Songwriter Clare Bowditch has joined the call to speed up the vaccination rollout, saying the struggling music industry will be unable to bounce back until more people are protected from COVID-19.
Key points:
- Bowditch says music's "Olympians" need vaccine access to take up overseas opportunities
- She suggests popular artists could be vaccine ambassadors
- She wants equity between sport and music when it comes to venue capacity restrictions
She also called out the discrepancy in crowd sizes between sport and music, saying the medical advice needed be revaluated and that if venue capacity restrictions did not lift, greater financial support would be needed.
The musician and author used a National Press Club address in Canberra on Wednesday to highlight the experiences of the many small business owners like her who make up the $1.6 billion Australian music industry.
Given changing technology had removed most of the income Bowditch makes from recorded music — she said she takes home about $12.50 a month from streaming royalties — live music was now essential to musicians' livelihoods.
Therefore the industry, from musicians to the estimated 100 crew and support workers her gigs employ, had a major stake in the success of the roll-out, she said.
"Because until it is, we can't get our jobs back. Many people don't realise that."
She compared the fortunes of Australian Olympians, who have been given early access to vaccines, to some of Australia's biggest artists, some of whom are trying to get overseas this year for tours or festival appearances.
"We're talking about a collective $88 million of potential revenue over just a short period of time," she said.
"Nobody wants any favours. But I am telling you, if you are looking for vaccination ambassadors, they are good looking and popular, OK?"
Sounds Australia, which works with artists to crack overseas markets, has been helping major acts secure exit permits, which when granted allow the artists to be vaccinated.
Permits for two acts have already been approved and executive producer Millie Millgate said on Wednesday that the Federal Government had been helpful in streamlining the exemption process to allow big acts like Middle Kids and Tame Impala to make their 2021 US dates.
"This isn’t just travel for joy; it isn’t a person with a guitar and a dream to go to Nashville. This is a legitimate business," Ms Millgate said.
"The loss if they don’t go is paramount."
'We need consistency' on crowd size rules
Bowditch also said music venues needed to be treated like other kinds of event spaces when it came to capacity restrictions, an argument Amy Shark and members of Powerfinger have made in recent weeks.
Restrictions vary across the country, but prior to the current outbreak in Victoria, where Bowditch lives, live music venues had been operating at 30 to 50 per cent capacity for months.
By contrast, the MCG was at 75 per cent in March, raised to 85 per cent in April.
Bowditch said she understood there was medical advice unpinning the variations, and that it may have to do with seating arrangements. In any case, it needed interrogating.
"For God's sake, can we re-look at that research?"
"If your medical advice is to keep the rules the way they are … we need a groundbreaking support package targeted specifically at live music industry.
"We have had this conversation before and we need to have it again. It is not our fault there are delays in vaccines and we accept you are doing your best but we ask you, look at that [those restrictions]."
Surveys have showed many businesses in the industry are struggling to stay afloat post-JobKeeper, with lost wages at more than $350 million.
Music rights group APRA-AMCOS estimated in March that live music was running at 4 per cent of regular activity and many promoters have been spooked by the insecurity that comes with snap lockdowns like the one that cancelled Bluesfest in April.
In March, the music industry welcomed an $125 million in funding for the Federal Government's RISE program, which provides grants to put on gigs, tours and festivals.
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiZGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmFiYy5uZXQuYXUvbmV3cy8yMDIxLTA1LTI2L2NsYXJlLWJvd2RpdGNoLW11c2ljLWluZHVzdHJ5LWNvdmlkLXZhY2NpbmUtcm9sbG91dC8xMDAxNjY5NDbSAShodHRwczovL2FtcC5hYmMubmV0LmF1L2FydGljbGUvMTAwMTY2OTQ2?oc=5
2021-05-26 06:27:48Z
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