By DEVON GOHDE
Every Tuesday and Thursday, an episode of Gig-Less, a podcast for performers who have lost their gigs due to the pandemic, is uploaded to YouTube. Hosted by Remi Leibovic, Gig-Less takes us into the world and minds of gig performers.
Remi Leibovic, a post-grad student from Rutgers Camden, has started the podcast “Gig-Less” for those who have lost their gigs due to COVID-19. Leibovic is currently starting her own business and is a social media manager.
“When you can’t do anything, you do what you can, so this is what I’m doing.” Said Leibovic.
Leibovic’s podcast features the gig workers who have been affected by COVID-19 quarantine. Freelance artists who rely on events and personal clients to make part or all of their income, but since the start of the nationwide lockdown in March, many public gatherings such as shows and weddings have been canceled. As a result, many workers are being laid off due to non-essential businesses closing and have now lost their source of income.
About 35% of people in the country make their living by being self-employed according to Upwork and Freelancers Union. Artist are also 3.6 times more likely to be self-employed, according to the National Endowment of the Arts. According to the GDP, freelancers contribute $1 trillion to the economy annually.
Now that they are losing one or their only source of income it leaves them wondering if they will be eligible for unemployment or pandemic assists. In New York, self-employed applicants cannot apply for pandemic assists until they apply and are rejected from regular unemployment.
Leibovic said she received a stimulus check but still needs to see if she qualifies for partial unemployment. Wagner did not want to comment on this.
“A lot of performers I know are still trying to see if they qualify for unemployment,” said Leivobic
Freelancers helping Freelancers
Leibovic, 24, is a graphic designer.
While at a graphic design convention in Philadelphia on March 5, Leibovic heard other designers starting to panic about how their work will suffer if we would have to go into quarantine.
She started self-quarantining on March 15 and became worried about how her business will suffer from this. Also, her other artist friends who were beginning to lose their clients and gigs as well.
Leibovic says she has always wanted to do a podcast, and soon “Gig-Less” was born.
“Me and the people I interview for the podcast are on the same boat.” She said on a Zoom call on April 16.
She asked her friend Dane Wagner, a senior at Montclair State University with a major in music therapy, to help edit and produce the show. Wagner is a guitarist and plays in pits for local musical production and stand-ins for bands. He is the president of the MSU Music Therapy Student Organization as well.
Wagner, 26, initially never thought or wanted to be a part of a podcast but does enjoy being a part of projects.
“You have to be ready to do what you have to do and have acceptance for what’s going,” he said on the Zoom call alongside Leibovic. “There are people out there who have a story, and we respect that.”
The show is uploaded to YouTube, making it more accessible for people to listen and currently has nine episodes. Interviews are done on Zoom with Leibovic and the interviewee. They do not reach out to artists themselves unless it is a close friend in respect of not reminding them about their current situation, but they do welcome artists to reach out to them who want to be a part of the show.
The first episode premiered on March 22 with Brandon Essig, a drummer. Essig is in the bands, The Permanent Revolution based out of Brooklyn and Eels of Love based in New Jersey. He also plays for orchestra pits for local theatre.
Alongside drumming, Essig, 27 is also an actor. He attended the University of Arts in Philadelphia, majoring in acting. He works as a background and stand-in actor based in New York City and most recently was one of the joker’s goons in the Joker starring Joaquin Phoenix.
“Remi and Dane are getting to the heart of this, things are never gonna be the same after this of getting people together to experience art.” Said Essig.
Ariana Gates, 24 has also been featured on the podcast. Gates is a singer and has a Bachelor of Arts with a concertation in Popular Music Studies from William Paterson. She works as a wedding singer for a company that books her for weddings and holiday parties during that time of year. She was going to have her first single release but had to postpone it due to social distancing canceling her album cover shoot.
“The people who work in offices, you’re working at home or, you’re just not working right now but, your job is furloughed so you will go back, but for a lot of musicians it’s up in the air.” Said Gates.
The show is promoted on social media. Gig-less has an Instagram page, and Wagner and Leibovic promote their show on their personal accounts. They also ask for friends to share a post about the show and share links to the new episodes when they come out.
They avoid talking politics and statistics on the show and focus on the person and their craft. Other than the goal of making a platform for these artists, they want to meet new people and have a good time.
“Gig-less is a great look into the artist’s mind.” Said Essig
Even when the pandemic ends and people start getting their gigs back, they still want to continue making the show.
“I want to re-interview everyone and make more of a point to support local artists when this is over,” said Leibovic. “I want to incorporate more into the show like recording the show live at one of their gigs.”
Gig-less Post Quarantine
Gig-less will continue after the pandemic as an artist still need the exposure to get clients.
The art industry seems to be one of the top occupations that people seem to forget about or not acknowledge. But what they also forget how much they contribute with the media we consume. From producing music played on the radio to even the news.
“We don’t think about how artist contributes to a lot of what we do, we just consume it, we don’t think about it,” said Leibovic
Freelance artist work so hard to get their gigs and income. Wagner recalls being told by his classical guitar instructor, Gabe Handy, from William Paterson University that “you have to make your own gigs.”
“I had to become my own manager.” He adds
Leibovic pointed out how The Daily Show with Trevor Noah doesn’t look as appealing as it did before the pandemic because it’s not shot in a studio anymore with a whole crew.
“I feel artists and musicians and supporters are taken for granted.” She said.
“I think more people need to be accepting of the arts,” Wagner added.
The show is open to more than just musical performers but the artist of all types. Leibovic wants to include other professions in the arts like photographers, painters, and drag queens.
As for now, there is nothing but questions on when this pandemic will end, and people will be able to start working and having events again. It’s stressful for all workers to figure out when they will be able to return to work.
For freelancers, some were able to keep clients while others were not. For now, there are platforms like Gig-less for them to keep their names out there.
“We are human, we all lost something but we, also need art because then what’s the point.” Said Wagner.
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I like the quotes because they give a lot of different perspectives. You did a good job of asking the right questions and getting good answers. I like the pictures next to the names and the use of the instagram post. Overall a good story.