To our dear POP Montreal community,
Much has changed in the world since we last wrote to you. So many in our community have felt the impact of this global pandemic, and it has been a difficult week for artists, industry workers, festivals and small businesses alike. On the POP end, we have had to cancel our upcoming show with Hanorah on March 22nd, and postpone our show with Basia Bulat on April 24th. We are watching the evolution of the COVID-19 situation and will have an update on whether or not our beloved Puces POP fair will take place in early May.
On a more positive note, our fundraiser for Wet’suwet’en raised $12 247. We want to sincerely thank the artists who participated and everyone for coming.
In this week’s newsletter, we wanted to shed light on the artists, bands and local businesses who could use your support, and provide a list of resources that may help as we navigate these changing times. We’ve also included a playlist, curated by the staff at POP, of soothing songs that we hope will lend you some comfort. read the article here: How COVID-19 is changing the lives of Montreal-based artists
We put so much love and energy into our POP programming, and are working towards bringing you an incredible festival. We hope that by social distancing and self-isolating NOW, we will be able to come together for an amazing celebration of music, art, film and craft in September. We can’t wait to see you again,
xoxo POP Montreal
SUPPORT ARTISTS
“Not only did we lose the potential earnings of tens of thousands of dollars but we’re actually now deeply thousands of dollars in debt with no day jobs to return to and rent to pay.” – Pelada
“This was this first time in my life that a sustainable career as a touring musician was actually beginning to happen.” – Ryan White
“Life as an artist already has so little stability or security, now we are losing a major revenue source that we relied on – performing publicly.” – Nick Schofield
These are just excerpts of our feature on Montreal-based artists who have been affected by the global pandemic. We encourage you to read the whole article, and to support these artists if you have the means to do so.
SUPPORT LOCAL BUSINESSES
| Many local businesses could use your support in the form of gift cards or online purchases. It would be impossible to list all the ones we love, but here are some to consider: |
| Phonopolis La Rama Sonorama Espace Nomad Blue Skies Turn Black Cinema Moderne Drawn & Quarterly Citizen Vintage Annex Vintage Le Cagibi |
| BE RESOURCEFUL |
| We hope some of these links may be helpful to you. To all artists and freelancers, remember to keep documentation of all of your financial losses. |
| Montreal Mutual Aid Soutien à/de la communauté culturelle québécoise – COVID-19 CANADA COUNCIL CAM GMMQ FACTOR CALQ SODEC |
LISTEN TO MUSIC
Music heals. This is a wonderful time to discover new songs and artists. We’ve made you a playlist of our favourite soothing songs. We hope you will enjoy listening as you move through your days.
| STAY INSIDE, PRACTICE SELF-ISOLATION AND SOCIAL DISTANCING |
| This is the most important thing we can all do right now. Stay inside for your health and the health of our community. Stay safe, we love you! |
