The current situation with COVID-19 means the season that had been originally planned is sadly no longer possible. Instead the Proms in 2020 have been reconceived in a different format. However, the aim remains the same – to create the world’s greatest classical music festival by reflecting world class music-making from leading artists around the globe, highlighting emerging talent, and featuring work by some of today’s most exciting and innovative composers.

The 2020 Proms will celebrate the past, reflect on the present and build for the future, running from 17 July to 12 September 2020.

A new format for the Proms

Plans for moving forward with the 2020 Proms include:

• Taking on a unique format to reflect the times
• A unique First Night commission by Iain Farrington for a BBC Grand Virtual Orchestra to mark the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth
• Live performances later in the season, culminating in the Last Night of the Proms to bring the nation together
• The 2020 season will open on Friday 17 July on BBC Radio 3 and Sunday 19 July on BBC Four
• There will be eight weeks of broadcasts on television, radio and online

The organisers have stated that they will be working strictly within the government advice at the time with the hope of presenting live performance to be broadcast on BBC Radio 3, BBC Four and iPlayer. The range of work will vary from solo performances to ensemble work and feature some of the greatest musicians of our time alongside emerging talent.

Read more about the planned format for the 2020 Proms on BBC 3’s website.

Imagining a return to work for musicians

Interesting in learning more about what work for musicians might look like during the Government’s Covid-19 recovery phases?

Read our blog from MU Deputy General Secretary Naomi Pohl for a “broad-brush idea of what might be possible as we emerge from this crisis.”

The fund will open with a total of £2.55m, made up of £2m from the charity’s reserves plus generous donations of £500k from music licensing company PPL and £50k from the Lightbody Foundation.

For those who are eligible, to the extent that funds allow, the charity will offer grant payments for the period 1 June to 31 October, to top up Universal Credit payments where relevant. Where an applicant does not qualify for Universal Credit but is still experiencing significant financial hardship, an assessment will be made based on individual circumstances.

You can find out more about the fund, eligibility criteria and how to apply on Help Musicians’ website.

Take action now

According to our research, more than a third of musicians are likely to miss out on Government support.

Ask the Chancellor Rishi Sunak to protect all self-employed workers, and ensure no musician is left behind.

You can use our template letter if you're not sure what to say. Remember to include how you are affected too. Personal stories make all the difference.

Write to Rishi now, see our advice on how.

Graeae Theatre Company have also produced a BSL version of the letter, which you can view on their vimeo channel.

The open letter

The letter stated:

We really miss being with you during this period of lockdown. Making theatre and performance is a collaborative endeavour, so we are particularly affected by having to be apart from one another right now. We’re not able to come together, in the same space, to share the experience of a live performance. We’re not able to practise and enjoy our artform in its most basic form.

It’s now looking increasingly likely that won’t be possible for months to come, and we recognise that many freelancers face real uncertainty about if and how they will be able to continue to work in theatre. 70% of people who work in theatre and performance in the UK are freelance or self-employed, and it’s for this workforce, in all its diversity and complexity, that the impact of the current situation is most acute.

During these past weeks we have had conversations with many of you to understand your needs and the ways you have been affected. We are writing to express our support for you, and to lay out some practical steps we are taking to improve the situation based on these conversations.

As well as exploring ways of producing work with freelancers during lockdown, and using this time to develop new projects with freelancers for the future, we are also are working together to coordinate our response to the government, to articulate clearly what we can offer and what we need.

Most urgently, we are calling for the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme to be extended in line with furloughing, for all self-employed workers, and in the specific case of theatre and performance workers, until theatres are able to safely reopen. We also want to see criteria removed from the scheme which are stopping legitimate and much-needed claims.

Some of you are already involved in these conversations. We welcome your voices and need to hear from more of you in the conversations to come. Your unique networks, skillsets, perspectives, and ideas are vital to the entire sector, and we need to work with you in our response to this crisis.

Each of the organisations who’ve signed this letter are committed to reaching out to their family of self-employed and freelance theatre makers; listening to how this is affecting your work and lives, and to your needs and ideas for the future.

More than that, we want to facilitate the establishment of a national task force of self-employed theatre and performance makers. The purpose of the task force is to strengthen the influence of the self-employed theatre and performance community. It would create ongoing points of connection between freelancers and organisations, and amplify the voice of the self-employed in the conversations to come. To help establish the task force, each of the organisations signing this letter will support a freelancer to join the group, ensuring they are paid for their time.

We want to offer a message of hope and solidarity. Our well-practised ability to work together, to form connections, and build relationships will help us through this. One day, hopefully soon, we will all be able to meet together, as people have done for centuries, in a shared space, for a shared experience. In the meantime, we remain committed to working for you and with you towards a sustainable future for theatre and performance.

