Virtual shows help local musicians survive COVID closures

Four months of being shut down is taking its toll on Florida bars. Owners, servers and bartenders are all feeling the economic pinch. 

Musicians who play in those bars are suffering too. But one local woman is doing all she can to ensure the Tampa Bay area music scene survives the pandemic. 
 
Katie Talbert, a local artist and booking agent, created DTSP Live on March 19, two days after Florida bars were shut down the first of two times. It's a live streaming platform on Facebook where local artists are given the opportunity to share their music during quarantine. 

"It also gives them the opportunity to raise money via donation through a virtual tip jar," explained Talbert. 

Talbert has put on 89 virtual shows so far. She says every tip adds up for the artists she is trying to help.

"A lot of us went back to work for maybe two weeks, and in four months that's just not enough time to get it together." 

She says some local artists have already chosen to leave town in pursuit of gigs elsewhere. Talbert says some of the ones who have stayed can't even afford to feed their families. 

Talbert says high production value is what sets DTSP Live apart from many other virtual shows on the internet right now. 

"A lot of my guys can barely afford a laptop, especially now, let alone be able to produce the kind of quality we are able to do here."

Talbert has been able to keep churning out shows thanks to sponsors like the St. Petersburg Distillery and Cregan and Co.

LINK: To help sponsor the project, or to find a full list of upcoming shows, go to www.facebook.com/DTSPLIVE/