Feed the Music World: Pixie Weyand launches touring musicians’ platform Feed Music

Musicians everywhere are starved of cash and hungry in general, especially now, thanks to a three-year pandemic that ripped up the playbook. Pixie Weyand’s Feed Music is here to help.

Weyand is behind Feed Music, an online tool that connects artist to their favourite businesses to reduce pressure, whether it’s food, transport or other services, and help them on their way.

Feed Music was conceived in 2014, and introduced in 2017 at BIGSOUND across 13 locations with hundreds of artists registering their interest. The following year, it earned its founder an Industry Impact nomination at the inaugural Industry Observer Awards.

With the health crisis crushing the live music industry, Weyand is throwing her energies into rebooting Feed Music, a project whose ambitions have become urgent.

“I have literally given this project everything I’ve got and sunk my life savings into getting it off the ground,” Weyand tells TIO, “so it’s time for me stop stalling and officially put it back into the universe.”

It’s a pass-it-forward concept, a collaboration that benefits both sides, the Queensland entrepreneur explains.

“We want to shift this paradigm, channeling these resources towards unique authentic artist partnerships built on integrity, purpose and passion,” she explains in a video primer. “It’s time that we brought the artist-and-brand power couple back in a big way.”

Weyand will fly the flag for Feed Music when she presents the platform next month at SXSW in Austin, Texas.

A growing list of artists have signed up, including Adrian Eagle, Bugs, Ecca Vandal, Hope D, Golding, and Boo Seeka, while Weyand continues working through conversations with participating businesses.

Weyand knows more than most about the crippling effects of the pandemic on the live community.

She’s the former booker and co-owner of The Zoo, the Fortitude Valley venue that’s part of the fabric of Brisbane’s music scene.

When health-and-safety protocols kicked in back in March 2020, everything changed.

Weyand didn’t play the wait-and-see game.

In July 2020, she reopened with its weeks-long Anti-Social campaign, some of the first socially-distanced gigs anywhere since the WHO declared a pandemic.

Typically, The Zoo operates at a 500 capacity. Initially, those Anti-Socials played out to 100 gig-goers, twice each night, an experiment that would keep the doors open and the music playing.

Most musicians typically live a frugal existence in the “gig economy,” the vast majority of whom rely on performance to keep their fridges stocked.

The challenges of working in the live music industry and as a touring artist aren’t new, notes Weyand in a statement presenting Feed Music. COVID-19 “has simply amplified pre-existing conditions of below average income, financial instability and poor mental health.”

It’s tough out there. Prior to the pandemic, research published by APRA AMCOS showed that live music provides $16 billion worth of economic, cultural and social benefit to the nation, with every dollar spent on live music providing three dollars’ worth of benefits returned to the wider community.

Most of that has been wiped out. According to data published by the PRO, live music activity in December, the traditional peak season for the industry, was at 6 per cent of the pre-COVID period.

“I have poured my heart and soul into the project in the hope that it can add some meaningful support behind musicians as well as small businesses,” says Weyand. “I have seen the reaction the concept received in its early days and now it’s time to take Feed Music to the world.”

Feed officially opens its waitlist to artists of “all sizes” and businesses who want to get involved by supporting live music.

Register at FeedMusic.org.

This article originally appeared on The Industry Observer, which is now part of The Music Network.