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Music industry says UK government's new COVID support schemes don't work for live entertainment
While plenty of uncertainty remains regarding how long COVID-19 will continue to negatively impact on the live and night time entertainment sectors, the music industry is pretty certain on one thing: the latest round of financial support schemes from the UK government won't help much. Indeed the boss of the Night Time Industries Association last night described his sector's response to the government's new COVID support measures as "shock, horror and despair".

Many of the UK government's previous schemes to support those people and businesses negatively impacted by the COVID-19 shutdown - in particular the furlough scheme for employees and the accompanying programme for the self-employed - are now winding down. However, with plenty of restrictions still in place to try to stop the continued spread of the virus - and those restrictions actually increasing again this week - there had been widespread demands for government support to continue.

Chancellor Of The Exchequer Rishi Sunak responded to those demands yesterday with a Winter Economy Plan. His big announcement was the launch of a Job Support Scheme to replace the furlough scheme. Basically, where ongoing COVID restrictions mean companies are not able to operate at full capacity, and therefore employees are not currently required full-time, the government will subsidise those employees' salaries.

Providing an employee is working 33% of their usual hours - and the company is paying them for that - the government will provide a subsidy. When it comes to the pay that would have been due on the hours not currently being worked, the employer will be expected to pay 33% of that money, the employee is expected to take a 33% hit, and the government will provide the other 33%. Therefore, overall, the employer would be paying 55% of the employee's usual salary.

For the self-employed, the previous scheme is basically being extended, though with much reduced support so that the government-provided benefit for freelancers is pretty much in line with that being offered to employees. So whereas previous grants for the self-employed paid out 70-80% of average earnings, the next round of support will pay out 20%.

Both of the newly announced schemes are based on the assumption that the world is now slowly returning to normal after the full-on COVID lockdown that occurred earlier this year, but because some COVID restrictions are still in place many businesses are not yet back to full capacity. The government, therefore, is providing some subsidy to help cover the slack.

That is why the new schemes aren't much good for many of those working in the live or night-time entertainment sectors. Because for those people and companies things are not yet slowly returning to normal.

In many cases, ongoing COVID restrictions are sufficient that operations are still in complete shutdown, and nothing has really changed since March this year. Others may have resumed operations to an extent, but the combination of reduced hours, reduced capacity and reduced demand means that many businesses are not in a position to pay staff to work a third of their usual hours, let alone subsidise any unworked hours to the tune of 33%.

As a result, it's feared that many music, live and night time businesses that had previously been relying on the furlough scheme will now have to make their employees redundant. Indeed, many already have, given the previous uncertainty over if and how the furlough scheme would be replaced. But those that had been hanging on to see if new support was offered will now have to start making lots of difficult decisions.

For freelancers in the creative industries - including music-makers, the vast majority of whom are self-employed - many are yet to see any of their usual fee-paying projects return, meaning a grant worth 20% of their usual earnings will not really help. Most of those people will likely have to seek work outside the creative sectors and - the concern is - many won't then be able to return to the industry once COVID is over.

Sunak also again failed to address those self-employed people who have so far received no support at all from the government because they didn't meet the criteria of the previous support scheme. That includes those who were very recently self-employed, or who paid themselves through a limited company rather than being registered with tax authorities as a sole trader.

Of course, the government would likely argue that - while it is true that the schemes announced yesterday don't really work for those creative and entertainment businesses still pretty much in full-on shutdown - additional funding has already been provided to those businesses via the £1.57 billion in grants being made available to the cultural and heritage industries.

Of that funding, £500 million is being distributed via Arts Council England's Culture Recovery Fund. It is true that the criteria for that fund means music companies that would not usually qualify for Arts Council support have been able to apply for a grant. Though it is as yet unclear how wide a range of businesses will actually benefit, with decisions regarding the first round of that funding due to be revealed later this month, and by no later than 5 Oct.

Given how much competition there has likely been for that funding, it remains to be seen how many music companies benefit, and whether those grants allow those companies to sufficiently boost their operations so that they'd be operating at a level where the Job Support Scheme would be viable and helpful.

