Coronavirus and Glasgow's music industry
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| Image: Classic Grand |
Across the world, entire industries have been influenced (and troubled) by the spread of Covid-19 over the last few months. In this feature, we look at the specific ways in which the virus has impacted Glasgow's local music scene through the interviews below. Be sure to check out the links attached to each person, and support some of their businesses if possible!
We hope that in doing this feature, we will be able to highlight some of the issues the music sector faces in the city, and what we can do to help any of the people who are most affected by this pandemic.
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RWEI: How has Cov-19 affected your job personally over the last few weeks?
Duncan Mountain (Red Crust Promotions; Balerno Music):
"At the moment, promotion is a part time side job and not a priority compared to my main job. Regardless, there is a lot of uncertainty which has meant that every event will have to be cancelled or postponed. I've been asking myself, "do we pick a date in the late summer for it to be cancelled again, or do we go much later in the year?".
"There will also be a lot of unpaid admin work to follow to get things rolling again for later in the year, and the money put into ads/art/posters may not be retrieved. It's really hard to to talk to other promoters when right now they are feeling the pinch from cancellations about booking other gigs down the line. Motivation has really gone on all parts."
Esteban Martinez (The Doomsday Report):
"The whole coronavirus thing has affected The Doomsday Report a great deal. We interview so many bands, promoters and venues, but we're currently unable to physically interview anyone at the moment due to the lack of gigs."
"I’d say this has affected all the jobs I do in music. I’ve had most, if not all, the shows cancelled or postponed in Glasgow. In addition to this, the bands I represent have also lost out on work due to cancelled shows in abroad and in UK. Currently, we’re aiming to recoup back as much money as possible from non-refundable flights that weren’t cancelled and trying to reschedule as many shows as possible."
"The measures to control Covid-19 has seen all gigs lined up for the next few months completely wiped out. I have to say that I don’t disagree with these measures - this is clearly a very serious pandemic and I think its absolutely right that we take the necessary steps to control it. On a personal level though, I've gone from the prospect of having the best professional year of my life to being completely unemployed at the drop of a hat - I've built this career over many years of hard work and learning, and to have it suddenly disappear is pretty disheartening, even if its not forever.
Looking at the wider picture, every single person working in live music and events is in the same position, and there is very little support for us as self employed people who relied on live music to make a living. This is something I think needs to be addressed urgently, and it is my view that the measures announced so far don't go far enough. Many of us will be left unable to make ends meet, or left with serious debt when this is over."
"All shows have been cancelled or postponed for the foreseeable, so I have no shifts at all. Obviously this needs to happen for the safety of everyone so it's something we must endure, and I do feel in a fortunate position as DF run the venue so I know I still have a job when all this is over. But other good folk in hospitality haven't been as lucky. We have a fantastic team of bookers who are on the case day in, day out, trying to re-book as many shows as possible for later in the year, so there is peace of mind in that, but yeah......currently.....it sucks."
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RWEI: How has Glasgow's music industry been affected more generally?
Duncan Mountain (Red Crust Promotions; Balerno Music):
"Glasgow has more venues and probably provides more jobs in general than the Edinburgh music industry does, so I can imagine it will have a lot of people without work facing some tough months ahead."
"It's affected all of Glasgow's venues. Places have to shut but the owners still have wages to pay to employees, which is hard going if there is no money coming in to do so."
"I think Covid-19 has impacted the entire entertainment industry, to be honest. Anyone who is in the gig economy will suffer as a result of this. As far as Glasgow’s music industry is concerned, the venues and bars are forced to close now due to new legislation from the government so this will be a disaster for us all. I think sometimes people take the music industry for granted but the amount of workers behind the scenes being affected by this is astronomical...everyone from promoter, agent, artist, crew, tour managers, bookers, accountants, labels, management, PR, venues, bus drivers, roadies, sound/light engineers, stage construction staff etc etc."
"We've already seen most of the bigger shows being cancelled, and with the announcement of this "lockdown," we sadly won't be seeing any live music for a while. Everything in music is affected; bands rehearsing and recording, people visiting music shops, even people out shopping and chucking a quid in the busker's hat.
Perhaps a positive of all of this is that there are lots of people with a musical or creative streak who normally don't have the time to pursue it because of work and other commitments. With people self-isolating, working from home and generally having a lot more free time on their hands, I think we'll see a huge outpouring of creativity because of this, which can only be a good thing for the future.
Something else that I think we'll see more of in the next while is streamed performances, and online collaboration. This is great in the short term for getting live music to the people who want to listen to it. It provides a bit of relief from all the doom and gloom, and maybe providing some work for folks like myself too. I hope when all this is over, people still want to go and stand in a hot sweaty room with a can of hot sweaty lager and watch a great band do their thing. We all know there's nothing else like it and personally I can't wait for my next show."
"I really feel for the smaller, independent venues. It's going to be much harder for them to get through this financially. Hopefully now with the backing of the government, most places will be able to tick over. It will be such a shame if we lose any.
