Erykah Badu Concert Series Is Keeping Musicians & Engineers On Payroll During Coronavirus: I Had To Keep All Of Us Employed

Erykah Badu

Erykah Badu Concert Series Is Keeping Musicians & Engineers On Her Payroll During Coronavirus: I Had To Keep All Of Us Employed

Legendary singer-songwriter Erykah Badu has taken matters into her own hands to ensure a source of income for herself, and those who work around her amid the coronavirus pandemic. In the midst of job loss, Erykah Badu, who was used to touring eight months out of the year, had to find an alternative to generate money once her shows were postponed.

Erykah Badu has set her sights on a live-streaming show that she would eventually name, “Quarantine Concert Series”.

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—————————————SHOW SUNDAY 4/5/2020 • 7pm cst • BUT DOORs OPEN NOW • go to [email protected] LINK IN BIO —————————————but meanwhile , I’d like to share this Behind the Scenes video of :: APOCALYPSE ONE from BADU’s QUARANTINE CONCERT SERIES (aired last Monday on BaduWorldMarket.com Thanks to all who supported us last week ! – ????badu

A post shared by THE UNICORN (@erykahbadu) on Apr 3, 2020 at 12:06pm PDT

The series stands separate from other series or shows seen on social media platforms, as Erykah company included a minimum fee of $1-3. Erykah incorporated the fee after she realized following the measures of other artists would only lead to funds for herself.

In an interview she said this about her live-streaming series:

I couldn’t just put a phone up on a tripod and do a livestream on one of the social platforms, because that would just feed me: I had to figure out a way to keep morale up for all [of my] musicians and techs and engineers and keep all of us employed. 

“Quarantine Concert Series” is said-to-be live-streamed from the “Bag Lady” singer’s home in Dallas, TX . The series features a three-hour concert, titled: “Apocalypse One” and a 10th-Anniversary tribute to Erykah’s album,“New Amerykah Part II” on April 5. Erykah is expected to premiere her third show on Sunday (April 19). For those looking to tune in, viewers will have to pay $3. Erykah’s live-streaming company has upped the price by $1 each show.

Erykah Badu

Getting the company up and running wasn’t easy for 49-year-old as she detailed the rigorous process of getting it off the ground.

“I had to clear all of [the rights for] my music [which] took until 10 p.m. on the evening of the show. The engineers and techs had been in my house for two days wearing gloves and masks, and they’re all looking at me, wondering what’s going on. So I had to decide at 10 p.m. whether to spend another day of expenses or just bite the bullet and go at midnight — and I made the decision to go.

Erykah continued:

 My label (Universal Music Group) did everything they could to help and support me, but it was very last-minute. […] because I was doing it alone there was a lot more involved in order to become legitimate for this medium. I had to do a lot of paperwork and production myself, but if I was going to do it, I was going to play fair.

Erykah Badu

She’s apparently made it clear that she would like to “figure it out” before giving anyone the chance to join.

I get about five or six calls a day from bands, solo artists, MCs, comedians, asking “How did you do that?” And I answer simply, “Let me perfect this and figure it out and make these mistakes and be the guinea pig, and then I’ll bring you in.” I think my next feat will be starting a [live streaming] company for music and for art.

When asked on her series comparison to art, Erykah said:

It’s another form of art, all of it. My streaming company will provide a turnkey solution for artists, a means of learning how to merge the creative platform with the tech platform.

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