Meanwhile, for freelancers, that funding will only provide support if the companies and organisations who are awarded grants are then in a position to hire their services. It's still feared that many self-employed music-makers - and freelancers in the live sector - won't see much benefit from that fund.

Sunak did make some other announcements yesterday that could help businesses in the live and night time sectors. In particular, the previously announced VAT cut on "hospitality and leisure services" - which includes tickets for shows and concerts - will be extended until the end of March, and there'll be further flexibility for companies that have struggled to pay past VAT bills.

However, with the government itself admitting that COVID restrictions are now likely to extend very much into 2021, there remains plenty of doom and gloom in the live and night time entertainment sectors today. We await to see to what extent the upcoming Culture Recovery Fund announcements soften the blow.

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Industry responses to the UK government's latest COVID support measures

Tom Kiehl, Acting CEO of UK Music: "We welcome the extension of government support to safeguard jobs beyond the end of the existing furlough scheme. It is good to see the extension of the 15% VAT cut and the breathing space given to businesses facing VAT bills through the new payment scheme. However, there appears to be little to give comfort to the many talented people in the music industry who are key to our entrepreneurial future. We need special arrangements and sector-specific support for the music industry where 72% of the workforce are self-employed until our industry can get back on its feet".

Paul Reed, CEO of the Association Of Independent Festivals: "While the extension to the VAT cut is welcome, these measures are not even a band aid for a sector that remains severely wounded. Festivals support 85,000 jobs in the UK and our most recent member surveys suggest redundancies of at least 50.5% across the sector, some of which have unfortunately already taken place".

"With the sector still not generating any income at all this year, many employers will simply not be in a position to pay 55% of their employees' salaries to access the support offered by the government's new job support scheme. This remains a broad-brush approach, and we urgently need targeted support. We are awaiting the outcome of Cultural Recovery Fund applications and this will determine if the independent festival sector will in fact receive the support that it urgently requires".

Michael Kill CEO of the Night Time Industries Association: "Shock, horror and despair have reverberated across swathes of the night time industry as more details of the Chancellor's Winter Economy Plan have been revealed".

"It is now clear that there is no support for businesses in the sector which are still forced to remain closed due to COVID-19 restrictions. Even the businesses that can reopen in the industry are unable to see the benefit of the scheme as the recent 10pm curfew makes operating barely viable. The government has chosen to support only businesses able to operate viably and is completely ignoring those who have been unable to trade since March whilst leveraging crippling restrictions on the businesses that can open".

"The night time economy has been totally disregarded by government policy. The government narrative has delivered empty promises and left us an industry in exile. Debt terms have been driven further down the road for a sector that is already overburdened financially, with many of our members languishing in up to three quarters of commercial rent arrears with no certainty on whether they can pay this".

"It is simply not good enough to allow much loved entertainment, cultural and social institutions in an industry that, pre-COVID, employed over 1.3 million and contributed £66 billion per year to the UK economy to disappear with all the corporate and personal pain that causes. At some point these businesses will have to draw a line and will be forced to make a decision on the future of their businesses and their workforce".

Mark Dayvd, CEO of Music Venue Trust: "The measures announced today do not address the need for the UK Government to support different sectors of our society which are subject to different restrictions because of its own actions to control the virus. This is a very specific challenge to the live music industry, which is not permitted to trade by government restrictions but has not seen any sector support directly offered in this financial intervention".

"The new Job Support Scheme is built around the premise of returning to work, and employers returning to some level of income arising from that work to support those workers. The government has made it clear that it does not believe that the time is right for the live music industry to return to work, and where limited events, under substantial restrictions, are permitted, the income generated is insufficient to meet any of the government targets for employer contributions. Bluntly, no part of the live music industry is in a position to pay 55% of its employees' salaries in order to access the government support which is entirely conditional on doing that".

"HM Government has made much of the financial support on offer to the live music industry through the £1.57 billion Cultural Recovery Fund. Of this total intervention into culture, £500 million is potentially available to the live music industry through a process of competitive grant applications. However, competition for those grants will be fierce, and the qualifying criteria extends to the whole of the cultural sector. In the absence of measures in this financial statement to tackle the urgent crisis in the live music industry with sector-specific financial interventions that address the specific circumstances that government measures have placed on the industry, all eyes therefore turn to the distribution of that Culture Recovery Fund".

