THE live music scene is facing Armageddon unless the furlough scheme is extended further, according to one of Scotland’s biggest music promoters.
Theatre is also in “grave danger”, a leading director has warned.
Mark Mackie of Regular Music said if Westminster refused to extend the furlough scheme for the live music sector than venues would go out of business, meaning concerts could not be staged.
It is a fear that has been echoed in the theatre world by Matthew Lenton, artistic director of award-winning Glasgow-based company Vanishing Point.
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Mackie said the situation was “grim” and he didn’t think venues could operate under social-distancing rules, even if the distance were brought down to one metre.
“If the furlough scheme is not extended then it could be Armageddon for us because a lot of venues would go out of business,” he said. “The venues are relying on furlough as well and once they are mothballed or out of business it will be very difficult to wake them up again.
“The recession is going to be kicking in hard for our sector anyway so the last thing we need is for the facilities not to be there. It would not be a time where there could be new investment to get these venues back up and running. Once they are gone a lot of them will not come back.”
His words echoed a warning from industry leaders last week who told MPs half of all music venues and 70% of theatres across the UK face permanent closure as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We never ever imagined that something like this ... so catastrophic ... could come along that would kill live music for a period of time,” Horace Trubridge, the general secretary of the Musicians’ Union, told the Culture Select Committee.
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“A lot of music venues in city centres are in prime real estate. If they can’t continue to make the money that keeps the doors open then I think their landlords will be thinking about doing something else with the properties. We could very easily lose half the music venues we have in the UK during this crisis if there isn’t more permanent support for them.”
Julian Bird, chief executive of UK Theatre and Society of London Theatre pointed out that there are nearly 1100 theatre buildings in the UK, around the same number as Morrisons and Asda stores combined.
“Just over 50% are charities or trusts,” he said. “They are in every town and village area, at the heart of communities.
“Our latest survey told us 70% of theatres or production companies will run out of cash, go out of business, by the end of this year unless there is a change in some of the government support.”
Smaller music venues that grow talent would be particularly badly hit, said Mackie.
“Without them you have no talent,” he said. “If they are not there you would not have the talent for people to go and see and people would get out the way of going to see live bands.”
Mackie said it was unlikely venues and concerts would be viable under social-distancing measures even if they were brought down to one metre.
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“With one metre, capacity doesn’t jump up to 70% so we would still have problems. I think that while social distancing is still an issue there won’t be concerts as we know it,” he said.
He added he had been encouraged by Nicola Sturgeon’s statement on Friday that the Scottish Government would be pressing Westminster for the furlough scheme to be extended.
“We have all been saying that October is too early for us. When we are up and running we are good contributors to the economy – VAT on all the ticket sales is worth billions every year – so a lot of money is raised through the music industry. We pay our way, so it is not like we are asking for something outrageous by asking for the furlough to extend until we are ready to open for business.
“It seems to be logical that if we can’t operate then surely the furlough should be extended for us,” said Mark who has postponed shows until next year in the hope that they can go ahead as normal.
“In the short term getting to next year is going to be difficult for a lot of people,” he said.
Theatre venues are also in danger according to Matthew Lenton, artistic director of Vanishing Point.
“Some venues have closed in England and from what I hear on the grapevine there are some venues in Scotland that are in really big trouble,” he said. “The venues are going to have a really hard job to survive. Theatres like Pitlochry and the Lyceum in Dundee simply can’t make their money at the moment and are in real trouble.
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“Venues that Scotland should cherish like the Citizens in Glasgow and Eden Court in Inverness are not only venues but cultural centres for the community. It would be a travesty if we were deprived of things that are such an important part of our culture and enrich our lives. I really do fear for those venues. The Government has to find a way of supporting them and the artists that provide their content.”
He added that the rush to create content online risked undervaluing the art form which by its nature requires a live audience.
“Let’s not do theatre a disservice. If our society values the importance and uniqueness of the live arts, our government needs to support and protect its workforce and organisations in a unique way – whether that’s directors, writers, designers, production teams, producers and so on.’’
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