Translation: Jóhannes Bjarki Bjarkason

There’s no need to comment on COVID-19’s impact on the world. We experience it in our own skin each day. Social norms have changed radically in an unprecedented manner over a short period of time. News of increasing unemployment and shouts of government inaction toward individual industries have been rampant. The cultural sector is one industry that has been hit hard. Cultural institutions are now eagerly trying to make their services accessible digitally or remotely, at least as long as guests cannot be welcomed in person. Renowned musicians have spoken out and criticised authorities for their lack of response to the crisis. For example, an interest group for independent musicians was founded in response to the situation: the Association of Independent Musicians. The founders are mostly nationally famous artists, for example Bubbi Morthens, Selma Björnsdóttir, and GDRN. It is imperative that people in such a delicate industry speak up about their situation.

However, it is also important to stop and examine which actors in the music industry are fighting for an improved situation. Many people create and perform music without relying on it as their primary source of income. The pandemic’s impact on people in such positions is mainly the loss of opportunity to further their careers. This loss of opportunity makes it impossible for young musicians to survive off their work. With the aim of examining this point of view, I spoke with the members of Gróa, Kristín Sesselja, and gugusar, all young independent musicians. We spoke about how the situation affects their work, the importance of concerts, and the visibility of artists during times like these.

The artists are in agreement when it comes to concerts. Concerts are their most important source of income and main platform for promotion. “Playing concerts has always been a big part of our band and definitely our way of promoting ourselves. In that way, we can completely control how we want the experience of our music to be,” says the band Gróa. Gróa has garnered a lot of attention for their music, stage presence, and general playfulness. When asked how they would feel about a future without concerts, they replied: “It could be interesting, but it would suck so much! Because it’s so fun going to shows. It’s the best thing in the world to go to a good live show and dance your butt off. And to play in front of people dancing is the best thing in the world. It’s so different playing a show online, for example, because that type of concert is often accessible forever, which is weird to think about, and it prevents experimentation to some degree.”

The situation caused by the pandemic hasn’t just inhibited opportunities here in Iceland, but abroad as well. Kristín Sesselja released her first EP at the age of 17 and now has a contract with Swedish-based distribution company AWAL. Plans for touring in the Nordic countries and recording a music video in Sweden sadly fell through. Kristín says this allows her to focus more on the Icelandic market. Kristín and her musical partner Baldvin Snærs have a rather stoic reaction to the restrictions in place: “All of this encourages us to look inside ourselves and slow down.” Kristín explains that she and Baldvin are using this time to learn and develop their project.

The popularity of Guðlaug Sóley, better known as gugusar, has increased rapidly in the last few weeks. A year ago she was playing at dances at her local youth club, but she recently performed on the TV show Vikan með Gísla Marteini. Guðlaug has just recently started earning money from her shows, and, like the other musicians we spoke with, believes concerts are very important. She has had to postpone her release show twice, as well as missing out on performing at large festivals like Innipúkinn and Iceland Airwaves. While nothing else can be done, she’s using her time to write in the studio. “I have focused on using social media more. I try to be active there and to keep people from forgetting me,” she says. This is probably a challenge many musicians face: to not find themselves lost in a sea of diverse musical acts.

All the musicians we talked to share the commonality of being in a difficult position. They have all progressed in some way with their careers, but they are now in a situation which prevents them from enjoying the opportunities they need in order to make a living through music. While it’s unclear when the pandemic will end, the question arises whether social media and the constant presence of musicians online is the future. It is difficult to imagine a world without concerts, even though living room shows are on the rise. It’s obvious that it isn’t just musicians who live off their work who are being affected by the pandemic. It is important that these other voices are heard, parallel to the louder ones, if we’re going to implement policies that benefit all musicians. Not just the most famous ones.

The Changing Musical Landscape