COVID-19 has hit the nation hard, where many people have become unemployed due to public shutdowns. It not only has affected public companies but also musicians, which is why Erykah Badu has created this new project.
Badu developed the idea of charging one dollar for a live concert, that will be split between her and the band members. She explained that usually, musicians look forward to gigs for income, but not playing any shows, means that they’re out of a job as well. Badu took it into her own hands to bring in some income for her and other musicians.
The shows that are expected to be shown throughout the next couple of weeks, include Badu basing the setlist off of the viewers’ requests. The soul artist took a moment to explain to the audience on her website the concept of charging for the live concerts.
“It’s really not designed for us to become wealthy,” Badu expressed. “That’s why we rely on our live shows. We’re not rich people. We just play rich people on TV. This is how we make our living and some of us only have one form of income and that’s shows.”
She also mentioned that other artists were not present for the home shows, because they were stuck in other states, but made sure they knew they would get paid too.
“I got a house full of masked engineers, musicians, techs, who are all out of work,” Badu said. “We have a few band members that’s stuck in other states. I called them earlier and told them today, y’all still on the payroll even though y’all not here.”
The dollar concert is the live entertainment needed right now since it includes one of the greatest to do it, Badu herself, and focuses on helping others for a great cause. The next concert is set to take place Friday, April 3. To check out the live shows, head to her website.
