Brad Paisley: Reflects on the music industry during these unprecedented times (Audio)
During one of our recent interviews with Brad Paisley, we got his perspective on the industry during the unique and unprecedented times and how artists are finding ways to adapt to the current normal.
Trust me when I say that the country music stars who are friends and have one another’s phone number, are talking a lot together. In ways that, I would go months without texting Darius on any given time, but I don’t go a day or two without texting these guys right now. We feel a bit helpless towards our futures, but we feel very thankful. We are in a good place, artists like us are, unless we were incredibly foolish, we’re alright right now. I know all of them are doing what they can for their bands. Then there are artists that aren’t quite to that level, that are having a harder time. They’re not going to be able to do as much and that’s where the pain is going to set in. We need to take seriously these funds and charities that come up that pay musicians and these session guys, because sessions aren’t happening right now. Like I was lucky that we cut the track for “No I in Beer” last year, and I never really finished it. I loved the track we got. Whenever I would hear somebody say, “we’re all in this together,” I heard that melody, which I’d written last year, and I was like I need to go look at that and see what aspect of it works right now and see what might even be better because of that. I was lucky because how do I even bring them in to record? I guess I could have my drummer go in the drum room by himself and never say hi and just look at him on the video monitor, and have him recut if we need him to. There’s creative ways to do this. As far as the rest of us talking, we don’t know for sure when they’ll open up the idea of concerts being okay, it all depends on science. It depends on what they come up with, when they find the thing that allows us a bit of stability. Whether that’s a treatment that knocks the fatality numbers down or vaccine, or whatever it is. Some things are further off than others, I believe in miracles and there are things yet to come. We’ll see who pulls a rabbit out of the hat. When that time comes, one thing I am absolutely certain of is that this will be a party like no other when people are willing to hug again and rock out and lift a glass to whatever in the same room. It’s going to rock, and we have to keep sight of that. Nothing lasts forever, this won’t.