UnCancelled Music Festival is the newest virtual concert that aims to promote connectivity. The online festival will start on April 3 at 3 p.m. E.T. Musical artists such as Colbie Caillat, Emily Kinney, Josh Radnor, Betty Who, are several of those who are lined-up to participate in the event. The mission of the UnCancelled Music Festival (UMF), as published on its official website, is "Bringing together musicians, fans, and venues from around the globe affected by the COVID-19 crisis for a virtual concert experience". The initiative aims to help sustain and connect the music industry around the world during the pandemic. The online concert will have a daily schedule of gigs that will run on a week-to-week basis. It will be hosted on StageIt, an online concert venue, with multiple "stages" occurring at the same time. The music venues and promoters will curate their lineups of artists who will "go live" from their homes. Each venue will showcase musicians who are dependent on live performances to earn their keeps. By using the said platform, the music venues and artists will remain sustained. Physical venues currently are a definite no-no during the lockdown. For the UMF premiere, three independently owned venues have curated lineups. These venues are The Hotel Cafe in L.A., Rockwood Music Hall in New York, and 4otf Twin Cities in Minneapolis. There are more than 10 other venues in the U.S. that enlisted. The U.K., Japan, Australia, Portugal, and Spain are also participating. For venue or promoters wanting to curate a virtual stage, an application can be filed through the official website, https://uncancelledmusicfestival.com/apply. The other musical artists who will be live streaming are Cailin Russo, Jukebox the Ghost, Kevin Garrett, JP Saxe, Ariel Posen, Josh Kelley, Mary Lambert, David Ryan Harris, Snail Mail, The Aces, MILCK, Ashley Hess, Grace Weber, Cautious Clay, Victoria Canal, Waxahatchee, Brian Fallon, The Marias, Beach Bunny, and more. Fans who wish to attend the virtual concert will purchase tickets to each stage and tip the performer and venue in real-time. It is not only the artist and venue that will benefit from this initiative. A portion of the earnings will go to the Recording Academy's MusiCares, a non-profit organization that provides critical assistance to music people, who need medical, financial, or personal support. During the COVID-19 crisis, any affected music professional can apply for emergency funding due to loss of work. UnCancelled Music Festival is headed by a team of four caring individuals who understood the plight of the music industry. UMF was co-founded by musician and writer Ari Herstand of Ari's Take, Andrew Leib from Red Light Management, and Ashley Maietta of record label Crooked Paintings. Cameron Roth acts as the manager. He is also part of Ari's Take organization. As stated on their website, it is vital for them that "during this challenging time that no musician or music venue goes bankrupt." Official partners include Fender, Bandzoogle, Ari's Take, and Spaceland Presents.
