Recently, a new study revealed that around 170,000 jobs will be lost in the music industry in the United Kingdom. And this is all due to coronavirus restrictions put by the government. Last week, it was noted that over 1,000 venues, organizations, art spaces, festivals, as well as theatres in England were celebrated for bringing awarded in the latest Jobs in US wave of £1.57billion Cultural Recovery Funding.
According to the sources, the chancellor’s new Job Support Scheme is ignoring road crew, self-employed workers, as well as freelancers. It is also clear that CRF is favoring bricks and mortar establishments and the individuals employed by them. If this continues, then people will face bankruptcy and long-term industry damage. People are also warning for the same if the government does not provide help to them.
People are calling out for a ‘Seat Out To Help Out’ scheme since last month to create socially distanced live music shows or the support package for the live music industry. If the government agrees, then it will save people from long term bankruptcy and will offset the costs of paying crew and artists.
The live music industry is about to fall off. It is predicted that 26,000 permanent roles in live music would be lost by Christmas. Apart from that, already over 140,000 FTE roles, which include freelancers and self-employed workers were stopped at the beginning of the lockdown.
According to the sources, the live music industry has lost around 81 percent of its income because most of the live events were canceled in March. Aside from this, workers will be gathering on September 29 during the #WeMakeEvents, which is a Stand As One silent protest at Parliament Square in London, United Kingdom.
Phil Bowdery, Chair, Concert Promoters Association, stated that their sector was the first one to close in the country to shut down and the last one to reopen. They are unable to operate due to various restrictions put by the government. He further stated that they are excluded from the Extended Job Support Scheme because the furlough is coming to an end. Their highly trained workforce will be shut forever if the government doesn’t support them.
Even Andy Lenthall, general manager of the Production Services Association raised his voice and said that many freelancers and self-employed workers have been overlooked for the last six months. He continued that situations are turning desperate for many individuals, and the government should provide crucial support to them.
Conclusion
It is said to be the biggest crisis since 1920, where many individuals are unable to return to their gigs until April 2021. Let’s hope the government recognizes the problems of these individuals and help them because the country needs more employment and live music events to enjoy their time with their loved ones.
Stay tuned for more news.
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