What seems like years ago, but in reality has just been a bit over a year now—everything stopped in its tracks. The world as we knew it stopped. Everything. Stopped. Once the dust settled we knew we were in for what seemed like a long haul, but none of us really knew how long of a haul we were actually in for. The world as a whole would never quite be the same, but the way a global pandemic would affect the music industry as a whole would be both a debilitating and revolutionary experience.

Unable to tour, perform shows, properly record new music, artists found themselves at a particularly unique fork in the road—adapt or die. As fans, we had no clue and at that moment couldn't even fathom what the future would hold. Tours canceled, album releases pushed back—the music industry as we knew it had closed up shop. Much like the artists, music fans also found themselves at a particularly unique fork in the road—adapt or die, and that is exactly what everyone did.

Artists and fans alike took to the internet and started using it in every way possible in order to push the industry forward. Live shows with a full band, became virtual solo shows held on a couch. Heading to the studio to work on an album turned into linking up with fellow artists and producers virtually via "Quarantine Studios" which was created by rapper Jim Jones and lets artists collaborate and record with one another in real-time with no virtual lag.
No more live shows? No problem. Fans began to tune-in in record numbers to watch their favorite artists perform from the comfort of their own homes. With the inability to flip through bins at the local record store, people flooded online record retailers like never before—proving that even if things were the furthest from normal that they had ever been, fans and artists alike would figure it out, together.

In this episode, we talk about how the pandemic has affected how we consume music overall, our listening habits, how we find new artists to check out, buy music, and so much more. You've been right there with us this whole time, so you're certainly not going to want to miss this one. It's season 3, episode 11 of your favorite frontline worker's favorite music podcast. LET'S GO!

Keep up with all of the music we talk about in each episode by listening to the Infectious Groove Podcast Companion Songs playlist, exclusively on Spotify.

Infectious Groove Podcast, part of the OddPods Media Network.