A Song for a New Day

Luce Cannon plays what turns out to be the last legal concert in the United States. The next morning, a string of bombings at public events pushes the government to ban gatherings outright, and live music goes underground overnight. StageHolo Live, a company selling virtual reality concerts, becomes the only legal way to watch anyone perform.

Rosemary Laws grew up on the other side of that technology, taking classes and ordering groceries through a headset rather than leaving home. StageHolo hires her to scout new talent, and she starts tracking down musicians who still play in person, wherever she can find them. The search leads her to a basement show run by Luce, who never stopped.

Rosemary brings back something her employer did not expect. Luce has spent years keeping a scene alive in secret, and a StageHolo contract would hand her the audience she has always wanted at the cost of the community that kept her playing. Rosemary has to decide whether the company that raised her deserves what she has found.

A Song for a New Day won the 2019 Nebula Award for Best Novel.