JAMIE NJOKU-GOODWIN UK Music CEO
After nearly two years of the pandemic , do you believe anything positive has come out of it and are we better placed to collectively face challenges as a result ? It ’ s obviously difficult to take many positives from the past two years , which have been devastating for our industry . But if there ’ s something to come out of it , it ’ s the fact that politicians and policy-makers have seen just how important music is to the public – as we showed in our This Is Music 2021 report , live music was one of the things people missed most during the lockdowns , while listening to recorded music has been one of the things keeping us sane throughout this pandemic .
The public has a really profound emotional connection to our industry , and as we look to move beyond the pandemic it ’ s important that we leverage that with government . Music is a priority for the public , so it should be a priority for politicians , too .
What do you believe are the biggest opportunities for the sector in 2022 and subsequent years ? Sustainable solutions and emerging
technologies are two great examples , but I ’ m also really excited about the growing awareness around the music and health agenda . There ’ s increasing evidence about the huge benefits that music can have for mental health and wellbeing , and the impact it can have on people with specific conditions like dementia .
It ’ s something we ’ ve talked about as a sector for a while , and governments and the wider health and care system are finally starting to take notice .
This is a big opportunity for us a sector , and I believe that in the years to come , music will be nationally important for the whole country not just because it is an economic driver and is a vehicle of social change , but also because of its incredible power and potential to boost our collective health and wellbeing .
GEOFF ELLIS DF Concerts CEO
What will be the biggest challenges for the industry in 2022 ? The biggest challenge that faces the industry in 2022 will be regaining confidence from the public that live events are safe to attend and will go ahead , especially with the varying messages and restrictions which are in place in each of the UK ’ s devolved nations which has created additional confusion and uncertainty . This is where the tourism bodies , such as Visit Britain and Visit Scotland , need to put together an extensive campaign to promote our rich and diverse , world-class live entertainment industry , which will in turn give a huge boost to the tourism and hospitality industries in the UK .
From an international touring perspective , we need the rest of Europe ( at least ) to also be open for events to make it more viable for US artists to tour across Europe . Covid cancellation insurance needs to be available to purchase at a realistic price . My understanding is that not one single event has used the UK Government ’ s scheme , which underlines the fact that it is not fit for purpose .
As a result of the mixed restrictions across the UK , we are seeing some January and February tours going ahead with the English leg of their tour but having to cancel or postpone the Scottish dates . This , coupled with the , generally , slower than expected ticket sales due to the public confidence surrounding events going ahead or not , is putting unprecedented strain on the live events industry in Scotland . Positivity and confidence is required to kick start what is set up to be one of Scotland ’ s busiest years ever for music events , particularly outdoors . Availability of venues in 2022 is also proving difficult due to the amount of shows which have rescheduled to 2022 from 2020 and 2021 so , any further
rescheduling of shows will mean that recovery won ’ t start happening well in to 2024 which could a devastating impact on the wider industry .
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