A group of prominent local touring and live entertainment companies have requested further assistance from the Morrison Government for the music industry amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Social and travel restrictions in place to slow the spread of COVID-19 have crippled the live music biz in Australia, and now Live Nation, Frontier Touring, Chugg Entertainment and TEG have combined to send an open letter to the government, requesting more support.
As themusic reports, the four live entertainment companies are requesting a $650 million, to help industry workers, small companies and more who rely on live tours for a living.
“While we fully support the Government’s ban on mass gatherings from a public health perspective, the decision hit our businesses first and hit hard,” says the letter.
“Overnight we lost all revenue for at least the next six months.
“We also lost the money we had already spent on shows that can no longer proceed due to the ban. In addition to our own industry, our shows also extensively support the tourism, transport and hospitality industry across Australia.”
“We would like to stress, this is not a letter asking for an industry package to support our own businesses, but for the businesses and the people that we are unable to support during this time.”
The letter highlights the fact that live music events in Australia aren’t just about event workers, but also small businesses involved including sole traders, tour managers, production managers, and of course, the artists; “the headliners and the support acts, the household names and the emerging artists – whose primary income comes from touring. Their ability to earn a living has been drastically compromised in this crisis.”
While touring companies have little choice but to refund tickets for cancelled shows, the music industry has been encouraging punters to #KeepYourTicket for any postponed shows or festivals during the coronavirus outbreak.
A site called I Lost My Gig has also been setup, and as of 11am Friday March 17, the site has recorded losses of $316 million in revenue for artists and industry workers due to event cancellations and postponements.
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