After a bruising 10 months of Covid shutdown, live music businesses — not to mention artists and fans — are hoping concerts and tours can return in the Summer of 2021. But is it a pipe dream?

Perhaps understandably, the plight experienced by the industry focuses almost exclusively on its creative incumbents;  the artists and bands. However, without producers, lighting engineers, sound engineers, roadies, caterers and the hundreds of other important cogs in the wheel, live music would be unheard and gigs and festivals rarely experienced.

The support from the UK government has been mixed and sometimes controversial. And while some may argue that unprofitable businesses should not be propped up by subsidies, this is an industry that has had closure forced upon it. It has been rendered unprofitable because the gates have been locked by others, and even those who invested in adapting their premises and working practices in order to continue trading still find themselves subject to closure when new local and national lockdown directives are issued.

For professional Musicians it’s a time to concentrate on weak areas of technique and performance, Zoom lessons have become the new norm and this is less than ideal for teachers as hands on instruction is a very necessary part of the process in learning to play a musical instrument. May positivity return soon and the joy of music be part of our normal day to day routine…