LISTEN: With COVID-19 Shutting Down Australia, What's Next For The Music Industry?

Shows, tours and festivals have continued to be called off in the wake of the global coronavirus crisis. 

While some major festivals including Download Festival, Bluesfest and Groovin The Moo have been cancelled, as well as Splendour In The Grass being rescheduled, Prime Minister Scott Morrison has implemented a ban on outdoor mass gatherings of over 500 and indoor gatherings of over 100, effectively shutting down the live music industry, which has seen a reported income loss of $100 million already.

In this special episode of The Green Room podcast, host Neil Griffiths speaks with a number of key figures within the local music industry about the impact COVID-19 has had so far and will continue to have, support required by the Federal Government and what Australian music fans can do in this time of crisis.

LISTEN HERE

Guests include:

 ALEX LAHEY - ARTIST

"The people that I employ, their income is at the mercy of what the artist makes. If the artist isn't making anything, then the system collapses."

STEPHEN WADE - CEO OF SELECT MUSIC BOOKING AGENCY

"The Government never thinks about our industry. It doesn't have policies for our industry. It does not care about our industry."

DAN ROSEN - CEO OF THE AUSTRALIAN RECORDING INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION (ARIA)

"Things are changing minute to minute and hour by hour... at the moment, it's trying to get as much information as possible to get through this period which we don't know how long will be."

CATHERINE HARIDY - EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF PEAK MUSIC BODY, ASSOCIATION OF ARTIST MANAGERS

"This will continue on for some time. We're all trying to think about the short term, medium term and long term solutions to this." 

JOHN 'JC' COLLINS - OWNER OF THE TRIFFID, CO-OWNER OF THE FORTITUDE MUSIC HALL VENUES IN BRISBANE

"I can't tell you how much of an impact it's had. There's no revenue. We're not making any money."

TONY BURKE - SHADOW MINISTER FOR THE ARTS

"I understand exactly why the Government's made the decisions they've made in terms of social distancing. But how they didn't think that the package they put forward needed to deal with people whose entire livelihood is based on people gathering is just beyond me."

CLIVE MILLER - CEO OF AUSTRALIAN NOT FOR PROFIT MUSIC CHARITY, SUPPORT ACT

"Buy merchandise. Help artists... put some dollars directly into their pockets."

CHRIS OHEARN -  MANAGEMENT & PR COMPANY, THRILLHILL MUSIC

"I would rather take a very swift short term kick in the nuts then a long term castration. I'd rather do that now. I think everyone should just go into lockdown."

BRIAN 'SMASH' CHLADIL - CEO OF AUSTRALIA'S LARGEST INDEPENDENT TICKETING COMPANY, OZTIX

"Support your industry because if everyone goes broke, there will be no live music industry and there will be no bands to see."

Stream the full episode on Spotify, Apple Podcasts (below) or your favourite platform to listen to podcasts.