The Big Lockdown Music Survey: Project Overview

Funded by an Arts Council England National Lottery Project Grant, the Big Lockdown Music Survey is a snapshot in recorded music of a once-in-a-generation experience shared by the nation.

The Big Lockdown Music Survey tells the story of the national lockdown introduced in response to the pandemic on 23 March 2020 from the perspective of music creators, through recorded music and sound, data and testimony. We were interested in representing the broadest range of musical styles and forms, including fragments and works-in-progress, and in showcasing music creatives from the widest range of backgrounds. The survey is an account of exceptional personal circumstances, of emotions engendered by enforced isolation (or enforced community), but also of creativity, technical innovation, personal resilience, and originality. 

By making music that was created all over England during this period accessible, we examine questions such as: How do you make music together, remotely?  How has creators' music-making been facilitated by new technologies? How has the experience of the pandemic influenced the content and form of the work of music creators?

Contributing creators and artists whose tracks are selected were paid for their work according to a Musicians Union-approved fee scale, remunerating composers/performers whose work was cancelled as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.