Fears for future of region’s struggling music industry
MPs from across South Yorkshire are backing calls from the Sheffield City Region Music Board to provide tailored and flexible financial support for the music industry.
It comes after a survey revealed more than £1.2m in revenue was lost in the first two months of the pandemic due to cancelled shows or events, with millions more expected as a total figure.
The survey, conducted with the University of Sheffield, found people working in the industry were facing issues with cash flow, overheads, cancelled work, and that uncertainty about the medium to long-term future was putting jobs at risk.
Dan Jarvis, Mayor of the Sheffield City Region, (SCR) said: “Music is an important part of South Yorkshire’s culture and economy – and it has suffered badly in the aftermath of this pandemic.
“We’ve got to get the industry the help it needs to get through the crisis.”
Penny Blackham, chairman of the SCR Music Board, has written to Secretary of State for the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport MP Oliver Dowden, along with Mayor Dan Jarvis and local MPs Louise Haigh, Stephanie Peacock, Gill Furniss, Paul Blomfield, Clive Betts and Sarah Champion.
Together, they are calling on Government to provide more tailored financial support for the music industry to help the thousands of musicians, managers, promoters, production staff and technicians who are struggling during the crisis.
Jarvis said: “I welcome the Government’s £1.57bn support package for the arts, but more is needed to fully support the music industry through these uncertain and unprecedented times.
“Whilst we have seen pubs, bars and restaurants open up, our music venues remain closed and the economic shockwave is being felt across the industry in South Yorkshire, where the industry was already being short-changed by Government before the coronavirus hit.
“In our region we receive just £18 of National Lottery Heritage Funding per person each year, compared to an average of £31 per head across England.
“Similarly, Arts Council England National Portfolio funding (2018/19-2021/22) for South Yorkshire organisations is significantly below the national average.
“As the industry starts to look at what its future looks like, Government must ensure robust and fair funding is in place for both the industry and the individuals who work around it, to ensure our music industry thrives in a post-covid world, rather than just struggling to survive.”
Chairman of the SCR Music Board, Penny Blackham, said: “Many have fallen through gaps of the Government’s Job Retention and Self-Employment Income Support Schemes, which is putting the fragile and beautifully effective eco-system of the music industry at risk.
“The Government’s £1.57bn Arts and Culture package is not answering this problem for many thousands of people who earn their living from the music industry.
“Our industry is a finely tuned machine and a one size fits all rescue package will not work.
“What helps a venue may not support a festival. A musician will face very different challenges to a music teacher.
“A flexible and sustained programme of funding is essential if the industry is to continue to contribute more than £92m to South Yorkshire’s economy each year.”
UK Music acting CEO Tom Kiehl said: “Whilst we are beginning to see some live events take place most venues, recording studios, music hubs and festivals are still unable to open.
“When they are, it could be months before tour managers and production crews are back on the road, leaving thousands in the industry without an income.
“Not only will this impact emerging artists but it’ll also mean promoters, technicians, bar staff, security, and countless other jobs that support live music will be under threat.”