The other big sector to be hit will be festivals. As we approach festival season, there are entire industries that rely on making all their profits during the summer, to be able to earn the collateral to get through winter. If this thing doesn't bugger off by June... I dread to think."
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RWEI: What do you think needs to happen to ensure that the music industry can survive this difficult period?
Duncan Mountain (Red Crust Promotions; Balerno Music):
"There's lots of talks of supporting artists (which you should do) - but a lot of the bands do this as a hobby to a main job. The venues and staff, on the other hand, rely much more on the money of the punters, so to speak. I would ask that when restrictions are lifted and it is safe to go out again and socialise that people go to as many gigs as they can. Buy some drinks, pay for tickets in advance etc. For every £50-£200 arena/stadium type gig you could probably go to many £5 type gigs and support a lot more. Support gigs at small venues because it means that you'll get out more. Live music doesn't need to be a big gig you go to once a year as you can enjoy many amateur grassroots gigs for the same price!"
Esteban Martinez (The Doomsday Report):
"I think the government should give payments to venue owners so they can pay their bills and wages to avoid from the venues having to face closure."
"This is a very difficult question to answer. Regarding live concerts, a lot of bands are now taking to Twitch and other streaming platforms to perform virtually for their fans. In addition to this, bands are able to release new merchandise which may have only been exclusive before to help.
I think this is the only way forward...to make use of the streaming platforms more and more to survive the oncoming despite that the music industry feels. However, for the crew and hard working individuals behind the scenes, I’m not sure what can be done. We are in a gig economy where most live from concert to concert or tour to tour to survive, put food on the table for families and rent/mortgage. I think people sometimes forget about these people. We all have transferable skills that can be used in other industries. I hope that this is recognised so that everyone doesn’t have to claim Universal Credit!"
"I think we need to see further measures for small businesses and self-employed people. The announcement of grants to support wages and business is a reassuring one; sadly the support still doesn't go far enough - the reality is that businesses still have overheads even when they are not allowed any customers. Many will have to take out loans to keep themselves afloat, so I think when this is over we all need to get out into these venues, studios etc and support them as best we can."
"Honestly, I'm not even sure if I feel qualified enough to answer this question, as I'm still very much learning how the business works myself. Thankfully they are a creative and innovative bunch, so moving things online as much as possible and live streaming gigs is something, but that doesn't generate income for all the all those (lighting, PA hire, crew to name a few) involved in the actual events. And lets face it, watching it on a screen will never be the same as being at a live show. It's an experience that cannot be replaced.
I suppose the best thing anyone can do, is prepare and promote as much as we can ready for when all this is over, because it will pass, and then things are going to be absolutely mental. From September to Christmas I don't expect to know my ass from my elbow, as it's going to be gigs 7 days a week, not only to re-coup financially from all we've lost in this time, but to celebrate live music again."
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RWEI: Do you have any advice for readers who want to help the music industry at the moment?
"Buy tickets and merch in advance. And finally, go eat and drink in your favourite venues as soon as it's safe to do so!"
Esteban Martinez (The Doomsday Report):
"Support your local bands, buy their merch and support your venues when they reopen. Without fans then we are all fighting a losing battle."
"Support the bands and venues you love by contributing to their Bandcamp/Gofundme pages. You can support promoters like me by keeping your ticket for a rescheduled show in the future. I know there are scammers in the industry unfortunately, but there are a lot of very reputable promoters out there (you know who you are.) Supporting the grassroots venues who need it the most at a time like this is always a bonus. Also, GO to the rescheduled shows, GO to the local shows, GO to the touring shows because the amount of effort to put together even just a single show is more than most people imagine."
"Buy records. Stream music. If a local show is cancelled, consider donating your ticket instead of asking for a refund - that money has to come from somewhere, and the small businesses that are vital to this scene are all struggling at the minute. To venues out there - claim all the help from the government that you can, keep your staff and pay them. Your loyalty will be rewarded.
And lastly, play your instruments. Practice. Write music. Record. Release. Music has always been a release and a coping mechanism for many, and this strange time is no different. There will be live music again and I truly believe the industry will come back bigger and better than it ever has been."
"Support Patreon accounts or crowdfunders of small venues who are looking to raise funds, or buy physical merchandise of your fave bands who tour your local venues. If you can, that is. I can also appreciate that its tough to part with your own money if you're not sure when or where you're next pay check is coming from...
Quite simply, I miss gigs. They have been a huge part of my life since I was a teenager and I can't imagine a life without them. So here's to all the people working hard to see their companies through this, and lets all get ready to go out and spend our money at musical events as soon as we can!"
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Thank you to Duncan, Esteban, Joe, Chris and Nick for taking part in these interviews for this feature, and thanks to you as well for checking it out. Feel free to leave a comment below, or you can help support RWEI by giving us a follow/like over on the socials.
Cheers!
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