Dance music is in trouble. Clubs are closed, record stores are shut, parties are cancelled. Many of the people who breathe life into this community, from artists to promoters to the small businesses running behind the scenes, have seen their income wiped out. Bartenders, sound engineers, door staff and other nightlife workers are on the brink of being laid off. Freelancers, from photographers to graphic designers to journalists to DJs, aren't sure where their next paycheck will come from. No one knows how long this will last, but just a few weeks is enough to leave permanent damage.

Countless people around the world are facing similar challenges, and we don't intend to direct attention away from anyone who's at risk, especially the seriously ill and the people who are caring for them. Everyone needs support right now, and we all need to do what we can in the communities where we make a difference. That's why we are committed to doing absolutely everything possible to help save our scene.

Dance music provides exactly the sense of safety, community and connectedness we're missing so badly right now. It has given so much to so many. For many of us, it's how we know our best friends and our partners. It is our main source of day-to-day pleasure, whatever form that takes: listening to mixes on the train, combing Discogs late at night with 25 tabs open, mixing records with friends or playing a gig, counting down the days to a festival or dancing at clubs till dawn. It is one of the things that makes our lives worth living. We believe the world is better because it exists.

Our scene is in more danger now than it ever has been. But it's also never been more worth fighting for. Whenever coronavirus finally passes, we will return to a world different from the one we left behind. It's impossible to say what that world will look like, but the people in it will need the values dance music enshrines: inclusiveness, open-heartedness, peace, love, unity and respect.

To make it through the months ahead, we'll need to reconnect with those ideals—not just artists and people in the so-called industry, but the ravers, music lovers, amateur DJs and bedroom producers who support them. We need to hold each other up, to communicate clearly and compassionately, explore new ideas and work together more closely than we ever have before. Crucially, we'll need to resist the forces of division brought on by desperate times. No one knows how best to deal with this situation, so disagreement is inevitable. But if we can channel the community spirit originally at the heart of dance music, we have a chance at making it through this crisis.

That's why, even as so many of us face personal hardship, we call on you, the dance music community, to help #SaveOurScene.

How can you help? Buy music and merchandise. Make a donation to support clubs and nightlife workers. Skip a refund to a cancelled event. Do whatever you can. Your support makes a massive difference.