"The distribution of the Cultural Recovery Fund will need to demonstrate that the government has created a specific sector financial support package for a specific sector which its own virus management policy dictates is unable to trade. If the fund is distributed in such a way that it enables the live music industry to access the financial support being offered across the business sector, such as the employees protection programme, then today's measures contribute to the music industry's recovery. HM Government clearly believes, and expressed during today's [Digital, Culture, Media & Sport] questions in Parliament, that it will. If it does not, none of today's measures are accessible to the live music industry and none will have any impact".

Annabella Coldrick, CEO of the Music Managers Forum: "Unfortunately, the Chancellor's statement has only heightened the industry's state of distress, and especially across our live sector where hundreds of thousands of jobs remain in peril. Concerts and festivals are a cornerstone of UK culture, as well as an important engine of our economy. They are viable businesses, dealing with terrible and unforeseen circumstances. Without targeted support, the infrastructure and livelihoods that support live events will be irreparably damaged, along with the careers of artists and musicians. The MMF's membership is reliant on live music for 80% of their income, and through our ReBuild fund we are doing what we can to support music managers in need, but to prevent a full-on industry-wide catastrophe the government will have to step in".

Deborah Annetts, CEO of the Incorporated Society Of Musicians: "While we welcome much of today's announcement from the Chancellor which will help our venues, many of which are on a cliff edge, it is a devastating blow for the thousands of self-employed musicians who have had no income since March and still cannot return to work while venues remain closed. The UK music industry is a hotbed of world-leading talent which makes a huge contribution to our economy and global influence, so it is vital that freelancers are not forgotten and measures are put in place to help them until they can work again".

"Many musicians have already fallen through the gaps in the Self Employment Income Support Scheme and will continue to be excluded under the new measures. In addition, reducing support down to just 20% of average monthly trading profits will not provide an adequate safety net for our members when they are unable to generate any income at all".

"The government must deliver on its pledge to ensure there is parity between employees and the self-employed by maintaining the existing level of support provided by the SEISS and expanding the eligibility criteria. These are dynamic entrepreneurs who will be back on their feet as soon as the sector can reopen, so any support measures need only last until the necessary safety precautions are eased".

Horace Trubridge, General Secretary of the Musicians' Union: "Whilst today's announcement is, of course, welcome for many workers, there are a huge number of outstanding questions to be answered. Our surveys have shown that 38% of musicians were never able to benefit from either of the previous job support schemes, so we urge the Chancellor to ensure that these workers are not also excluded from the plans announced today. We also need to see more detail of how the replacement of the furlough scheme and the extension of SEISS will work in practice".

"The live music industry has been put on almost complete hold due to the coronavirus crisis, and 70% of our members are currently unable to work more than a quarter of their usual hours. If the bar for qualifying for these schemes is set at 33% of normal hours this will be a huge problem for musicians. These jobs are entirely viable jobs, they have just been completely paused during this crisis and the government must act to protect musicians. The extension of SEISS, whilst welcome, is set to only cover 20% of average monthly trading profits. Is the government seriously expecting many musicians to survive on 20% of their usual income for the next six months?"

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OfCom allows Radio 1 24/7 dance stream launch to go ahead, but will look at market position of BBC Sounds app
UK media regulator OfCom has said that it will allow the new 24/7 dance music channel within the BBC Sounds app to launch as planned. However, it is going to start looking at BBC Sounds as a whole, in order to ensure that the broadcaster isn't using the app to launch services that go beyond its public service remit and which unfairly compete with commercial media.

OfCom was responding to Tory MP and Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group On Commercial Radio Andy Carter, who called for the regulator to investigate after the BBC announced its new Radio 1 Dance service, which aggregates existing specialist shows and mixes from its archives.

The MP said that he didn't see how the new dance channel served any public service remit and that he was concerned the BBC was using the little scrutinised BBC Sounds app to increasingly compete head-on with commercial services.

