Holyrood told Scottish music scene 'may never recover' from current crisis

Scotland’s live music scene faces having to be mothballed indefinitely while social distancing measures are in place, industry leaders have warned, as they pleaded for more help from politicians to bring it back to life.

The value of Scotland's music industry was estimated at £431 million last year and said to be supporting 4300 full-time jobs. Picture: Ryan Buchanan

A dossier sent to MSPs has warned that the country’s live music sector “may never recover” from the impact of the coronavirus lockdown.

Leaders of the industry, which is said to be worth more than £430 million to Scotland’s economy, have claimed that it will not be economically viable for venues to reopen without support from the public purse due to the impact of the controversial two metre social distancing limit.

The Scottish Parliament has been told that dozens of concert halls, clubs and arenas are likely to have to remain in cold storage until a vaccine or treatments for Covid-19 are found as a result of the restriction.

However First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has rebuffed attempts from tourism and hospitality industry chiefs for the two metre limit to be cut in half, a move that would bring Scotland into line with other countries around the world.

The dossier says the music industry has proved “particularly vulnerable” to the coronavirus pandemic, due to its reliance on physical spaces, the fact 72 per cent of its workers are self-employed and some venues finding that they are not eligible for any kind of government support.

As well as fears of an “indeterminate period of closure” of venues, MSPs have also been told that the entire industry has been brought to a halt due to the closure of recording studios, rehearsal spaces and record shops, as well as the widespread cancellation of festivals, which attracted more than a million music fans across Scotland last year.

The industry body UK Music body, which has compiled the report on the impact of Covid-19, for the Holyrood committee, has warned that the loss of key parts of infrastructure would “cripple” Scotland’s music industry.

It has called for the Scottish Government to provide “clarity” on when it expects music venues to return and in what form, and called for the creation of a dedicated taskforce to help secure the future of the sector.

Experts have warned that around three quarters of Scotland’s live music venues are at risk of closure as a result of the coronavirus shutdown, which saw them ordered to close nearly three months ago.

Its report states: “The Scottish live sector has been immediately impacted, having been shut down since March and it now faces an indeterminate period of closure as well as post-lockdown disruption.

“Consultation suggests it may not be economically viable for many live venues to open alongside social distancing measures. Without appropriate support, the live sector may never recover from this economic hit.

“The Covid-19 public health crisis and subsequent lockdown and social distancing measures have also hurt the wider Scottish music industry.

“Lockdown has prevented new music being created in recording studios and rehearsal spaces, stopped the live sector from operating at all and has further harmed physical retailers, impacting on the whole music eco-system.

“The likely continuation of physical distancing under phase four of the Scottish Government’s route map highlights the importance of clear guidance to give those parts of the sector that can, the confidence to reopen safely.

“However, without further support it will not be economically viable for live venues to open with social distancing until there is a treatment or vaccine in place.”

Research published last year by UK Music suggested that the Scottish music industry supports some 4,300 jobs.

Scotland saw the strongest growth in bringing music tourists to the UK, rising from 800,000 tourists in 2017 to 1.1 million in 2018, a jump of 38 per cent, credited to events like the Summer Sessions in Edinburgh and Glasgow and festivals like TRNSMT and Belladrum.

However the new UK Music dossier states: “The long-term impact on the music industry in Scotland is dependent on the protection of key parts of the infrastructure such as live music venues, record stores and recording studios. The loss of these integral parts of the eco-system would cripple the sector and prevent new talent entering the industry.

“The re-opening of the sector through the resumption of content creation as well as live performances is vital, but the manner in which it reopens is also critical. If the government intends to ask venues to re-open at reduced capacity it must be economical for them to do so. Fiscal incentives will help a sector that’s struggled to access credit.

“Venues and festivals will have higher overheads to properly implement safety and hygiene measures while facing a long-term reduction in attendance due to the curtailment of international music tourism and weak consumer confidence.”

Donald MacLeod, one of Glasgow’s leading music promoters, and owner of the Cathouse and Garage venues, said the Scottish Government needed to produce a “confident, detailed and concise” plan for how businesses could operate.

He said: “We can’t wait on a vaccine. We all hope there is one but we have to get on with what we have at present.”

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