A lot of artists are feeling some serious economic strain after the reality of the COVID-19 shutdowns all across the world. Virtually every tour is canceled, and with that comes tons of money wasted and unavailable for recoupment.
Devin Townsend lays it all out in a message on his new launched GoFundMe page – he lost money on visas, lighting rigs, tour busses, merch production, flights and then some. He asks only those who have the means to donate to do so. Here's his full message:
“Hey all,
I know this is undoubtedly the least appropriate time to ask for this, as I’m sure we’re all trying to figure out what to do in these troubled times, but the cancellation of my recent tour had significant financial implications and with no idea how to make income for the next while, I am asking for some help to sustain my family whilst being able to continue working on new musical ideas.
As with any significant tour, the investments of putting up a good show with a fantastic crew and band are massive. There’s lightning rigs, video screens, tour busses, work visas, merch production & logistics, international flights and a ton of other things that require financial backing and when a tour gets cancelled due to government restrictions there’s no insurance policy in place to cover any of that. As with so many of my peers (and people in general of course) dealing with the same problems, it means that I’m struggling to keep the business afloat.
If you are struggling yourself (which is most of us) please don’t worry about this, but if you’ve got a bit extra, I certainly would appreciate it.
Above all, in the coming months, please take care.
Love and light, and thanks from the bottom of my heart.
Devin“