Carter stated: "It's imperative for the future of the BBC that it provides high quality, distinctive content that warrants its significant licence fee income. I am concerned about the serious lack of transparency and scrutiny of the BBC Sounds platform. New services like Radio 1 Dance do not appear to meet the important public value tests that the BBC must observe. I hope OfCom will conduct a thorough review of BBC Sounds as a matter of urgency".

OfCom, however, having looked into the Radio 1 Dance stream ahead of its launch next month, says that further scrutiny and a 'public interest test' on the part of the BBC is not necessary, because the new channel repurposes existing content and therefore isn't a "material" change to existing services.

In a response to Carter's call, OfCom says that it believes that "the impact of the new stream on the market is likely to be small – particularly as it will be online only and contain no new or exclusive content".

However, it added, "there have been a number of incremental changes to BBC Sounds, and some stakeholders in the commercial radio sector have concerns about its development. OfCom therefore intends to consider the market position of BBC Sounds through a public process, seeking evidence from stakeholders and the BBC".

Noting that BBC Sounds is now "a vital part of the BBC's audio proposition", it will seek input from "interested or potentially affected parties", as well as trying to get to grips with the Beeb's future plans for the app. The review is expected to be completed by the end of the year.

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MistaJam to leave the BBC after fifteen years
MistaJam has announced that he is leaving the BBC after fifteen years with the broadcaster, initially on 1Xtra and then also on Radio 1. He has not yet announced where he intends to move to next.

"After fifteen amazing years at the BBC, I feel the time has come for me to move on to the next challenge", he says in a statement on Instagram. "From joining in 2005 to host an overnight hip hop show on 1Xtra to turning Radio 1's 'Dance Anthems' into the most listened to show on BBC Sounds for under 35s, it's been an amazing journey filled with moments I'll never forget".

"A couple of Radio Academy Gold awards, giving some of the biggest artists in the world their first ever national radio play, THAT 60 Minutes Live and being able to soundtrack lockdown with uplifting #DanceNRG have been some of the most special memories I'll cherish and am so grateful to have been a part of", he goes on.

"I want to thank the entire team both past and present at 1Xtra and Radio 1 for allowing this black kid from Nottingham a chance to be a national radio broadcaster", he concludes. "But most of all, I'd like to thank every single person who's ever given me their ears. Here's to the future".

Reece Parkinson will take over his 1Xtra drivetime show and Charlie Hedges will take on 'Dance Anthems' on Radio 1.

MistaJam's announcement follows the recent departure of Toddla T from Radio 1.

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Tunng tackle the taboo of discussing death on new album and podcast
Tunng have announced their new album and an accompanying podcast series, both called 'Dead Club'. Both will explore death and grief and how different cultures approach them.

The band challenge the taboo of talking about death on new single 'Death Is The New Sex', about which the band's Sam Genders says: "It's a song about how, by challenging taboos, we might arrive at a place closer to the truth and find ourselves better able to support each other as a result".

"Whilst researching this project I've been struck by just how much of a taboo the subject of death is in our culture", he goes on. "Partly because of the ways in which people have responded when I explained what we were working on. One person was seriously worried I might be suicidal, and others clearly felt it was an odd thing to explore".

"Partly [also] because of my own reactions" he adds. "I often found myself nervous when talking about death or grief, or reaching for a socially acceptable way of phrasing an idea and struggling to find one. And yet, once the awkwardness has passed, I've also found that people are often eager to talk about how death and grief have affected their lives. Sometimes as if they'd be waiting far too long for the opportunity to unburden themselves".

"Interestingly, I feel that in many modern settings people are more comfortable taking about sex than death", he continues. "We've journeyed so far in the last 60 years when it comes to talking about sex and I think you can make a very good case for that being a good thing. I expect the average person knows more about avoiding STIs or unwanted pregnancy, and is more likely to be comfortable with the idea of sexual pleasure or their own sexuality than ever before".

"I'm sure a lot of good has come from that. Now it seems like people are beginning to talk about death more. Imagine if we were so comfortable talking about death that everyone in our culture had the skills to support people who are grieving or to plan for the end of life for themselves or a loved one. It seems like there's so much to gain. Palliative care is one obvious example of how more knowledge and awareness might help people live better lives".

