The U.K. live music industry has described the Government’s decision to delay lifting final COVID-19 restrictions for four weeks as a “hammer blow” to the sector. Trade bodies are calling for emergency support; Music Venue Trust has a six-point plan.
With Prime Minister Boris Johnson delaying the U.K.’s reopening date to 7/19, more than 5,000 shows are set to be cancelled and, without insurance, the summer’s festival season could collapse, costing the sector more than £500m, according to trade body LIVE. The Music Venue Trust says the delay will result in tens of thousands of people losing the chance to get back to work and that venues alone are set to lose £36m.
Both LIVE and MVT are calling for the Government to provide urgent financial support to those impacted by the decision. LIVE CEO Greg Parmley pointed out that there are still “hundreds of millions of pounds” from the Cultural Recovery Fund yet to be allocated. “This money needs to get into the industry without any more delay,” he added.
The Association of Independent Festivals said that although 90% of remaining events over 5,000 capacity are scheduled to take place when restrictions finally do lift toward the end of July, they can’t continue to plan without Government-backed insurance.
In case the reopening plan gets delayed again and festivals can’t take place this summer, or have to operate with limited capacity, results from an AIF survey said that some events will face insolvency within weeks, and 34% would need to make redundancies of 75% or more.
AIF CEO Paul Reed said, "Any measures that prevent festivals from operating fully have to be counterbalanced with effective support to ensure businesses can survive."
