Once live, Beatport’s teams from all over the world in Berlin, London, Mexico, and Los Angeles managed the AV master mix and delivered it to Twitch, YouTube and Facebook Live platforms. Another stellar feature of this live stream was a running live track identification so viewers could link to Beatport and purchase a song while the DJ played it live!
Speaking about the live streaming phenomenon that has become key in these times of quarantine, Pete Tong said, “By accident almost, we’ve come up with something that connects – it’s almost like radio. I was always taught by mentors when I was a kid [to] think of radio as if you’re talking to an audience of one. There’s something about what just happened that’s connected to that, seeing people at home on their own, not necessarily dressed up. It’s very honest.”
H/T: Billboard
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