The music industry made the UK economy £5.2 billion in 2018. Last year that figure would have increased (report is unreleased) yet Chancellor Sunak made it abundantly clear at the beginning of October that despite this sizeable contribution to the economy those in the Arts are dispensable enough to simply "rethink and retrain".
Even with the £1.5 billion injection into the industry provided by the government, there is not enough to go around across the 1,100 theatres and 556 live music venues to keep them afloat for another six months (at least) of closed doors, empty stages and baron smoking areas. With lockdown 2.0 under way, the future looks rather bleak for music, musicians and all creatives involved within the sector.
So instead of sitting on our laurels watching the world slowly implode, the Wake Up team has decided to delve into the very concept of music and its importance to us not just as individuals, but to the fabric of our society. We are hoping through our investigative 'Music Is' series that it becomes abundantly clear that to simply cast aside musicians and ask them to give up their passion, their skill and their livelihoods, is frankly ludicrous and a stab in the back for an industry and art form that has helped shape the world we live in today.
As well as making this statement through our 'Music Is' series, we also ask that you support the music industry by donating to one of two (or both) incredibly important charity funds created as a result of the ongoing difficulties the industry is currently facing. The first is 'SaveOurVenues', a campaign set up by the Music Venue Trust charity to protect the UK's grassroots independent music venues from permanent closure. The second has been set up by Stagehand and is designed to provide financial support to event crews whose careers have been desecrated as a result of the pandemic.
If you would like to help support the music industry, please donate to Stagehand or SaveOurVenues.
If you can't, please follow us on Instagram and share the 'Music Is' series with your friends to help raise awareness!