The pandemic has affected global businesses, large and small, in unprecedented ways, wreaking havoc across many industries, including the cultural and creative industries.
Cornerstone Entertainment VP of Music and Senior Artist Handler Caress Caballero.photos provided
Television and film production ceased, and performance artists ominously saw stage lights dimmed.
The result was a sudden drop in income. But one of the most worrying effects is how it affects the mental health of artists.
“In addition to the apparent loss of jobs and opportunities during the two-year lockdown and during the lifting of the lockdown, artists have also experienced mental and physical upheaval. This has been accompanied by an awareness that the health and well-being of artists and cultural workers is a must Essential, but unfortunately lacking,” said Chris Mirado, the former artistic director of the Cultural Center of the Philippines.
Cornerstone Entertainment’s vice president of music and senior artist handler Caress Caballero said their singers had to endure months without bookings.
“Without a doubt, like other management during the pandemic, the biggest impact on our talent has been live performances. Cornerstone is known to have some of the brightest and biggest singers in the country, such as Iñigo Pascual, Moira dela Torre, KZ Tandingan, Jaya and other major singers. These artists on our list perform live on stage and often have their own bands. So, imagine when live performances go to zero,” Caballero told The Manila Times.
“I think that’s when we started seeing singers performing online, but their gigs were still unbooked. They would stream their performances on social media. It’s hard to generate revenue, but it’s their way out,” she continued. said.
In a short period of time, the performing arts and music industries have gone through digitization at an unprecedented rate. These online content producers have the freedom to keep audiences engaged and meet the burgeoning demand for cultural content.
“The CCP has saved as many jobs as possible by moving the shows online and hiring the artists and staff who were originally involved. That also means repurposing them for online productions. The CCP has also funded a professional artist support program, The program has funded the ongoing training of professional dancers throughout the lockdown. This has spared an entire generation of professional ballet dancers from giving up years of hard-earned training and experience,” Mirador shared.
“As a result of the move to online platforms, artists have developed a keen awareness of other production centres outside of their ‘silos’. In fact, many regional production centres showcase their work alongside formerly well-known companies,” he added Say.
Chris Mirado, former artistic director of the Cultural Center of the Philippines.photos provided
At the same time, Caballero shared, it also enables artists and crews to self-discover and expand their skills beyond their usual abilities.
“I think I can say it’s one of the best qualities of a cornerstone that I’m proud of. Aside from being humble, I think our faith and belief in the singer is very complete. We didn’t stop. During the pandemic, we launched a An online channel called CSTV so the artists can still have a little bit of income because we don’t want them to lose exposure either,” she said.
Now that people have learned to live with the pandemic, this massive digitization, coupled with emerging technologies, presents new opportunities for China and Cornerstone.
“In the past, online works were just for publicity and awareness, but now they have become a way for live performance art to extend the shelf life and reach of the work. To a certain extent, the mixed use of online technology has made the production process more time-saving. Some are based in Manila-based companies are now seriously considering partnering with local companies for residencies in the region,” Mirador said.
“The downside, however, is that while we’ve emerged from the pandemic, productions and audiences still face the threat of community transmission. Some shows have had to be canceled because cast or crew tested positive for Covid during the run. This has financial implications Costs and reasons for low morale. Production companies should be prepared for this, and I think the government should activate stimulus or emergency funding that live performing arts producers can get to mitigate the revenue loss from these sudden cancellations,” he continued.
“In addition to this, we now have a situation of the next generation of performers who find themselves without proper artistic exposure and job opportunities because of a two-year production gap. Something should be done to encourage these young artists or we lose Our next generation of performing arts content creators,” Mirador added.
Cornerstone, on the other hand, finds itself lucky to find another avenue to discover new talent that will help them immensely in the years to come after the pandemic.
“We have P-pop groups like VXON and G22. We found some of their members on TikTok and they are all great boys and girls. It’s a great feeling to have another avenue to discover stars. Before, talented people sent in their CDs or tapes. They would email you or go straight to your office to audition for your show. But now, on two hours of ka lang mag-browse ng TikTok, you’ve New talents discovered.
Now, the concept of having an additional path of discovery is a great tool for us to explore music more. Mas lalawak ‘yung music industry because of the source of lumawak din ‘yung,” shared Caballero.
In addition to discovering new singer-songwriters online, another notable prospect Caballero sees is how much young talent there is in the Philippines today.
“Ngayon, iba na din ‘yung Freedom ng mga bata. Imagine the songs used to have limited themes. But now the market acceptance is very different. Imagine the lyrics of mga ngayon may ‘yosi’ but still acceptable pa rin. Iba na din kasi ang generation ng listeners ngayon. And just because of more acceptance of ang listeners, ‘yung mga singer-songwriter mas nabarakung sila ng free kasi aggiyo siya. So, para sa akin, dahil is more accepting of ang music than before fans, mas malaya ang mga creator, one of the best things that has happened in the music industry. Also, pabata ng pabata din ang songwriter. 14 year old meron nang nagsila tungbo sa pang heartbroken. That’s because they exposed It’s good for the future of the industry,” he said.