The UK live scene post lockdown

What's Hot
2

Comments

  • barnstormbarnstorm Frets: 618
    Danny1969 said:
    So Victorious festival in August now cancelled .... that's all the big festivals we were booked for gone now. During lockdown I've started writing a lot again and enjoying that so that's kept me busy. 
    @Danny1969 are festival organisers rolling over band bookings in the same way fans are rolling over their tickets?

    I only go to a couple of gigs a year these days, but the places I tend to go are small, dedicated music venues that don't rake in a great deal of cash from drinks. I don't imagine they make much money even on nights when they're packed.

    I saw that in Sweden some venues are still doing socially-distanced gigs with 50 people… I can't begin to figure out the economics of that. Given that there are only a few artists I want to see live, and given that opportunities to see them are limited, I'd be happy to pay significantly higher ticket prices if necessary, but I don't know if enough other people feel that way to make some sorts of live music profitable in a post-lockdown but socially-distanced world.

    Bit scary given that most people are making bugger-all from album sales. Guess we'll have to start buying a load of t-shirts?
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • Danny1969Danny1969 Frets: 10357
    barnstorm said:
    Danny1969 said:
    So Victorious festival in August now cancelled .... that's all the big festivals we were booked for gone now. During lockdown I've started writing a lot again and enjoying that so that's kept me busy. 
    @Danny1969 are festival organisers rolling over band bookings in the same way fans are rolling over their tickets?

    I only go to a couple of gigs a year these days, but the places I tend to go are small, dedicated music venues that don't rake in a great deal of cash from drinks. I don't imagine they make much money even on nights when they're packed.

    I saw that in Sweden some venues are still doing socially-distanced gigs with 50 people… I can't begin to figure out the economics of that. Given that there are only a few artists I want to see live, and given that opportunities to see them are limited, I'd be happy to pay significantly higher ticket prices if necessary, but I don't know if enough other people feel that way to make some sorts of live music profitable in a post-lockdown but socially-distanced world.

    Bit scary given that most people are making bugger-all from album sales. Guess we'll have to start buying a load of t-shirts?
    Not in our case so far ..... I think at his stage no one's planning anything. I did see some pictures of a drive in gig in the states .. just like the old drive in movies but live band onstage (big stage) Where there's a will there's a way 
    www.2020studios.co.uk 
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • Love that idea. Drive-in gigs. Genius. 
    'Vot eva happened to the Transylvanian Tvist?'
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • p90foolp90fool Frets: 31368
    Love that idea. Drive-in gigs. Genius. 
    Unless you're in a covers band where frankly, your job is to sell drinks. 
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 1reaction image Wisdom
  • borntohangborntohang Frets: 128
    barnstorm said:
    Danny1969 said:
    So Victorious festival in August now cancelled .... that's all the big festivals we were booked for gone now. During lockdown I've started writing a lot again and enjoying that so that's kept me busy. 
    @Danny1969 are festival organisers rolling over band bookings in the same way fans are rolling over their tickets?
    All our bookings have optimistically rolled over to next year on the understanding that the smaller sites might not be able to offer us the same rates. For the covers stuff we're only playing for fun anyway so it doesn't matter, and for the originals it's in our own benefit to ride the waves out rather than cancel over losing a few points on fees. 

    If 2021 is a washout too then you can wipe out most of the UK festival season - the big boys have enough reserves to weather a year and most of the small ones have managed to at least mitigate losses, but a second year will likely kill the lot off from near top to bottom. Can only see Live Nation and Festival Republic getting through that really.
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • paulmapp8306paulmapp8306 Frets: 831
    edited May 2020
    I cant see the general live music scene picking up until at least Christmas, possibly into the spring.

    There are plans to open up pubs and such from July HOWEVER, social distancing rules will apply.  Only so many at the bar, seated at tables only - op possibly ordering drinks from tables and them being brought to you.

    Venue's generally rely on getting plenty of people in to pay the band.  a 2 meter distance/restricted numbers means they wont make the money to pay said band.

    so - my guess, pubs will open for bear gardens/food/drinks with those restrictions - but until those restrictions are lifted..... no live music as it will be uneconomical.  

    All depends on track and trace, vaccinations, heard immunity etc.


    Bigger music venues, outdoor festivals etc... there not going to happen this year.  Again next year from spring IF vaccinations/immunity is happening.
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • ColsCols Frets: 6953
    The latest government advice has us covered:

     Venues should not permit indoor performances, including drama, comedy and music, to take place in front of a live audience. This is important to mitigate the risks of aerosol transmission - from either the performer(s) or their audience.“

    Outdoor gigs only I guess.
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • I feel like trading my rig for a karaoke machine may be a good idea.
    'Vot eva happened to the Transylvanian Tvist?'
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • robertyroberty Frets: 10893

    Venues and punters are sharing this open letter with their local MPs via https://www.writetothem.com

    An Open Letter to the UK Government

    We are the owners and operators of the UK’s Grassroots Music Venues.

    Our Grassroots Music Venues are the fundamental foundations and cornerstone on which our world beating £5.2 billion per year music industry has been built for the last 60 years. Without our Grassroots Music Venues, there would be no Beatles. No Stones, no Led Zeppelin, no Duran Duran, no Sade, no Oasis, no Skunk Anansie, no Adele, no Ed Sheeran, no Dua Lipa. Our Grassroots Music Venues are absolutely essential to the whole UK music industry bouncing back at any time in the future.

    Our sector delivers training, rehearsal spaces, recording opportunities and career development to thousands of young people and are essential to our communities. We do not just support the next generation of world beating artists. Grassroots Music Venues are where people come together, where they celebrate, where they socialise. Thousands of cultural professionals get their first taste of working in the creative industries in our venues, including many of those who go on to work in areas other than music. Grassroots Music Venues sit at the very heart of our creative nation.

