U.K. LIVE SECTOR RISKS LOSING £500M

If the U.K. delays its reopening date of 6/21, the live-music sector could lose more than £500m due to the cancellation of 5,000 shows and the potential collapse of the summer festival season, according to research from trade body LIVE.

Gigs at venues and larges events may not be able to take place until the end of July due to a proposed four-week delay in the final stage of the U.K.'s reopening plan, which risks bankrupting many businesses, according to the new report. In the event of a five-week delay, 65% of independent festivals surveyed say they are set to collapse with 248 grassroots venues facing immediate risk of eviction.

On Monday, the Government will decide whether to postpone the reopening date due to the spread of the Delta variant of COVID-19. As LIVE points out, this is despite the fact that research has shown mass events with testing requirements and other precautions in place to be safe.

“The Government must now follow its own science if it is to avoid the decline of the U.K.’s world-leading live music industry, which absolutely cannot afford to miss out on another summer of cancelled events after a year on pause,” LIVE CEO Greg Parmley said.

The group is calling on Government to publish the data collected as part of its Events Research Programme, which helped organize successful pilots at the BRIT Awards and a Blossoms concert in Liverpool. Download Festival will also take part in the research in the form of a 10k-capacity edition of the event on 6/18.