Joe Bonamassa Throws Musicians A Lifeline With Stream-A-Thon

– Fueling Musicians

Guitar guru Joe Bonamassa is organizing a streaming benefit for musicians in need during the COVID-19-prompted shutdown of the live industry.

The event will be on May 31 at 3 p.m. EST and can be seen on Joe Bonamassa’s YouTube and Facebook pages, as well as the Keeping The BluesAlive Facebook page. It will feature performances from Peter Frampton, Buddy Guy, Dion, John Oates and the Good Road Band, George Thorogood, Tommy Emmanuel, Albert Lee, Walter Trout & Sons, Eric Gales and many more.

Donations during the four-hour event will go to the FuelingMusicians program, a joint effort of Bonamassa and Keeping The Blues Alive. Through the initiative, musicians are provided immediate cash payments of $1,000 to cover food and shelter and prepaid gas cards worth $500 to help them get back on the road.

To date Fueling Musicians has raised $170,000 and is working towards a goal of $250,000.

The COVID-19 pandemic has completely disrupted the live entertainment industry, completely halting nearly all revenue for artists, promoters, production professionals, vendors, and many, many more who make their living the sector. Pollstar has published a resource guide for those in the industry economically affected by the pandemic.

Livestreaming has been an effective way to raise funds, as witnessed most prominently during the “One World” benefit organized by Lady Gaga and Global Citizen, but ticketed livestreams are also providing a means of restoring some form of income for venues, promoters and artists, as was explored in this week’s leadoff.