    Public Health advice is clear. Singing is a high-risk activity. Dancing is a high-risk activity. Standing close to other people is a high-risk activity. Being in a confined space for a long period is a high-risk activity. These are the four pillars of the live music experience we offer in our venues. Coming together with friends and communities to dance and sing with your favourite artists in any of the 800 grassroots music venues across the UK is the very core and purpose of why we exist.

    Last year there were more than 175,000 events in our venues that gave people the experiences they love and the artists the opportunities they need. Since 20 March there have been no events.

    This is because our sector has complied with the Public Health guidance. We did the right thing. We closed to protect our communities. We engaged with the government task force and we explored every option available to reopen safely and bring live music back. We understand that in order to protect the public, it should not be done until the health guidance changes and we also know that trying to do it is economic folly which would be financially ruinous; not just for us but for our entire sector.

    It is now time for the government to do the right thing.

    We are represented by Music Venue Trust, who have laid out a simple clear plan to the government of the support our sector needs to survive the next three months (July, August, September) and to recover in the future. It consists of just two steps.

    1. A £50 million financial support package immediately

    2. A reduction on VAT on future ticket sales, bringing tax in UK Grassroots Music Venues into line with our major international competitors

    These measures are simple, quick, effective and would prevent the closure of hundreds of Grassroots Music Venues. They are the right thing to do. We are a dynamic, innovative, and inventive sector. We do not need permanent government intervention to exist. We are not asking to become a permanently subsidised drain on the public purse. We do not need the government to step in and tell us how to run our venues. We need government to take two simple steps and leave us to work out how to do the rest.

    We need you to do the right thing.

    0reaction image LOL 1reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • sw67sw67 Frets: 228
    edited June 2020
    Booked 3 gigs for next year in a local pub. The landlord is a supporter of live music and has bands every Friday / Saturday as well as open mic nights. He is worried that social distancing even at 1 meter could destroy live music. He said that the fee might need to reflect the cut in capacity. We play as a hobby so took the booking but many bands i know would refuse to play
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • EricTheWearyEricTheWeary Frets: 16253
    Boyzlife ( Boyzone + Westlife I think) announced a drive in gig at the NEC for August. Not quite sure how that will work but I guess where there's a will there's a way. 
    Tipton is a small fishing village in the borough of Sandwell. 
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • Are the Musicians Union getting any results or are they not a credible force?
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • MusicwolfMusicwolf Frets: 3627

    Unlocking any sector comes down to risk vs economic and / or social benefit.

    For live music the risks are perceived as large numbers of people crowded together either singing along or shouting to be heard (obviously the government haven’t been to one of my gigs).  At the moment, with our limited understanding of the virus, this is seen as very high risk.  When the numbers of people carrying the virus reduce sufficiently then that risk becomes manageable i.e. if somebody at a gig has the virus it is very likely that they will infect others but if only one in say 100,000 people have it at one time there is very little chance of an infected person actually being at any particular gig.

    At the moment the number of carriers is more like 1 in 1,000, so some way to go.

    I don’t believe that live music will return before attendance at sporting events is unlocked – so this is the one to monitor since it is more widely reported.

    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 1reaction image Wisdom
  • ESBlondeESBlonde Frets: 3576
    I think the idea of lots of euphoric/drunk people shouting into each others faces to be heard is just an uncontrollable nightmare for the scientific advisors.
    2reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 1reaction image Wisdom
  • Mark1960Mark1960 Frets: 326
    After several discussions with my fellow band members I am of the opinion that:-

    1) Pubs and clubs will be keen to keep overheads (like band fees) to a minimum in the short term. 

    2) With social distancing reducing the capacity of most venues, the last thing pubs will want is a band taking up further space.

    3) Private functions (Weddings / Birthdays / Events) have all but gone for the time being.

    4) There is a small potential for outdoor functions but this is very limited to the next 3 month or so.


    In short I can not see much in the way of gigging in the next 3 months, things may improve marginally in the autumn, but don't forget a massive recession is looming, the only thing we don't know is how bad and for how long! 

    I don't think we will see much gigging action before the Spring / Summer of next year. Hope I'm wrong, but I just can't see it.
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • BradBrad Frets: 658
    Mark1960 said:

    I don't think we will see much gigging action before the Spring / Summer of next year. Hope I'm wrong, but I just can't see it.
    Completely agree.
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • markslade07markslade07 Frets: 833
    Brad said:
    Mark1960 said:

    I don't think we will see much gigging action before the Spring / Summer of next year. Hope I'm wrong, but I just can't see it.
    Completely agree.
    I know there are many worse things happening around the world at the moment, but that’s a depressing thought.....
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 1reaction image Wisdom
  • p90foolp90fool Frets: 31368
    Mark1960 said:


    I don't think we will see much gigging action before the Spring / Summer of next year. Hope I'm wrong, but I just can't see it.
    I know, and if some of the weddings gigs we've had postponed until early spring next year are canceled I'll be looking at needing a serious mortgage holiday. 
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • robertyroberty Frets: 10893
    Big funding package announced for the arts sector:

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-53302415
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • TheBigDipperTheBigDipper Frets: 4722
    roberty said:
    Big funding package announced for the arts sector:

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-53302415
    Not enough detail yet to understand who gets what and if it's a loan or a grant. Basic principle will require showing how keeping your business going drives the economy forwards. Let's hope for the best and that it doesn't all go on the RAH and Covent Garden. 

    My friend just posted the news that Serco and G4 have announced new “entertainment” divisions - in a very poor attempt at satire.  
    1reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
Sign In or Register to comment.