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Staff Writer

Musicians and DJs show solidarity with #togetherathome movement

Coby AlexanderStaff Writer One of the main things the CDC is emphasizing right now is social distancing. Encouraging people to “flatten the curve” and reduce the number of sick and contaminated people in order not to overrun hospitals. With social distancing, the lack of interaction is occurring, but there are a few DJs and musicians who are bringing the party to livestreams – showing that we are all #togetherathome. Cory Townes, a DJ from Southwest Philadelphia, held two live DJ sets on March 25 themed after the super-producer group The Neptunes, which features Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo. Each separate set broadcast on Twitter and Instagram Live, however, the Instagram set happened to be cut short because of music copyrighting rules. Townes has since created FNCTN Worldwide, a place to give DJs a way to perform and connect with listeners on the streaming service Twitch. Twitch is more lenient on music during streams, so it gives DJs a chance to play without the worry of their content being taken away. However, Twitch is not the only place where people are connecting with their music. On March 23, Enfield, United Kingdom, singer and producer James Blake held a concert on Instagram Live, bringing in more than 10,000 viewers. “Thank you,” was the phrase that was commented many times through the hour-long live stream. Another artist who typically stays in the shadows was also open enough to connect with his fans and provide a sense of normality. Singer and songwriters Ne-Yo and Johnta Austin competed in a songwriter match with each other. Forty thousand people watched the artists sing roughly 20 popular songs over a 90-minute period. The engagement the artists had with each other and with the people in the stream may not have been as strong if the artists were actually in front of them, but the effort has been appreciated for those under stay-at-home orders. The barrier of distancing has turned into a connection that brings people together from different backgrounds. That’s evidenced through Bronx, New York, legendary DJ D Nice’s Instagram Live performance. The 80s DJ hosted a Livestream dubbed “Club Quarantine” on Instagram Live for 9 hours without a break. Former First Lady Michelle Obama, twitter comedian and former Chicago Bear football player Spice Adams, singer and Fenty brand owner Rihanna, and more were among the people in the stream. Each artist that entered the live stream, D Nice would play their record or request without messing up once on a transition. One hundred thousand people were in D Nice’s Livestream. And hundreds of thousands more have turned in online and through television to hear the Backstreet Boys, Hozier, John Legend, Billie Joe Armstrong and others perform from their homes – a rare and intimate experience that wasn’t available in this scope before social distancing. COVID-19 has already left a massive impact on the world and has people wondering when “normal” will happen again. Even if the world is far from normal at the moment, artists and DJs have given a sense of socializing that will hopefully last until the world attempts for normality. To help you tune in with the rest of us #togetherathome, here's a list of upcoming concerts and home events our readers can tune in to: April 6: Broadway.com will livestream the late Terrence McNalley’s 1991 acclaimed play Lips Together, Teeth Apart to benefit the Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS’ COVID-19 Emergency Assistance Fund. The livestream will be dedicated to McNally who died March 24 of COVID-19 complications. The concert is at 7 p.m. and will feature Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Zachary Quinto and more. April 10: The Overcoats' are hosting an Instagram Live series Friday Night Fights, where they perform songs, host game shows and more in place of the tour they’d planned this spring. Freedom Fly will be hosting a "Homechella" at 10:30 p.m. to preview new songs from their album live in their studio. April 11:  From 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Facebook Live will be hosting Human to Human, a benefit event. Confirmed performances include Alec Bejanim, Andrew McMahon, Butch Walker, Grouplove, Hunter Hayes, Jensen McRae, Jewel, Lauren Daigle, Lucie Silvas, Nicolas Petricca (Walk The Moon), Sam Nelson Harris (X Ambassadors), Skylar Grey, Tim McIlrath (Rise Against), Tori Kelly and more. Proceeds from the event will benefit PLUS1's COVID-19 Relief Fund working in conjunction with MusiCares and Sweet Relief. "One World: Together At Home" will be broadcast on April 18 at 7 p.m. on iHeartMedia stations, ABC, NBC, Viacom, as well as Amazon Prime Video, Apple, Facebook, Instagram, LiveXLive, Twitter, YouTube and more. Also, Columbia has a whole host of streaming items planned. Check them out here: https://www.instagram.com/p/B-nFk4FAt7w/?igshid=o4vasdfqpg29 Want more? Search social media using #togetherathome. Have a favorite concert you’ve attended at home during the pandemic social distancing? Let us know on Facebook!  

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