This is really not a good sign folks. According to a survey of 2,000 members of the Musicians’ Union in Britain, one third are now considering abandoning the industry completely. Huh? Did I read that correctly? This is largely due to the obvious and painful financial difficulties they face during the pandemic (read: inept pseudoscientific overreach by the government). This is a HUGE problem, generally known by all of us musician plebes as “there is nowhere to perform.”

According to the survey, almost half of respondents have found work outside of the music industry and more than two thirds are only operating at about a quarter of their “normal” performance schedule. Imo, this number is likely too high; personally I’m at about 10% of my normal schedule–it sucks. The survey follows another recent ask (by musician booking service Encore) that found as many as two thirds of ~ 560 musicians surveyed were thinking of leaving the profession. Two fifths reported having no bookings for the remainder of the year. I can validate this; most of my regular venues have cancelled music for the remainder of the year and some even into 2021 ALREADY!?

Although some concert venues have been allowed to open, they do so at rather extreme social distancing requirements, which are unprofitable to both venues and musicians. Additionally, weddings, conferences and other “congregational” type events have decreased dramatically due to the over sensationalized fear of the coronavirus. These are areas where musicians really earn their living, amongst other more creative and personal endeavors. The stark reality is the universe of possible musical performance areas is shrinking faster than a neutron star about to explode. We as musicians are really struggling and there is no light at the end of the tunnel. Personally, I can’t even make out the tunnel to know if we haven’t just been buried inside the mountain.

Quoting Horace Trubridge (the BMU general secretary), “you need creators to create new art. But you need extremely skilled and talented musicians to deliver that creativity, and those are the people who have been left out of the equation. Those world-leading musicians who have spent all their lives perfecting what they do, there is no lifeline for them whatsoever. There is a lack of understanding of our profession, even within the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, and no understanding within the Treasury.” Yeah, that about sums it up nicely. We have been kicked to the curb by a bunch of people that have NO IDEA how important musicians are music–a passion that many listeners would dare not live without.

While some musicians have turned to on-line streaming to augment their income in these weird times, this isn’t a workable reality for most local musicians that don’t have millions of followers. Further, it opens the door to all kinds of weekend warriors who have no business trying to sell their novice “musical wares” to anyone. It used to be that the clubs and venues offered a type of filter to reject these wannabees, simply by the need to come correct in a venue that survives solely on music. In a different way: if you suck as a musician, people will generally not come back to see you and as such, the club will not have you back. Now that basement streaming has become a “thing”, the suck factor is overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of so-called “musicians” who don’t really have any fans (nor would they ever be hired regularly in any legitimate music venue). Yet, they stream away as if they are up there right along with the high dollar talent. Honestly, it’s a joke.

Imagine for a second if this happened in the food industry (and I suppose it still could), vis a vis, chefs being decimated by restaurant closures to the point that they quit their career. Do you honestly think the quality and creativity of food preparation would increase? More likely is that we would be stuck with bland, unimaginative, pedestrian food choices akin to perhaps going back in time 100 years. This certainly wouldn’t represent progress and could damage the industry for years–why would people spend good money to go out and eat mediocre food? This is what is currently happening in music. Sure, there is always “music” available that has already been recorded, but how many people continue to listen to the same music over the years? People’s tastes change and are even upgraded the further they wade into the rich universe of music. Without regular input and energy into this foray, music will go stale, much like the loaf of bread that sits out on the counter for weeks.

Folks, this is a GIANT problem that needs to be solved post haste. Many of you may not love music to the extent that us musicians do, but the beneficial value of music is available to everyone, regardless. It is a spice of life; it makes our lives richer, more enjoyable and touches the soul. I loathe the thought of a world without good music. However, this is the direction we are heading currently. PLEASE do what you can to bring attention to this issue. A world with less quality musicians equals a world with less quality music–this is a bad deal for the world.