Signed,

Access All Areas
Action For Children’s Arts
Actors Touring Company
ArtsAdmin
Almeida Theatre
Battersea Arts Centre
Belarus Free Theatre
Birmingham Repertory Theatre
Boundless Theatre
The Bush Theatre
Brighton Festival
Bristol Old Vic
Brixton House
Chichester Festival Theatre
China Plate
Contact
Dance Base
Dance Umbrella
Derby Theatre
Diverse City
Donmar Warehouse
Eden Court Highlands
English Touring Theatre
Everyman
Fio
Fuel
Gate Theatre
Graeae
Headlong
HOME
Improbable
Jermyn Street Theatre
Kiln Theatre
Leeds Playhouse
Leicester Curve
Mercury Theatre
National Dance Company Wales
National Theatre of Scotland
National Theatre Wales
National Youth Theatre of Great Britain
Northern Stage
Nottingham Playhouse
One Dance UK
Paigns Plough
Polka Theatre
Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre
Rose Theatre Kingston
Royal & Derngate
Rubicon Dance
Sadler’s Wells
Sheffield Theatres
Soho Theatre
Spare Tyre
Talawa Theatre Company
Tangled Feet
The Cockpit
The National Theatre
The New Wolsey Theatre
The Royal Court Theatre
The Royal Shakespeare Company
The Yard
Theatre Peckham
Theatre Royal Plymouth
Theatre Royal Stratford East
Tiata Fahodzi
Unicorn theatre
Unlimited
Wise Children
Yellow Earth
1927

Take Action Now

The Self Employment Income Support Scheme, the Government’s support for freelancers, comes to an end in June. We urge the Government to continue to provide SEISS until at least October.

Add your voice to our call, write to Rishi now.

Research and lobbying by the MU, alongside others, led to the creation of the Self Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS). It was a great achievement that has helped millions of working people.

But the support only covers the period to June. And not much has changed except musicians are likely to have lost even more work.

Meanwhile, 38% of musicians are not covered by Government support and 19% are considering abandoning their careers in music altogether.

No-one should be left behind by Government support.

The Government must continue to provide SEISS support alongside support for employed workers, and plug the gaps that musicians are falling through right now.

Write to Rishi

Write to Rishi with the following message, you can find his contact details on the Government's website:

You might have already written to Rishi in the last couple of weeks. If so, you can write to him again and include your original message.

If you haven’t written to the Chancellor before, take a look at our template letter that covers closing gaps in SEISS support for more inspiration.

Remember to always include your story:

• Why you need the SEISS to support you
• If you fall through gaps in support and why
• What impact this is having on you now
• What impact this will have on your immediate future

Applying for the SEISS

While the amount of support you receive will only cover three months from the beginning of March, you can still apply for SEISS support.

Find out more about the SEISS, as well as the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and other sources of financial support.

It’s likely that re-opened recording studios will present quite different working environments than they did the last time musicians inhabited them, so we’ve collated some advice for members on the safety measures that should be in place to protect them from infection, and the new procedures they might be asked to adhere to under current Government guidance to keep everyone within the studio environment safe.

We have also provided essential advice on safe travel to and from the studio, food, hygiene, studio layouts and insurance.

We hope the advice will prepare members for expected new ways of working and enable them to make an informed decision on whether they feel safe to return to the studio yet.

Read our guidance on attending recording sessions during the outbreak.

Please be aware that a number of these articles explicitly cover topics which may be distressing.

• Shirley Manson on mental health
• Adele on post-partum depression
• Bruce Springsteen on mental health
• Charli XCX on Depression
• Ellie Goulding on panic attacks and anxiety
• Janet Jackson on depression
• Stormzy on depression
• Lady Gaga on PTSD
• Lizzo on depression
• Mariah Carey on Bipolar II

Getting and sharing support

We’ve published a list of resources that you can use during the Covid-19 pandemic – including helplines which offer advice and support to anyone in the music industry, and downloadable guides on staying mentally well – on our mental health support page.

For those interested in reading up on mental health issues in the music industry and beyond this MHA week, we selected some key resources and listed them in our first blog for MHA week.

Remember, If it’s an emergency, or you or someone you know is at imminent risk of harm or in acute distress, you can call 999 or go to your local A&E department.

They plan to use their findings to help shape BALANCE, a series of online talks they’ll be launching in June – alongside the Creative Industries Federation – around how freelancers, artists and others running their own creative companies can better balance their minds and their books.

When you enter, you’ll also be entered into a prize draw. The Hub UK will donate £100 to the winner’s mental health or arts charity or crowdfunder of choice.

Answers are confidential and the survey should take around 10 minutes to complete. It will be closing on 7 June.

Take the survey here.

We want greater transparency in where the money goes, and a fairer share of the pie for music creators and performers, so that music creators and performers don't have to rely on hardship funds while major labels boast about record streaming profits.

