The sound of music had a ripple effect recently on the internet amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Three professional musicians in separate locations -- Tokyo, Osaka and Cambodia -- played their individual parts on their respective instruments then combined the music with footage for a video clip that was made uploaded to the internet.
It was an experimental effort by professional freelance musicians to provide new ways of delivering music performances with nightclubs and music halls that have been closed since the central and local governments requested the public stay home in the midst of the new coronavirus crisis.
Shigeru Terauchi, 57, a trumpet player, was part of the trio. It wasn't his only project, as performers in another trial also mixed together music from fellow musicians who recorded from their respective homes.
The coronavirus ordeal and stay-at-home request issued to businesses and the general public was a major income hit for professional musicians who earn a living solely through live performances and other gigs.
Terauchi said he noticed the pandemic was beginning to affect his work in late February as one by one, his live performances were dropped from the calendar. Before he knew it, most of his gigs scheduled for the second half of March had also been nixed.
Terauchi's job as a music instructor at a school accounted for 20% of his income, and he earned 80% of his money with on-stage live performances. As a result of the cancellations, though, his income in April plummeted to nearly zero, and several thousands of yen by May.
Meanwhile, Naomi Komoto, 46, a jazz saxophonist, and Mao Suzuki, 49, a jazz drummer, experienced similar hardships.
Komoto said she began to feel the dark shadow of the virus crisis creep in late March, when an increasing number of her students at a music school began canceling lessons. The school was later forced to close for about six weeks.
Giving lessons at the school helped her earn 80% of her income, while she drew the balance of her pay by performing at clubs and other events. Her monthly income suffered a blow to the tune of 80%.
Suzuki began feeling the impact around late February to early March, when her live performances were canceled in rapid succession. She drew 20% of her income from music lessons, and 80% from live performances.
She had absolutely no income in April and May.
Though the government called off the state of emergency last month, the Tokyo metropolitan government has not yet lifted its request on nightclubs with live music to voluntarily close. And even after the request for the clubs to freeze operations is lifted, the struggles for freelance musicians like these three might not end.
There are roughly two ways clubs pay musicians for live performances. Some offer a guaranteed fixed amount, but Terauchi said they are the minority. Most clubs have a cover charge and customers pay a per-person fee that is separate from the purchases of food or drinks.
All or most of the money from cover charges goes to the musicians and serves as their payment.
One of the ways the post-coronavirus new normal might impact the source of income for freelance musicians is social distancing.
In the more spacious clubs, the management might be able to reduce customer seating to adhere to social distancing requests for live performances. If this happens, the amount of money generated through cover charges will fall, and that will result in a drop in income across the board for musicians.
The situation could be much more challenging for the multitude of cozy nightspots with live music that are capable of accommodating only about 10 to 20 customers. It is nearly impossible to social distance at these types of clubs.
According to Terauchi, Komoto and Suzuki, six to seven clubs that used to feature live music have already gone out of business.
It is possible that a vast number of intimate nightclubs nationwide are forced out of business, a very likely scenario even after the requests for closure are lifted.
Terauchi also said that these compact clubs are not only income sources for many musicians, but also serve as training grounds for young artists looking to start out in the profession.
"In clubs like these, they [young musicians] learn how to perform the music straight-up," Terauchi said.
Komoto pointed out that these trying times might trigger change in the business practices of clubs that offer live music.
"I have felt that managers of clubs have relied excessively on the efforts of musicians to attract customers," Komoto said.
Now is the perfect time to explore online performances and other alternatives to attract customers and help musicians earn an income in situation that don't involve customers gathering in confined spaces.
Suzuki has an additional worry about future performances because she has played in South Korea annually over the past decade. She has made many connections with South Korean businesspeople through those performances, and now she worries it might become difficult for her to travel abroad to play live.
All three voiced their expectations for internet music distribution. Komoto said freelance musicians themselves will have to make efforts in, for example, offering better online lessons by becoming more computer savvy.
But Terauchi, from his experience, said 4G internet systems have limits in reproducing live music performances, as time lags cannot be avoided when musicians in different locations try to play simultaneously.
Komoto said freelance musicians do not have enough connections with engineers in the information technology industry. If musicians distribute performances online as a new way, cooperation from people in the IT industry is going to be sought after, she said.
Even if online music performances become popular, there are many tasks cluttering the path ahead for freelance musicians, the biggest perhaps how to collect payment from internet users.
Also in Tokyo, many food service locations and watering holes have reopened. Night-life districts look closer to returning to normal operations.
All of Japan seems to be gradually beating the coronavirus crisis, at least for now. For freelance musicians, however, the beat goes on in the fight against the long-term effects of the pandemic.
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