Social distancing and quarantined? Events cancelled/postponed? Need some entertainment and music? No problem! In the face of the coronavirus pandemic, celebrities, DJs, and other Instagram users with a large platform are not letting the pandemic stop them from connecting with their audience. Instagram live and other livestream services has made it possible for everyone to be together, virtually, in the comfort of their own home. Music is helping the whole world lift their spirits up and breaking records while doing so.
DJ D-Nice "Club Quarantine"
Clubs were closed and parties were cancelled but Bronx native DJ D-Nice "Club Quarantine" was still open. He was the first to start the virtual party wave on Instagram and the beginning of the pandemic with just a few 100 followers on Wednesday, March 18th. Once word got around that DJ D-Nice was playing the hottest old school ,slow jams, country, hip hop, pop, and R&B music, more people joined the club. By Saturday, March 21st, his party grew to 100,000 viewers, breaking Instagram’s live record. The Obamas, Oprah, Kim Kardashian, Bernie Sanders, Janet Jackson, Joe Biden, Drake, and J-Lo were a few of the celebrities he shouted out that “walked in the club”. Before Quarantine, he had less than 20,000 followers, now he has over 2.2 million new followers that he can’t wait to party with in real life. DJ D-Nice explained on his live: “Sitting at home I started to feel empty…There’s nothing like playing the music and feeling the music”.
Tory Lanez "Quarantine Radio"
R&B and Hip Hop artist, Tory Lanez, went viral with his own "Quarantine Radio" and followed the club scene. Lanez told USA Today "I saw what DJ D-Nice was doing and I just wanted to play music and have some sound clashes with some of my friends. I didn't even think it was going to be big...". Playing music for fans, hosting dance competitions, and adding famous friends to his live caused Tory to break DJ D-Nice's Instagram record at 350,000 live viewers. To celebrate, he donated money to fans displaying their talent and best dance moves while also sharing their cash apps for viewers to donate as well.
Swiss Beatz & Timbaland "Verzuz"
Swiss Beatz and Timbaland are two well-known producers with legendary catalogs and responsible for the classics sang by the most successful artist. Both producers were on live, battling toe-to-toe their best hits catching the attention of more than 200,000 viewers. Major blogs reposted the clips with thousands of users commenting who they think won. All the buzz caused the producers to create the Instagram live series “Verzuz by Swiss Beatz and Timbaland”. Every week since then, the duo began promoting the lives battle between two producers, songwriters or artists who have a music catalog of at least 20 hits. Some of the matchup battles include: The Dream v. Sean Garrett, Scott Storch v. Mannie Fresh, T-Pain and Lil John, Ne-Yo v. Austin. Baby Face v. Teddy Riley also battled, getting a huge reaction from social media, breaking Tory Lanez' record at 500,000 live viewers. You can check it out here.
Diddy's Team Love Dance-A-Thon
Sean "Diddy" Combs is known for his smooth dance moves and fun, lavish parties. What better person to throw a dance-a-thon to raise money for COVID healthcare workers? Diddy and his six children went on Instagram live to dance with celebrity friends like Lebron James, Drake, J-LO, A-rod, DJ Khaled, Will Smith, Justin Bieber, Megan Thee Stallion, and the list goes on. All together dancing in the comfort of their home, they managed to raise over $4 million. Check it out below
The main concern of record labels was the decline of revenue during this pandemic, especially to those artists who have planned tours and album releases. Finding a way of promotion for released music and for artists to interact with fans was difficult. Instagram live fixed this problem and high profilers took advantage to put everyone in a good mood. It's a smart marketing idea, I must say and it's all for a good cause. According to a Business Insider article, an Instagram spokesman said Instagram live usage jumped 70% , March through April and views have doubled successfully.