Should we help out live music and theatre?

I AM amazed to read that a letter has been sent to the Government asking for money to help out the live music industry, signed by some of the highestpaid people in the pop music world. There is no mention of what their contributions are going to be. Why don’t they set up a fighting fund themselves? The public already pay a fortune to see their concerts and buy their music, so how about putting something back? This country is going to struggle to get back on its feet and will need all the help it can get.

Ken Collingwood, Chesterfield, derbys.

HERE we go again — pop/rock stars, actors, sports stars, wanting more money out of the public purse! Yes, I miss the theatre, live music, etc but why can’t someone like Sir Paul McCartney donate £100million to a fund to help out struggling theatres of all kinds. It would still leave him many millions to live on. Can’t Ed Sheeran, Adele, Sir Rod Stewart, Rita Ora, etc help out — maybe some of them do, but rich actors could adopt a theatre. I personally have given money to various organisations, but as an OAP, it’s little and not tax deductible. Ray Bolitho,

Margate, Kent

I’M A sound engineer full time and I also run a tribute band. The public have no idea how many lives are affected in our world of performing. Stage managers, company managers, house managers, general managers, dressers, hair/makeup, carpenters, electrics, sound, props, musicians, ushers, bartenders, box office treasurers, porters, cleaners, producers, directors, choreographers, authors, orchestrators/arrangers, press agents, casting directors... That’s HALF my intheatre list. Then there’s as many outside.

Colin CROSS, leigh-on-sea, essex.