UK live music and festival sector at risk of collapse
The British independent festival sector is at risk of collapsing, with many cancelled events falling through the cracks of government support measures for businesses suffering as a result of the coronavirus crisis.
The Association of Independent Festivals (AIF), which represents 65 festivals in the UK, including Gloucestershire’s 2000trees, London’s Meltdown and Sheffield’s Tramlines, reports 92% of its members saying they face costs that could ruin their businesses as a result of cancelled events, with the vast majority (98.5%) not covered by insurance for cancellation related to Covid-19.
Costs include potential refunds of up to £800m for events that were due to take place this summer, and average non-recoupable costs of £375,000 per festival for overheads such as marketing, staffing and advertising.
A member survey has revealed that the sector could be facing redundancies of 59% on average and will lose more than half of its workforce between September 2020 and February 2021 without support.
AIF chief executive, Paul Reed, says that many independent festivals aren’t able to access funds through the government’s coronavirus business interruption loan scheme because they are unable to meet eligibility criteria, while the bounce-back loan scheme, capped at £50,000, doesn’t adequately cover what they need to stay afloat without income for this year.
Updated
More than £10,000 has been raised for the family of a railway ticket office worker who died with coronavirus after being spat at while on duty.
Belly Mujinga, who had an 11-year-old daughter, was on the concourse of Victoria station in London when a member of the public who said he had Covid-19 spat and coughed at her and a colleague.
Both women fell ill with the virus, and Mujinga died in hospital in Barnet 11 days after the attack on 5 April.
A fundraising page for Mujinga’s family has surpassed its £1,000 target and stood at £10,560 on Wednesday morning.
The attack on Mujinga, who had underlying respiratory problems, was widely condemned, with Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA) general secretary, Manuel Cortes, saying he was “shocked and devastated” at the death.
The prime minister’s official spokesman said: “It is despicable for a key worker to be attacked in this way while serving the travelling public.”
Mujinga’s husband, Lusamba Gode Katalay, described how the suspect walked up to her and spat in her face on 22 March.
“The man asked her what she was doing, why she was there, and she said they were working. The man said he had the virus and spat on them. They reported it.”
Within a week of the incident, she began to feel ill and was admitted to hospital on 2 April. He said:
That was the last time I saw her. We just said: ‘Be good,’ and that God is in charge.
We did a WhatsApp video in hospital, but then I didn’t hear from her again.
I thought she might be asleep, but the doctor phoned me to tell me she had died.