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That and a lot of these venues had razor thin margins during the best of times; at half capacity they can’t survive. And that’s not even including the fact that

That and a lot of these venues had razor thin margins during the best of times; at half capacity they can’t survive. And that’s not even including the fact that discretionary spending will remain low until people feel financially secure, which might happen long after the pandemic is solved. Those who lost out on work will have credit holes to dig back out of once this is over. Here in LA this is killing off some standup clubs. I’ve speculated that it’ll decimate a whole generation of up and coming comics; if you’re a club that’s struggling and needs to sell half the seats at a higher price per, you’re going to reach for tried and true artists and not anyone slightly risky.

Mediterraneo10 6y ago
Breaking out in standup comedy is already moving to YouTube. There are a few comics who record themselves performing to a very small crowd (probably of their friends) to get that live-audience energy, but their main audience is internet viewers.
hn_throwaway_99 6y ago
Agreed. I'm friends with many ballet dancers, and my heart breaks for them. I feel like ballet had a bit of a resurgence recently with the popularity of shows like "You think you can dance" and stars like Misty Copeland. But now I think a generation of dancers will be lost. Dancers can't just "pause". Staying in shape without access to studios and performances is incredibly difficult. The career of a dancer is incredibly short in the best of times. I think many will start to realize the gravity of the situation and move on.