Live music industry placed at ‘back of the queue’
The live music industry has found itself "at the back of the queue to reopen", the chief executive of a trade body for the sector has said.
Greg Parmley, chief executive of Live – a trade body for the live music industry, welcomed the additional clarity given by the Prime Minister's road map for the ending of lockdown, but said his sector "could be months behind the rest of the economy".
He added: "The Chancellor must acknowledge our extended closure in the Budget and provide the economic support needed to ensure the jobs and livelihoods of the hundreds of thousands of people that work in our industry exist as we come through this pandemic."
Mark Davyd, chief executive of the Music Venue Trust – a charity which represents grassroots venues, said the Government should provide the sector with more support.
He said: "It is good to hear the Government provide conditions under which initially socially distanced events, and then fuller capacity events, can take place."
He added: "We note that this road map once again singles out live performance events as a specific risk which require that the sector is treated in a special way.
"Since March 2020, we have made the case to the Government that if this is the case, based on their interpretation of the data, then it is logical that the Government will choose to address that specific status with sector-specific financial support to mitigate the damage being done to businesses and people's lives, careers and families right across the live music industry."
The Theatres Trust, the national advisory public body for theatre, welcomed the announcement.