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Coming to the realization the world had suddenly paused because of a deadly virus called Coronavirus sent the world in shock. Little did we know, what we knew as “normal” would quickly transform into something far different.
March 2020 the music and entertainment industry changed forever. The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic swept the nation causing everyone to practice social distancing and quarantine in their homes worldwide.Cancelation of major events and concerts sent the entertainment industry into a panic leaving most artist’s main source of income nonexistent.
Despite the disheartening news, Dallas native Erykah Badu made the decision not to fear; but step up and lead the way.
The moment she learned tours and concerts would be canceled until 2021, she made it a task to keep the music ecosystem continuous by any means. Her vision was to support her band crew, techs, and musicians all awhile use it as an opportunity to share love and light with the world during a time of chaos.
That is when the Apocolypse Quarantine Concert Series was thought.
There would be three parts of her Apocalypse Quartine Concert Series that allowed her fans to connect and experience a full concert on her own platform she created called Baduworldmarket.com. Apocalypse 1, Apococalpse 2, and Apocalypse 3.
This was not your ordinary live interview or concert. It required much thought and strategy in hiring her own streaming company, create her own paywall, and take the necessary precautions to stay safe.
” I learned very quickly I wanted to give people an experience that wasn’t offered on any platform; I wanted to be interactive”
Apocalypse I:
Cost $1 to enter the Livestream. Upon entering Badu’s live concerts a chat room available for users to interact and shopping for users. The concert was streamed from the comfort of her bedroom at home. During the performance, she had the sophisticated technology to allow users to vote on which songs she performed. Many artists and celebrities tuned in to witness her perform like Swiss Beatz, Kelly Rowland, Michelle Obama, Beyonce and Jay Z Just to name a few.
Never shying away from innovation and creativity; Badu has always set the bar high for artists in the music industry and this time was no different.
” I learned that I didn’t mind carrying the weight. I didn’t mind taking a loss if it meant it encouraged other artists to use the new platform to sustain their families, crews, and ecosystem.. it was worth it”.
Apocalypse II:
The cost of this concert was $2 and gave users a totally different vibe where still they had full control of what Badu sang and what rooms she performed in. Each room had a different ambiance allowing fans access to see behind the scenes of what goes into a full performance.
Apocalypse III:
Costs $3 and it was well worth it to travel in time to a totally different world, Badubatron. The production of this particular performance was simply amazing to witness Erykah Badu and her band performing in huge bubbles the whole performance. She took it up a notch with this performance! There was a mystery person in a hazmat suit who mysteriously roamed around the whole performance, whom some assumed was Andre 3000.
Queen Badu is not only known for her soulful vibes and vibrant energy but also her daring attitude that has continually set her apart in her many years in the music industry. Her intention was to create a space and platform for creativity for artists without having promoters and concert venue expenses. This concert series began to change the narrative of how artists planned to sustain without live concerts during the pandemic and formed a blueprint even after the pandemic.
Queen Badu built Baduworldmarket from the ground up and found a way to monetize her concerts all awhile selling merch and her infamous incents.
Creating and delivering at the same time takes great skill. Her sharing her art and healing the world allowed artists to think outside the box during the trying times for the nation.