"The [new single] was inspired in part by my conversation with palliative care physician and writer Kathryn Mannix and her wonderful book 'With The End In Mind'", he concludes. "Lyrically the song has clearly been through the Tunng filter. I wrote the words with a fantastical, almost comic book quality in places, but it's not flippant. I think these are genuinely important ideas".

The album is set for release on 6 Nov, and the band have already released a number of episodes of the accompanying podcast, featuring interviews with Max Porter, Derren Brown, Kevin Young and Sue Black. Read more about the project here and listen to the podcast here.

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Michael Kiwanuka wins Mercury Prize
Michael Kiwanuka has won this year's Mercury Prize for his latest album 'Kiwanuka'. So that's good, isn't it? Good job it didn't go to that one awful act on the shortlist or I would have been very cross.

"I don't even know what to say - I'm speechless", said Kiwanuka after being announced as the winner. "This is amazing… I don't even have any words. This is ridiculous, it's crazy! I'm so happy. Third time's a charm. It's blown my mind. I'm over the moon, I'm so excited - this is for art, for music, for albums. This is the only thing I've ever wanted to do, so to win a Mercury is a dream come true. I'm so happy. Music and art means so much to me, and this is an award that celebrates that, so I'm over the moon".

As he noted among all those adjectives, this is the third time that Kiwanuka has been nominated for the prize and the first time that he has won it. By breaking that run, it also meant that Laura Marling has now been nominated for the prize four times without winning.

She's not yet the artist who's scored the most nominations without winning though - that accolade is still held by Radiohead, with five nods and no trophy. Nearly there though!

Kiwanuka will appear on a special edition of 'Later... With Jools Holland' on BBC Two tonight.

Meanwhile, here's the full shortlist in case you forgot it or would like to remind yourself who this year's Mercury Prize losers were:

Anna Meredith - Fibs
Charli XCX - How I'm Feeling Now
Dua Lipa - Future Nostalgia
Georgia - Seeking Thrills
Kano - Hoodies All Summer
Lanterns On The Lake - Spook The Herd
Laura Marling - Song For Our Daughter
Michael Kiwanuka - Kiwanuka
Moses Boyd - Dark Matter
Porridge Radio - Every Bad
Sports Team - Deep Down Happy
Stormzy - Heavy Is The Head

In other awards news, Dua Lipa has won this year's Popjustice Twenty Quid Music Prize for her song, 'Physical'. Laura Marling was not placed.

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DEALS

BMG has signed Kwame to a worldwide publishing deal, following on from his recent management deal with Vita Music Group. "I'm THRILLED to be joining the lovely team over at BMG", says Kwame.

BMG (yes, again!) has announced a partnership with French football club Olympique de Marseille to launch new record label OM Records. Not to release embarrassing novelty singers by its players though. "Olympique de Marseille is above all a football club, but its impact goes far beyond the fields, especially among young people in Marseille", says the team's President, Jacques-Henri Eyraud. "L'OM is a powerful lever to unleash the great artistic potential of this population".

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APPOINTMENTS

Sony Music's 4th Floor Creative division has promoted Dorothy Hui to the role of SVP Digital & Audience Development. "I'm delighted to continue leading our efforts to help unlock the value of the fan for our artists and align our artists' music to all the key moments in a fan's life", she says.

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LABELS & PUBLISHERS

Universal Music has launched a new division of Def Jam in Vietnam. This follows local Def Jam office launches in other South Asian countries like Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Philippines and Indonesia. "It's an extremely exciting time for hip hop in Vietnam, and we are committed to connect and contribute to the hip hop community at large", says Def Jam South East Asia MD Joe Flizzow.

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LIVE BUSINESS

Manchester City Council has granted permission for Oak View Group to go ahead with plans to build a new arena next to the city's Etihad Stadium. "We're delighted that Manchester City Council has given our proposals the go-ahead, and we can't wait to get started, bringing a £350 million private investment, creating thousands of jobs, and delivering one of the world's best arenas to this amazing city", says chief exec Tim Leiweke.

