Lockdown has created challenges for us all, none more so than the live music industry.

Alex Slater from Hitchin is operations manager for a successful company called Stage Miracles that deals with providing crew for putting on live events - using a diverse group of highly skilled staff experienced in a wide range of activities.

However, Covid has decimated the live events sector, leaving many with an uncertain future.

Read what Alex has to say about his trade post-lockdown…

.......

As an industry we have had highs and lows over the years, but this year has taken a sharp swerve and seen the live music and event industry disappear.

Ours was the first industry to totally shut down and we will be the last to 'get back to business as usual' - an entire sector of people whose chosen career path are quickly running out of options.

Bills must be paid, food must be bought, but for some the safety net of the furlough scheme will soon end - and for many business owners and self-employed people, the safety net barely existed, if they even managed to get anything at all to help since March.

advertisement

Ours is an industry that supports thousands of jobs each year and contributes billions of pounds to the UK economy each year.

The music industry is our way of life, our chosen path, our aim is and will always be to help bring joy to millions and millions of people.

To every concert going fan, what you see on stage from when the lights go dark, and your favourite artist plays the first opening bars of their set.

This is the culmination of hundreds of hours of hard work, and months/years of planning – across so many sectors, from the musicians, production companies, air freight, hauliers, lighting, sound, video, stage building, local crew, catering, security companies to name a handful.

So, believe me when I say that there are many, many more involved in putting on any event.

What do you think will happen if concerts and theatre shows are finally allowed to go ahead next year?

Which looking at the rescheduled dates for all the postponed shows seems the most likely.

The PA, lighting, staging, video, power companies (plus other suppliers) will go under, and the equipment sold to pay off debts - how do you think your beloved concerts and events will sound or what will they look like without the expertise of these companies?

advertisement

How will the shows be put together without the various departments of crew that know how to put on an event?

We know that there is a global pandemic occurring, we want people to be safe, and be able see a show in a risk free environment.

We're simply are not used to sitting at home doing nothing – at this time of the year, we are used to many consecutive days of minimal (if any sleep) running from venue to venue, working harder than most people realise – but if we are not allowed to do our jobs and can't pay our bills, then something that will help us is better than nothing.

It shouldn't take multiple days of action by an entire industry for the government to finally sit up and take notice.

Not when massive multinational companies such as British Airways, Virgin, JD Wetherspoon – along with many more - who have managed to get massive bail outs, and are still able to ply their trade and keep increasing their profits.

If you value live entertainment - be it in a small local theatre or the biggest acts on the biggest stages in the world - or if you have friends in this industry, please petition your local MP, write letters, anything you can think of that will help the government sit up and remember the contribution to society we all help make.

Thank you.

Alex Slater