Covid-19 is an unprecedented global pandemic that no one could have predicted this time last year. Covid-19 has spread from the first outbreak in the capital of China's Hubei province to a pandemic that has so far killed more than 200,000 people, with more than 3 million contracting the virus. The virus has had a huge impact on many industries and, as of now, no one really knows when things will be able to return to normal and how we will recover. In this essay, I will focus on the specific impact of Covid-19 on the music industry and musicians. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on 'Why violent video games should not be banned'?Get the original essay The UK followed other countries and soon after introducing a social distancing policy, they introduced a full lock policy. In a speech to the nation on March 23, 2020, the Prime Minister ordered people to leave their homes only under a list of "very limited reasons", banned public gatherings of anyone not belonging to the same household and ordered the closure of non-essential stores. and businesses with immediate effect. Then, on April 22, England's chief medical officer, Chris Witty, indicated that the measures could be in place until the end of the year unless a vaccine was found sooner - which which he said would be unlikely. While the policies in place are absolutely necessary to keep people safe, for those working in the sectors that have been closed, this was devastating news. People working in the music industry are now facing an unprecedented financial disaster due to coronavirus because everything has changed. been canceled for the foreseeable future. Music data company Viberate has revealed that more than 300 festivals have already announced cancellations or postponements, including some of the big names; Coachella, All Points East and for the first time in history the organizers of the Glastonbury Festival have also made the decision to cancel this year's festival. While this devastated fans, the financial effect was catastrophic, with Vibrate estimating that $3 million would be lost on ticket sales, with the direct economic impact estimated at $9.7 billion. Among the canceled festivals, organizers Liverpool Sound City have made the decision to postpone the 2020 event until later in the year. In order to help artists who had to cancel their concerts, Sound City will launch a special livestreaming platform and program called Guest House, a weekly livestream that launched on April 2, 2020. Each episode features five acts, each with a 30 minute program broadcast from their home. It provides the opportunity for bands and artists to showcase their festival sets, as well as entertain fans from the comfort of their homes. Guest House will also provide a new revenue stream for artists, while providing fans with the opportunity to financially support their favorite artists in a variety of ways. The platform offers an introductory subscription price, with 50% of revenue shared with artists at the end of each month. It also gives artists the opportunity to offer merchandise, new music, and any other products, giving them another chance to maintain sales and generate more revenue. Becky Ares, Managing Director of Sound City, said: “The idea for Guest House came as a response to the terrible situation we find ourselves in. We hope this will allow groups to maintain income that theyare in desperate need, while encouraging fans to get even closer to the artists they love and continue to support them wherever possible during this unprecedented time. Festivals aren't the only sector of the music industry that will feel an economic impact. Currently, around 72% of people working in the music industry are self-employed and, with their workplaces closed due to lockdown, their incomes are expected to be devastated by the virus. (Malt, 2020). The Musicians Union has released a study warning that tens of thousands of musicians are at risk of a financial crisis, calling it a "pandemic of job losses". The report reveals that 90% of people working in the industry have already been affected, with job opportunities down 69% compared to the same period last year. Horace Trubridge, MU Sectarian General, said: “Music is one of the few certainties we can count on to bring happiness and relief in tumultuous times. But musicians – whether they work in theatre, teaching, orchestras or concerts – will feel the full financial force of this global disaster.” In March 2020, shortly after the lockdown was implemented, Olga Fitzroy, associate recording and mixing engineer at Associated Independent Recording Studios, described the UK government's approach to supporting the creative industries as "tone deaf". . Currently, they contribute £111.7 billion to the UK economy each year, but “so far the government has only guaranteed around £95 of Universal Credit per week for the self-employed , compared to up to £2,500 for employees.” Well-known Scottish singer-songwriter Midge Ure echoed Fitzroy's frustrations with the government's treatment of musicians, saying: "Most of these people are self-employed and now face a devastating future. Currently, the UK government has nothing in place to help the self-employed. It’s time to give the pole a helping hand to generate incalculable wealth for the country.” The CEO of industry body the Association of Independent Music (AIM), Paul Pacifico, reveals he is seeing immediate difficulties from AIM member companies, saying they are "struggling to find a way forward to get through this crisis, and on the part of self-employed workers. whose income fell to zero overnight. (Lunny, 2020). In response to this, AIM has launched its 'emergency fund' to support entrepreneurs and self-employed workers in the independent music industry who have so far lost their income for April and May due to the pandemic of Covid-19. The AIM Fund is open to all entrepreneurs needing to work with new and developing artists currently signed to AIM member labels who have lost their committed income due to canceled artist projects and who are not eligible for other relief funds proposed. These workers will include: touring crew members, producers, engineers, radio pluggers, graphic designers, stylists, publicists and more. AIM President Peter Quicke (MD, Ninja Tune) also said: “At this time of global crisis, it is very important for AIM to enable our community to provide assistance to those who need it most. (Music Business Worldwide, 2020). Paul Pacifico added, “The MU relief fund is an incredible initiative, but, in reality, it has only scratched the surface for these hard-working andtaxpayers in the music sector. He also added to Olga Fitzroy's frustrations at the lack of government help, saying: "The British government must step up or face an even bigger crisis once these people can no longer afford to pay their bills and feed their families. » It is in this spirit that AIM has also launched a petition to the government calling for temporary income protection for the self-employed. The petition states: “There are five million self-employed workers in the UK who, so far, have not been supported by government measures to help the workforce through the Covid crisis- 19 and yet in many countries their sources of income have completely ceased. case. » He goes on to say: “They must be a dedicated source of direct income support to compensate the self-employed for loss of income due to Covid-19 preventative measures. » The Association of Music is not the only company raising funds to support members of the music community. Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, Spotify has engaged industry partners to discuss how they could support artists and the creative community who have been deeply affected by the effects of the virus. Although streaming continues to play a key role in connecting creators with their fans, many other sources of revenue have been interrupted or even stopped by this crisis. Spotify partners with other verified organizations around the world, including: MusiCares, the PRS Foundation, Help Musicians, Unison Benevolent Fund, the National Music Center, Deutsche Orchesrer-Stufttung, Initiative Musik and, much more, Spotify also continue to add and work with more partners around the world. So far, Spotify itself has contributed $10 million to the cause and updated its app to display a banner at the top of its homepage, to raise awareness of the issue and encourage users to donate to the fund where they can. British music licensing company PPL also announced on 15 April 2020 that it would donate £700,000 to three different UK music industry relief funds that were established as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. The three funds they donate to include: the Help Musicians Coronavirus Financial Hardship Fund, the Musicians' Union Coronavirus Hardship Fund, and the AIM Covid-19 Crisis Fund (already mentioned). Peter Leathem, Chairman and CEO of PPL, said: “At PPL, we recognize the role of these relief funds in providing a lifeline to those in the music industry who have been most affected by the current crisis and We are delighted to be able to contribute to the funds created, to ensure that financial support reaches those who need it. Responding to the donation, James Ainscough, Managing Director of Help Musicians, added: “We gratefully welcome the financial contribution and continued support of PPL. » He went on to say: “The demand for financial support has been overwhelming and we are seeing first-hand how the funds are supporting the thousands of members of the music community who desperately need them. » At the same time, the British music industry has also stepped up its calls for government support. A number of industry trade bodies including: UK Music, ISM, Help Musicians, MU, MMF, The Ivor's Academy and Music Producers Guild have signed a letter urging the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, to take action specific to support the large number of freelancers and self-employed workers. working in the communitymusical in the broad sense. The letter states that “Covid-19 is having a dramatic impact on the music sector workforce, particularly those working on zero hours contracts or who are self-employed. From live performers to traveling music teachers to composers to managers to engineers and producers, their work ended overnight. Although the government has announced some economic support measures such as loans, grants and 100% reductions in business interest rates in some sectors, although this will help some music companies, there has been little tangible support for the self-employed. The letter also states that “the current welfare system is simply not designed for a situation in which the government strongly advises the music sector to stop working. A large part of the workforce is not entitled to any notice or severance pay. So, in essence, “if they don’t work, they don’t get paid.” The letter also goes on to highlight that “other countries, such as Italy, Ireland, Norway and Canada, have established emergency funds to support self-employed workers during these uncertain times.” As well as the specific issues facing independent workers and freelancers, the letter to Sunak from the music industry also calls for increased measures to support the wider music industry, saying: "The UK music sector, which contributes £5.2 billion a year to the music sector. The UK economy needs urgent help from the Government to prevent a large part of the sector from being wiped out. Suggested measures include an extension of business rates relief to all music companies, VAT exemptions and other schemes to help music companies continue to pay their staff. On April 26, 2020, in response to various calls for increased financial assistance for self-employed workers, the government announced its intention to economically support the sector, an announcement which was widely welcomed by the music industry, although The sector has also expressed concern that help will not be available until June 2020. Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak has announced a package of benefits for the self-employed, insisting he has It took longer to put in place economic measures for such a diverse population. The scheme will benefit people officially registered as self-employed with the UK tax authorities, who earn less than £50,000 per year and who earned at least half of their income through self-employment in the 2018 tax year- 19. This means they can qualify for a subsidy to work 80% of their average monthly profits. The measures will help many people working in the music industry, including: musicians, songwriters and producers. However, the grants will not be available until June 2020, meaning many people whose incomes were immediately hit by the lockdown will likely still face difficulties in the coming weeks. Responding to this CEO of cross-industry trade group UK Music, Tom Kiehl said: “The package will be a vital lifeline for thousands of people in the music industry where 72% of the workforce is self-employed. " However, in his criticism he added: "We need immediate and urgent help - people desperately need bills to pay. They need financial support now and cannot..