The recent outbreak of COVID-19 – or Coronavirus – in Europe has led national governments to take measures against the spreading of the virus. Among these measures, countries have restricted social gatherings in enclosed spaces.

In Italy, a country heavily impacted by the spread of the virus, all live music venues and clubs are shut down.

The situation for Italian live music scenes is dramatic.

In order to keep their members active, the Italian live music association KeepOn Live have launched the KeepOn Air platform: a virtual space to share live performances, talks, interviews and interventions connected to venues and festivals. They will be streamed during the quarantine period.

Created in reaction to the quarantine period ordered by COVID-19 prevention measures, KeepOn Air offers a space for audience, artists and live music professionals to connect and keep exchanging all together.

Live music venues, clubs and festivals are social gathering spaces. This initiative proves that they can remain as such, even in times of forced isolation.

Communication from the Milan live music venue Cap10100 saying "Cap10100, one meter away from you".
Italian live music venues organise themselves around COVID-19 prevention measures, while keeping a much needed sense of humour.

The KeepOn Air project will also consist in a digital archive of the Italian live music sector to bring to their government once the crisis is over.

The Italian live music sector lacks recognition as cultural and social actor, and hopefully the KeepOn Air initiative will prove Italian governments wrong.

How to implement a streaming platform such as KeepOn Air?

Step 1: create a dedicated page on your website

Here, for example

Step 2: ask artists who want to support this initiative to perform at home, or at their local music scene

Live stream of Cacao Mental at Circolo Magnolia venue in Milan.

Screenshot from the KeepOn Air concert by Lovesick Duo. Video shot from a smartphone, broadcasted live on social media and relayed by the KeepOn Air streaming platform.

Step 3: Give the artist access to the social channel of the venue who chose to be part of this initiative.

Step 4: Send the link of the video to KeepOn Air team so they can embed it on the website.

Step 5: Let people enjoy concerts at home!

Picture taken from @blacklightsofficial Instagram account. They took part in the KeepOn Air project.

The KeepOn Air project goes hand in hand with the campaign #chemusicaserabasenzapersone (what would music be without people).

This campaign was launched in support of the Italian live music venues, clubs and festivals and all the professionals who gravitate around these places: technicians, sound and light designers, artistic directors, managers, artists, press officers, bouncers…
 

The argument of the campaign is that the live music sector is made by these people. What would music be without them?

This campaign was used by KeepOn Live to discuss with their Ministry of Cultural Goods and Tourism.

The Italian live music association have shared their concerns with public authorities, and highlighted that, although public health is their main concern, the social, cultural and economic roles of live music scenes must not be forgotten.

KeepOn Live asked the government for a compensation scheme for the closed-down venues and clubs.