Good Charlotte's Benji & Joel Madden Are Helping Bands Amid COVID-19

If you're like me you had at least 10+ shows be canceled or postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak. And if you're also like me, you still want to see your favorite bands live even if you're not packed into a crowded venue to do it.

Thankfully, Good Charlotte's Benji and Joel Madden are helping bands impacted by the sudden loss of revenue that touring brings in.

A couple of years ago, the brothers created Veeps — a VIP experience and touring company — and the live stream feature has now come in handy more than ever. 

The customizable feature on the site allows bands to stream shows for free or ask for a couple bucks to help offset costs. Many fans are more than happy to support their favorite bands and get a live show out of it all.

In a new interview with AltPress, Joel explains how he and his brother are coming to the aid of many smaller bands who are struggling to make ends meet without being able to tour.

“We have over 300 artists on the platform, and we had developed a tool to ticket your livestream, and no one really needed that at the time, but it’s become something that everyone’s started using. Now we see people using it more and more every week, really,” Madden explained. “We’re seeing bands using it to make money for a charity they’re supporting or a local community charity effort that they’re in or really just supporting their crew that’s at home.”

One of the best parts is, is that the Maddens made it commission-free so they're not taking any money from the bands. “We talk to each artist and their team and encourage a really special experience that fans would be stoked to buy a ticket for. If they’re going to pay $5 to watch you stream, we think you should give them your version of an experience,” he said. “ We are trying to create a way for everyone to win, and hopefully, it’s empowering and equalizing in a way that artists can have options for how they want to do things.”

Bands you can check out on the site includes Good Charlotte, Judah & the Lion, Sleeping with Sirens, Evanescence, and more.

Photo: Getty Images