Right now, musicians, choirs, DJ's, singers, songwriters, orchestras, and almost all live music across this country is silent. The effects of this pandemic on the arts industry is absolutely devastating.

Music venues across the UK are closed and are going under. Tours are cancelled, albums are not being recorded or released, and thousands upon thousands of technicians, engineers, promoters, choir masters, agents, managers, producers, DJ's, singers, composers, writers and musicians are currently without an income or any practical financial support from the UK Government.

It’s not good enough and I’m urging the Government to do more to save the UK’s music industry. 

The Government is treating us with contempt. We have been told we are not 'viable' or valid. We have been told to accept that, despite all our years of training, experience, rehearsing, creating, sacrifice and hard work, we must now lay down our instruments, our knowledge, our skills, our passion, our voices and our gifts and just find another job in something else. Something more 'viable' .

Well, Rishi Sunak, we're here to tell you MUSIC IS VIABLE! It heals and lifts the human soul, it connects us, helps us express our pain and our sadness, our joy, our fears and our dreams. It inspires us to hope and comforts us in our darkest moments. And right now we need it more than ever.

That’s why I, in line with what the Musicians Union are asking for, what to urge the Government to support us. We all ask, respectfully, that you please;

1) Ensure that the new Self Employment Income Support Scheme is applicable to musicians and those working in the music industry.                                               

2) Plug the gaps in the Self Employment Income Support Scheme.

3) Expand the SEISS to cover more than 20% of our individual monthly profits.

4) Take measures to make sure re-opening venues is economically viable.

The rules the government has created in response to the pandemic mean that all the places we earn money in, no longer function as businesses or are not legally allowed to let us play. If we are, by some miracle, able to work, to coach music via zoom, or play to a sparse, socially distanced crowd once a month, then we are paid a fraction of what we would have earned because the venues can now barely afford the price of light and heat.

The Musicians Union research states that 80% of professional musicians in the UK live on less than the UK’s average income and are facing financial hardship right now.

72% of the Music Industry is self employed. Most have been unable to work since March, and now the government (whilst offering to pay 60% of wages of those employed in companies) offer the self employed just 20% of what they might have earned if it were not for the pandemic.

 Most live on somewhere between £15,000 - £29,000 a year. So that scheme offers all those thousands of talented, experienced, highly trained and hard working people that make up the UK Music Industry worth about £250 - £483 a month! This is not good enough!

 We must help them.

If the Government doesn't do more to support our precious UK music industry during this pandemic, then it will be sacrificing a vital resource that has the power to help heal and comfort millions of people across this country. Healing that so many people desperately need right now and will no doubt continue to need far into the future when this pandemic is over. 

Respect and value what we all do before it is too late. Please sign this petition to save the UK's music industry.