THE SHOW MUST GO ON
Just over a month ago, the music industry banded together and brought countless joy and funds to the masses by organising and performing at countless relief concerts around the country in light of the horrific bushfire events that devastated communities. Watching tens of thousands of people stand together in a stadium in solidarity gifted some of the most moving images of human kindness and the power of music to bring people together in times of struggle. In those moments, the threat of the COVID-19 virus was quietly looming, and few could predict the catastrophic effect it would go on to have on so many - and that the scenes of crowds banding together at a live concert would dissipate into ghost towns all over the globe as local and large-scale events ground to a halt in unprecedented fashion.
In times of crisis it is imperative that we stick together and help each other out in whatever ways we can. At present there are countless people across Australia that have fallen on hard times due to the COVID-19 Global Pandemic and the immense loss of income that has ensued is rising every day.
One industry that, in the best interests of the country, has essentially been shut down for the foreseeable future, is our Australian Music Industry. And whilst this is absolutely necessary, the financial devastation caused to your average musician or crew member cannot be overstated. For every concert & event that we've seen cancelled in recent days, there are countless people losing work. It’s not just the musicians up on stage, but the sound & lighting engineers, artist & tour managers, crew members, venue bookers, concert promoters & many more who all of a sudden have no way to pay their bills or provide for their families. These people need our help. And they need our help right now. Currently, an emergency appeal set up for Support Act is raising funds so that financial grants can be delivered to those in need. So for every person that had a concert ticket refunded. For every person that planned to attend a gig in the upcoming weeks & months. To all Australian music lovers, wherever you may be in the world! We call on you today to take a few of those dollars that you would have spent and DONATE TODAY to the Australian Music Industry COVID-19 Relief Fund. -
HOW WILL THE MONEY BE DISTRIBUTED?
* A special COVID-19 relief fund has been set up by Support Act to support people that work in the Australian Music Industry via grants to help them through this time of crisis. * Australian Music Industry workers can apply for financial grants from Support Act * Additional information on how to make a grant submission is available at: www.supportact.org.au
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WHO IS THE MONEY GOING TO?
* People that work in the Australian music industry that have fallen on hard times due to the loss of income/gigs/work caused by the complete shutdown of large sections of the music industry due to the COVID-19 Global Pandemic. Examples of some of the people eligible (but not limited to) receive these grants include: * Musicians (Bands and/or individual musicians) * Artist Managers * Sound & Lighting Engineers * Tour Managers * Merch Sellers * Roadies, Drum/Guitar Tech’s & other crew members * Tour/Event Promoters * Venue Bookers/Promoters * Publicists * & more
ALTERNATIVELY:
If you have a ticket to an upcoming event that has been postponed (and not cancelled), as an industry, we ask for your continued support by holding onto your ticket. This allows both you, the performers, and everyone behind the scenes the certainty of a rescheduled event – even if the date is TBA. The show must go on! #keepyourticket www.gofundme.com/f/australian-music-industry-covid19-relief-fund www.supportact.org.au
WITH THANKS TO MARIC MEDIA
BY TIANA SPETER