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Okay, so Radio 5 didn& #39;t put me on air. But here& #39;s what I would have said. @WeAreTheMU @ukMPG @FeaturedArtists
We are 6 months deep now, but we need to understand that the #musicindustry contributes significantly towards the UK economy: in 2018 it contributed £5.2 BILLION.
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We are 6 months deep now, but we need to understand that the #musicindustry contributes significantly towards the UK economy: in 2018 it contributed £5.2 BILLION.
Which, when you compare it to the £1.5 Billion the government offered in the July package (which was grants AND loans, btw - OH HELLO MORE DEBT) to the ENTIRE arts and heritage sector, is shocking. Because £1.5 billion is a lot of money, BUT not even 1/3 of what... https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="⬇️" title="Pfeil nach unten" aria-label="Emoji: Pfeil nach unten">
the music industry alone can make in 1 year. And that £1.5 billion has to be shared between all the arts & heritage sectors. So: museums and conservation, dance, theatre, film, spoken word, visual arts, publishing, television AND music. Just categories off the top of my head. https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="⬇️" title="Pfeil nach unten" aria-label="Emoji: Pfeil nach unten">
But let& #39;s use them as an example, for now. If the July package was split evenly (which it wouldn& #39;t be, but stay with me) between those 9 disciplines, that would mean about £174 million would be made available to music. Still sounds like a lot of money. But remember... https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="⬇️" title="Pfeil nach unten" aria-label="Emoji: Pfeil nach unten">
...that& #39;s £174 million to cover a £5.2 BILLION industry. £5.2 billion is 30 times bigger than £174 million. Which would mean the government was offering the music industry TO SURVIVE less than 4% of what it made for the UK IN A YEAR.
Yes, that is indeed a red flaghttps://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🚩" title="Dreieckige Fahne an einem Pfosten" aria-label="Emoji: Dreieckige Fahne an einem Pfosten"> Read on https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="⬇️" title="Pfeil nach unten" aria-label="Emoji: Pfeil nach unten">
Yes, that is indeed a red flag
Let& #39;s talk about the SEISS (Self Employed Income Support Scheme), which allows you to claim money if you make a profit on your business. The music industry is made up of a tremendous number of freelancers, and many of us just about break even on our business. So... https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="⬇️" title="Pfeil nach unten" aria-label="Emoji: Pfeil nach unten">
SEISS doesn& #39;t help us. https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🚩" title="Dreieckige Fahne an einem Pfosten" aria-label="Emoji: Dreieckige Fahne an einem Pfosten"> The government knows this is a problem (hence many MPs and press asking the Chancellor about it & his artfully ducking the questions after both his House of Commons address and press conference today) but doesn& #39;t want to do anything about it. Hence... https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="⬇️" title="Pfeil nach unten" aria-label="Emoji: Pfeil nach unten">
the announcement today that SEISS will continue to be run in a "similar" way. Meaning: it will continue to benefit the same people who qualified for it before, and those who are falling through the cracks will continue to do so. https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🚩" title="Dreieckige Fahne an einem Pfosten" aria-label="Emoji: Dreieckige Fahne an einem Pfosten"> And so now we come to... https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="⬇️" title="Pfeil nach unten" aria-label="Emoji: Pfeil nach unten">
Universal Credit MIGHT help, but only if you don& #39;t have any savings left and even then it might barely be enough to cover your rent. https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🚩" title="Dreieckige Fahne an einem Pfosten" aria-label="Emoji: Dreieckige Fahne an einem Pfosten"> Note: I was lucky to get Universal Credit, but this was because when the pandemic struck I happened to be rounding off... https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="⬇️" title="Pfeil nach unten" aria-label="Emoji: Pfeil nach unten">
an EP release campaign cycle. Like many independent artists, I had thrown all my time, money and energy into the release and was looking at a healthy string of tour dates to help replenish the depleted funds. But COVID took the tour dates, https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="😩" title="Mattes Gesicht" aria-label="Emoji: Mattes Gesicht"> so I was left with nothing. But... https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="⬇️" title="Pfeil nach unten" aria-label="Emoji: Pfeil nach unten">
I DID get UC because of it. Grateful as I am, it still strikes me as awful that you have to be at the very bottom of the pit to get help, and even then there is no guarantee.https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🚩" title="Dreieckige Fahne an einem Pfosten" aria-label="Emoji: Dreieckige Fahne an einem Pfosten"> So where does that leave us? ... https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="⬇️" title="Pfeil nach unten" aria-label="Emoji: Pfeil nach unten">
... and another 37% unsure. That& #39;s 71%, gang.
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🚩" title="Dreieckige Fahne an einem Pfosten" aria-label="Emoji: Dreieckige Fahne an einem Pfosten"> With 88% of musicians not feeling supported by the government.
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🚩" title="Dreieckige Fahne an einem Pfosten" aria-label="Emoji: Dreieckige Fahne an einem Pfosten">With most studios receiving no grants or rates despite voluntarily closing during lockdown to protect the public.
If we don& #39;t get help soon, at least...https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="⬇️" title="Pfeil nach unten" aria-label="Emoji: Pfeil nach unten">
If we don& #39;t get help soon, at least...
a THIRD of the industry - this £5.2 billion industry - will be gone. This is a DISASTER. Today the Chancellor talked about ‘viable jobs’ like they were a monolith, with a skew towards larger & more prosperous businesses, invalidating those who fell outside of those businesses https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="⬇️" title="Pfeil nach unten" aria-label="Emoji: Pfeil nach unten">
& continuing to reinforce a culture of invalidation towards music industry workers. When he was picked up on that wording in the press, the Chancellor backtracked by claiming that it wasn’t for him to say - but the trouble is, by inference, he already has... https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="⬇️" title="Pfeil nach unten" aria-label="Emoji: Pfeil nach unten">
By failing to properly address this question of those who fall through the cracks of current government schemes, he invalidates OUR jobs. But they are REAL jobs. They brought in £5.2 billion, after all. It& #39;s convenient to treat music like it’s a luxury or a commodity, but... https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="⬇️" title="Pfeil nach unten" aria-label="Emoji: Pfeil nach unten">
you can guarantee most people are using music EVERY DAY. They are streaming on Spotify, listening to the radio, buying vinyl, watching a movie with a SOUNDTRACK, thinking about whether they can afford Glastonbury tickets next year. https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="⚡️" title="Hochspannungszeichen" aria-label="Emoji: Hochspannungszeichen"> NEWSFLASH... Guess what? https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="⬇️" title="Pfeil nach unten" aria-label="Emoji: Pfeil nach unten">
That’s us. That’s the music industry. We make those things happen. Don& #39;t let us go. https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="💔" title="Gebrochenes Herz" aria-label="Emoji: Gebrochenes Herz">
Head on over herehttps://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="⬇️" title="Pfeil nach unten" aria-label="Emoji: Pfeil nach unten"> to write to your MP via @WeAreTheMU or tweet the Chancellor at @RishiSunak to tell him this isn& #39;t enough. https://twitter.com/WeAreTheMU/status/1309205970707312640?s=20">https://twitter.com/WeAreTheM...
Head on over here
Additionally, #Music #Marketing peeps, @sammyandrews is being wonderful over here - check it out: https://twitter.com/sammyandrews/status/1309429186721968128?s=20">https://twitter.com/sammyandr...