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RELEASES

Paloma Faith has announced that she will release her fifth studio album, 'Infinite Things', on 13 Nov. She's also announced plans for a UK tour in September and October next year. Here's latest single, 'Better Than This'.

Corey Taylor has released new single 'Culture Head'. His debut solo album 'CMFT' will be out on 2 Oct, with a special event livestreamed from the Forum in LA that night.

Yungblud has released new single 'God Save Me But Don't Drown Me Out'. His new album, 'Weird!', is set for release on 13 Nov.

The Shins have released new single 'The Great Divide'. "It's an epic about longing and love in a broken world", says frontman James Mercer. "I guess we wanted to try to provide a bit of warmth and sentiment in hard times".

Kurt Vile has announced that he will release new EP 'Speed, Sound, Lonely KV' on 2 Oct. It features new single 'How Lucky', a cover of the song by John Prine recorded with the late musician himself.

Clipping have released new single '96 Neve Campbell'. New album, 'Visions Of Bodies Being Burned', is out on 23 Oct.

Ólafur Arnalds has released new single 'Woven Song'. His new album, 'Some Kind Of Peace', is out 2 Nov.

Fryars has released new single 'Quail's Egg No 1 In C Sharp Major'. "This inane two minute tune got made over seven years", he says. "Sitting with the same thing, the same idea but always finding new details and new ways of doing things. Never wanting to finish something. Not because it has to be perfect, but because you don't want it to end".

Falle Nioke and Ghost Culture have released the video for their track 'Mounemouma'. "Back home, if you travel to Europe or America, people think that you will forget them and forget your life back home", says Nioke of the song. "There's an African proverb that says 'a wooden log may remain 100 years in the water but it will never become a crocodile'. You can't change who you are and where you come from".

Ary has released new single 'Angels'. "I started writing the song to my [late] brother", she says. "It's one of many songs I've written to him. He is one of my eternal inspirations. The essence of the song is wanting someone to save him and realising that nothing could".

Lia Lia has released new single 'Night Call'.

Peel have released new single 'Catch & Release'. "The lyrics were born out of dream logic", says vocalist Sean Cimino. "There's a melancholy beauty captured".

Joe And The Shitboys have released punchy new single 'If You Believe In Eating Meat, Start With Your Dog'.

Check out our weekly Spotify playlist of new music featured in the CMU Daily - updated every Friday.

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Doobie Brothers issue cease-and-desist to Bill Murray: "The only person who uses our music without permission more than you do is Donald Trump"
The Doobie Brothers have sent Bill Murray a cease-and-desist letter ordering him to stop using their music to advertise golf shirts being sold by his William Murray Golf company. Actually, it's their attorney Peter Paterno who wrote the letter, and it's he who should get the credit here, because it's quite some letter.

"We're writing on behalf of our clients, the Doobie Brothers", Paterno states at the start of said letter - which was obtained by The Hollywood Reporter - before explaining that the correspondence relates specifically to their song 'Listen To The Music'.

"It's a fine song", he goes on. "I know you agree because you keep using it in ads for your 'Zero Hucks Given' golf shirts. However, given that you haven't paid to use it, maybe you should change the name to 'Zero Bucks Given'".

Noting that his law firm - King, Holmes, Paterno & Soriano LLP - believes that Murray has used music by other clients of theirs without permission, Paterno goes on: "It seems like the only person who uses our clients' music without permission more than you do is Donald Trump".

Of course, somewhere in all this should be a full explanation of what laws have actually been broken. Paterno gets to that in his closing paragraph.

"This is the part where I'm supposed to cite the United States Copyright Act, excoriate you for not complying with some subparagraph that I'm too lazy to look up and threaten you with eternal damnation for doing so", he says. "But you already earned that with those Garfield movies. And you already know that you can't use music in ads without paying for it".

Murray, of course, once claimed that he'd taken on the starring role in the first Garfield movie because he'd mistakenly thought that the Joel Cohen who wrote it was actually Joel Coen of the Coen Brothers. He never fully explained why he did the sequel though. Maybe he'll have a better explanation for why his company has been putting music in adverts without permission.

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