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Gwen Ansell writes that for people working in SA’s live music sector, 2020 has been “devastating” according to responses to the country’s largest-ever live music and Covid-19 survey, published in November.
The study, called ‘Impact Analysis: Live Music and its Venues and the South African Economy During Covid-19’, was undertaken by the SA Cultural Observatory, a government project hosted at Nelson Mandela University. The study was both quantitative – to determine larger trends and numbers – and qualitative, including in-depth case studies. A total of 697 responses were received, providing detailed information about live music workers’ experiences. It was found that nearly half of the respondents contemplated quitting live music for good. The people surveyed had worries about the longer term impact of the pandemic on audiences and society, and about their own ability to operate in the absence of an integrated national recovery plan. Of the musicians surveyed, 41% reported selling their instruments and equipment to pay their bills, while others said they were living on loans that would have to be repaid. One in four respondents said they weren’t able to continue with any elements of their business under lockdown. Even with the current easing of lockdown, venues remain constrained by rules on admissions, hours and service. Only 7% reported successful applications for the various small to medium enterprise support mechanisms and only 21% for the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture relief funding. Yet close to half of the respondents, perhaps surprisingly, categorised themselves as conditionally hopeful.
- Read the full original of the informative report in the above regard by Gwen Ansell at The Convesation
Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page