FEATURE:
#LetTheMusicPlay
IMAGE CREDIT: UK Music
What Now for Live Music and Those Behind the Scenes?
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WITH each passing week…
IMAGE CREDIT: UK Music
the fate and stability of live music becomes less certain. There are drive-thru gigs that one can attend, and there are plans to try and get live music going in a smaller capacity than normal. Some recent socially distanced gigs have not been a major success, as venues cannot make profit with only a third or half of seats/spaces taken. Until social distancing is dropped – which may not be until the end of the year -, any notion that venues can open and operate as normal is absurd. I am pleased that there is live music happening and, through drive-thrus, virtual gigs and occasions where artists perform on their own at a venue and people buy tickets online, it does mean that we get some semblance of normality. What is worrying is that, at the moment, the security of the crews that help bring shows together is threatened. This article from NME explains more:
“Figures from the music industry are adding more volume to the #LetTheMusicPlay campaign to demand that the government share arts funding to protect the future live crew, musicians and the individuals working behind the scenes.
Last month, more than 1,500 artists and industry figures came together to call on the government to stop “catastrophic damage” to live music amid the COVID-19 pandemic in the launch of the #LetTheMusicPlay campaign. After months of campaigning from fans and the world of music, the UK government revealed plans for an unprecedented cash injection of £1.57 billion to help the arts, culture and heritage industries survive the impact of closures brought on by coronavirus – providing music venues, independent cinemas, museums, galleries, theatres and heritage sites with emergency grants and loans.
IMAGE CREDIT: UK Music
While the relief for venues was welcome, many warned that without urgent government clarity, support and action, the pipeline of talent that plays within them could be cut short – declaring that musicians and crew were facing their “biggest crisis since the 1920s” without support.
Now, the #LetTheMusicPlay campaign seeks to highlight the size and scale of the jobs and companies that make up the UK live music industry which need urgent support and “ensure that the government cannot ignore the complex ecosystem that supports live music in their funding decisions”.
“It takes a lot of people to build a show,” wrote Enter Shikari on Twitter. “The live music industry is project to lose approximately 60 percent of its jobs due to COVID-19. Please share, show solidarity with the teams behind the scenes & call for further support for the live industry”
The fact that so many people could lose their jobs would result in huge infrastructure damage, and it would be extremely hard for the music industry to recover. We think of venues and consider the artists who play there, but many are not aware of all of the people at these venues that make them what they are; those who help bring live shows and festivals together. I know the Government cannot save every job in live music, but the fact that such a handsome fund was earmarked for the arts and music, I wonder how much, if any, has been stored aside for crew and venue staff?!
PHOTO CREDIT: @sctgrhm/Unsplash
I have been looking online, and a lot of people have been sharing the hashtag #LetTheMusicPlay. It is important that awareness if raised and, as there is a kitty there to help the music industry, it is only right that, sooner rather than later, the Government can be more specific regarding who will receive the money and when. It is confusing for so many people and, as live music is being planned for 2021, without adequate support and financing, many venues might have to close, and so many jobs will be lost! The fact that £1.57 billion was eventually pledged by the Government was as a result of campaigning and a lot of great work from so many different corners, so the hope is that there will be a response and some sort of blueprint regarding the dissemination and distribution of that money. Nobody knows how next year will play out and whether live music will be able to return to its former self – or whether it might take another year for everything to ease and COVID-19 to subside. It is a frightening time for those who rely on live music, and I also feel for musicians who are doing their best to stay connected with their fans, but are having to adapt with a life without (or very little) live music. Things will gradually get better but, in order for the live music industry to flourish and sustain next year, we need to make sure that there is a guarantee to those whose jobs are vulnerable right now. If that does happen, then venues, staff, artists and fans can breathe a sigh of relief and looking forward to return to venues and festivals before too long! That would be wonderful, and it is something that…
PHOTO CREDIT: @roccocaruso/Unsplash
WE all really want!