Live Entertainment Workers Unveil Irish Music Industry Survival Campaign

EPIC, the Event Production Industry Covid19 Working Group, have unveiled a nine point pre-budget plan and Uplift campaign in order to ensure the survival of the Irish live music industry and its workers.

The group was set-up during the COVID-19 pandemic in order to highlight the needs of the live entertainment and events sector during these unprecedented times.

Their campaign entails a pre-budget plan as well as an Uplift email campaign, where people can contact their local TDs and directly implore them to aid an industry which brings €3.5 billion into the economy each year.

EPIC's pre-budget plan is as follows:

1. Reinstatement of the support payment of €410 (being the previous level of the TWSS) and €350 (being the previous level of the PUP) which is vital for the skilled workforce of the sector until it fully recovers. The sector is unique in that it is almost entirely closed under government mandate with no opportunity to trade.

2. Implementation of a “scaffolding support fund” equivalent to the level allocated to the state funded sector, to help protect and hold the sector upright and together, allowing it to survive, until such time as organised and ticketed live entertainment events can return to full capacity safely.

3. An extension of business rates waiver for a period of thirty-six months to allow SMEs, Venues and the other businesses of the sector to recover.

4. Reduction in the rate of VAT on ticket sales to 5% to aid with the staged re-opening of the sector at likely greatly reduced capacity.

5. A VAT Tax Credit for the personnel and SMEs of the sector to inspire trade at reduced capacity and enhance the opportunity for businesses to return to work.

6.  Implement a taskforce on insurance to review cancellation insurance for events.

7. Extension of the credit guarantee scheme to ensure SMEs can borrow 100% loan requirements due to extreme difficulty with securing the remaining 20% from Irish banks.

8. Stimulus packages to support the sole owner businesses and small businesses & venues:

   1. Schools and Colleges: €2 million fund, to provide seat loss compensation grant up to €2,500 in each case.

   2. Musical Societies, Drama Societies, Stage Schools and Dance Schools: A €1 Million Euro fund accessible to theatres and arts centres to be distributed by the Department of Culture. The fund would allow the theatre or arts centre to apply for €400 per night of performance and pass the saving on to the society in reduced rent.

   3. c. Small Venue Supports: A €3m euro fund allowing for grants of €1,000 per performance in small music venues to compensate for reduced capacity and to encourage venues to open with less capacity. 9. Confirmation that the recently announced Cross Departmental Taskforce for the Arts, Culture & Live Events Sector will be a long standing body with representation on the taskforce for the commercial live events sector relative to the size of the commercial sector versus the state funded sector.

You can find more information on EPIC's plans here.

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