After the difficult year that was 2020, many in the live music industry are questioning the future. 

While artists have already started announcing new tours, it seems like live music should be back to "normal" by September 2021. However, while artists are going back on the road and playing shows, what happens with other areas of the industry, like live concert photography? This is something that many photographers are having to ask themselves. 

Will artist still allow local or freelance photographers to attend their concerts?

Will artist managers still provide complimentary tickets for media?

Will venues even allow local photographers into the concerts?

Even before the pandemic that completely shutdown the global live music industry, it was becoming more and more difficult to photograph artists due to limiting the number of local photographers being allowed into each concert. Artists that have their own touring photographer just don't need the services of local photographers. Because of these reasons, and everything that is still up in the air, many friends have already decided to stop photographing concerts.

To be completely honest, freelance concert photography work is not a profitable venture. If you're not on assignment from a major magazine or media outlet, you're more than likely not going to ever see any financial return. More often than not, you're not being paid for your work and sometimes you're coming out of your own pocket to pay for the tickets to enter the venue for a concert you're essentially working at. Artists regularly will share cell phone photos taken from the crowd, rather than professionally taken photographs, and good luck getting any credit if they do. It's just not a great choice for anyone looking to make a living out concert photography on a local level.

For me personally, I actually sold all of my camera equipment prior to the entire global shutdown in 2020 (by coincidence). And as of right now, I have no intention of continuing with concert photography in a professional way. I've been lucky to have photographed hundreds of different artists throughout my time being a professional concert photographer, 280+ available to view here on my website. I've attended several major music festivals, seen artists I never thought i'd have the chance to see, and i've met so many incredible fellow photographers along the way.

Going forward, I will only be photographing the rare concert that I get asked to photograph for the artists personally. Maybe some smaller local shows here and there, but I'm looking forward to just being a normal general admission patron to concerts again.