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How the music industry could survive the pandemic

Music industry members will join together to chat about the future of music as as well share music career advice.

Hannah Starkie - 25th January 2021

By now, it’s no secret that the music and events industry is on its knees. 

The report, Music by Numbers 2020, found that 65% of musicians’ income would be lost in 2020. But that figure increased to 85% for the ones that rely on live performances and events.

We know that the Culture Recovery Fund has provided £1.7 billion in grants from the government, supporting venues, festivals and 75,000 jobs. But whilst some financial help has been available, the industry as a whole remains at a standstill. As we see venues announce their permanent closure on a weekly basis, we’d be fair to question how sustainable government grants are.

Plus, with major festivals like Glastonbury already announcing their cancellation, it’s clear the issues are more long term. We can expect more to follow suit in the coming weeks as it’s just not feasible to go ahead with their plans for the summer festival season.

On a more local level, Manchester’s music scene has experienced the same upheaval. Venues are in a state of despair and many musicians are losing faith.

As emerging talent is finding it near impossible to break into an already tough industry, concerns have been raised about the future of music here. Not being able to perform live can massively limit an artist’s visibility and opportunities. COVID-19 is ultimately preventing an entire wave of new artists from pursuing a music career.

So that’s why Business & IP Centre Manchester (BIPC) are coming up with ways to inspire and motivate new and existing musicians.

They’ll be hosting a virtual event on 27 January, hosted by Inspiral Carpets’ bassist Martyn Walsh. From 6pm, there’ll be talks and live Q&A.

They’ve invited a panel of industry experts to chat about the future of music in 2021. They’ll also explain how they’ve adapted their own music careers to overcome COVID-19 challenges – aiming to restore some much-needed hope back into Manchester’s music. 

The panel of speakers will represent a variety of areas of the music industry, from artists to booking agents. Joining will be DJ Mix-Stress, DJ NikNak, Night and Day Café’s Jay Taylor, Lola Mitchell from booking agency 13 Artists as well as musician David Gedge. 

Organisers know how important it is for us to understand how different the music scene looks now. In doing so, they want to uncover new ways of approaching a music career and provide inspiration for those struggling to keep their current ones afloat.

Titled ‘Reset. Restart: Live Music in 2021… Where do we go from here’, the event forms part of the Reset. Restart programme run by the BIPC; which supports small businesses in their struggle through the pandemic by providing business future-proofing advice and training.

So, if you’re interested in learning how the music industry will look in 2021 or want some COVID-19 advice, get yourself signed up for the event here.