SEPTEMBER | OPINION
What will it take for UK
live music to bounce back?
Media Insight Consulting
CEO and TicketSwap
marketing head, Chris Carey
has worked closely with the
UK Live Group to present
a case to Government for
industry support in the wake
of Covid-19. He suggests the
urgent steps still needed on
the path to recovery.
The coronavirus has
hit the UK economy
extremely hard. We have
seen recession return to the UK
for the first time in a decade and
quarterly unemployment grow
by a record jump. Live music is
certainly not the only sector that
has been hit hard, but it is in a
particularly precarious position.
In their quarterly earnings
call, Live Nation has reported
that global income is down more
than 90%. That is a reasonable
barometer for what is happening
in the rest of the sector. While
the furlough scheme has helped
sustain some companies,
support for freelancers has been
harder to access, and there are
many people who make live
music happen who are falling
through the gaps.
If we look at what the
government stands to lose, we
are talking about a sector that
employs over 200,000 people
and contributes £4.5 billion
to the economy every year.
More than that, the legacy of
the UK as a music destination
boosts tourism directly, and
the perception of the UK as a
creative hub adds significant
value to the UK’s international
standing.
In response to the evidence
presented by the live music
industry as part of the
#LetMusicPlay campaign,
the government announced
£1.57bn in support for the arts in
early July. The figure has been
welcomed but it is a relatively
meagre sum when compared
to the €50bn that Germany had
already committed to the arts
back in March.
It’s easy to be critical, but the
money is currently failing to
flow to those who need it and
key sectors - such as nightclubs
- have been overlooked. Looking
past these details, the intention
is that this money will be used
to protect the infrastructure
required for the live music
industry to function.
Small venues are an
immediate concern. The
Music Venues Trust has been
campaigning #SaveOurVenues
since the start of this crisis, and
has already saved 150 at risk
venues, but 500 more remain in
peril. It is vital that these spaces
can survive this immediate
crisis. If we lose venues they
will be impossible to replace.
The land will be given over to
yet more houses, and the vital
narrow pathway of small venues,
where artists hone their craft
and develop their fanbases, will
become more narrow still.
As well as the physical
infrastructure, the human
capital needs protection too.
The recent #WeMakeEvents
campaign highlighted the
plight of the tens of thousands
of production crew who have
been out of work since the
pandemic started. As much as
we need venues to host events,
we also need the specialist skills
to deliver events of the highest
quality.
In each of these cases,
monetary support is the most
fundamental need. Looking
past the financial aspect, there
are a few key things that the
government must do to help
safeguard the future of the UK
live music industry.
Looking at the other ways the
government can help, insurance
is going to be key. The ongoing
risk of a corona outbreak means
that events could be cancelled
in response. This increased risk
is something that needs to be
insured against, but traditional
insurers are not in a position to
offer this to the music industry.
As such, the government must
consider underwriting a fund to
insure events in order to make it
possible for them to take place.
The other request is clarity.
This is not an easy request, but
it is a fundamentally necessary
one. We need a date to work to
when events can come back.
Events don’t happen overnight,
and the opportunity to prepare,
market and execute events relies
upon a target date for reopening.
Beyond the logistics, it also
helps those businesses that are
trying to weather this storm to
make informed decisions about
staffing, cost management and
gives them the best to navigate
this very challenging moment.
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