With COVID-19 cancelling live events and negatively impacting musicians incomes, Musicians’ Union’s General Secretary Horace Trubridge calls for more financial support and a review into streaming models.

UK Parliament’s Culture, Media And Sport Select Committee held a virtual meeting with MU’s boss Trubridge to give evidence of the affects felt by the music industry recently as a result of COVID.

Due to recent closures of live venues, 20% of musicians are expecting to have to leave music for a new career. Trubridge noted 40% of musicians did not qualify for any sort of financial aid from the government.

Music is worth 5.2 billion to the UK economy and the Chancellor needs to bear that in mind. Our industry is the envy of the world, but we won’t retain it unless we invest in it during this difficult time. Our sector must have further financial support from the Government if it is to survive in any shape or form.

Our wonderful orchestras do masses of outreach. They are in care homes, schools, prisons, they are in hospitals helping patients… All of that stuff has stopped. That’s a great loss to society, not just to the music world.

Horace Trubridge – General Secretary – Musicians’ Union

Trubridge suggests a Government cultural fund, based on the German model.

He continues by addressing the unbalanced share of streaming revenues between labels and musicians:

At a time when record labels are making record profits it cannot be right that established musicians are left to rely on hardship funds… There needs to be a full review into the streaming model to see where the money is going, because it is not going to the musicians’ pockets.

Horace Trubridge – General Secretary – Musicians’ Union

Also asking how live music events could be returned safely as soon as possible, perhaps reducing the two metre guidelines to one metre.

Find more details on Horace Trubridge’s suggestions to Government here.