If you haven’t already, then please sign and share the petition now.

Share the good news

Tell everyone about the #FixStreaming petition on social media, here’s some text you could use:

“Together, we can #FixStreaming and keep music alive. Over 10,000 people have signed the petition so far. Add your voice to the call https://www.change.org/p/the-rt-hon-oliver-dowden-cbe-mp-secretary-of-state-for-digital-culture-media-and-sport-it-s-time-to-fixstreaming”

This is an issue that affects all of us

Even Tasmin Little OBE, who – speaking to the Today programme – explained that she has 755,000 monthly listeners, which equates to about 5 to 6 million streams in six months, and gets paid just £12.34 for it.

How does it affect you? Tweet using the hashtags #FixStreaming #KeepMusicAlive.

The MU continues to argue for the SEISS scheme to be extended in line with the furlough scheme, and for the existing gaps that have seen 45% of our members ineligible for support to be plugged.

Letters to the Chancellor and the Culture Secretary have thus far gone unanswered, so we have put down parliamentary questions through friendly MPs in order to keep the pressure up. Useful conversations have been had with the Labour Party leader and the Shadow Culture Secretary, who are also pressing on our issues.

We have also been making the specific case for musicians in parliament, as even with the Government’s plans for the relaxation of lockdown, it is difficult to see how many musicians will be able to return to ‘normal’ work this calendar year.

The MU can envisage a time later this year where most workers may be back at work but where musicians working in theatres, live music venues and festivals are still unable to return. At that time, it will be vital for the Government to help musicians to survive until they are able to return to work.

The MU has also sent suggestions to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport regarding how they could support the sector to ‘come back to work’ as much as possible over the coming months. Not only would a phased return of live music be a lifeline for musicians, it could also provide a much-needed morale boost for the rest of the UK population.

Ideas that the MU is working on and putting to Government include:

• Pop up gigs
• Extended busking
• Drive in gigs
• Live gig buses
• Fixing the unfair streaming payment system
• Socially distanced paid broadcasts of live events
• Assistance funds

Want to know what a return to work for musicians under the Government’s Covid-19 recovery phase could look like? Read our blog on picturing possibilities for the return to work by MU Deputy General Secretary Naomi Pohl.

The MU is feeding into various discussions about reopening businesses and getting MU members back to work safely and practically.

We are working with UK Music, the Council of Music Makers, the BBC, ABO, SOLT and UK Theatre. We are also lobbying decision makers and speaking with the Arts Councils as well as feeding into discussions that take place in regions of the UK. Our Regional Organisers covering Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, for example, are ensuring that conversations we have in Westminster are reflected or repeated in the devolved nations.

In this post for the MU blog, I will seek to summarise some of the ideas being explored and give an indication as to how and when we may see certain areas of music re-emerge. The recovery phase will not simply represent business-as-usual and every area of the music industry will be required to adapt and change post-Covid-19. While we are beginning to feel a swelling hopefulness, we are not unrealistic about the enormous challenges for businesses and individuals that lie ahead.

We are here to support and guide you through this period and will put out updated guidance on each area of the industry as the situation develops. Nobody should be forced back into work if it is unsafe or they are at particular risk due to underlying health conditions or their age, for example.

While schools remain closed, you may have continuing childcare needs or caring responsibilities that make it impossible for you to attend work. We will support you and advise based on your individual circumstances. The Government has been clear that employers must be flexible and Unions will play an important role in ensuring that safety standards are in place prior to reopening and upheld.

Recording Studios likely to be the first to reopen

It seems likely that recording studios will be the first to reopen and there are some sessions pencilled for next week. The Music Producers Guild have issued guidance around safely reopening and we have fed into discussions involving contractors of musicians and other stakeholders in recorded music.

We have supplemented this with our own advice on getting recording session musicians back to work.

We will be monitoring the situation very closely as sessions resume to ensure the safety of our members. If you are approached about session work and want advice, please contact Sam Jordan, our Sessions Official by emailing sam.jordan@theMU.org

Advice on pop up gigs and busking is in the making

With the new Government advice allowing people to spend more time outdoors, the MU is looking at compiling guidance for members who may wish to busk in areas that are not likely to cause social distancing problems.

Some local authorities are already much better than others when it comes to busking licences and we will be calling for government to support us in encouraging some flexibility and specific guidance to enable this to take place. For the MU, our members having the opportunity to perform and earn in any capacity is the priority.

As long as social distancing guidance and government advice is followed, we would like to be able to encourage musicians to put on ‘pop up gigs’ in places like car parks, beaches or public parks over the summer. Watch this space.

Reduced capacity gigs and concerts may be an option

There are already plans being developed for ‘Drive in Cinemas’ where the audience stay in their cars and small digital speakers are provided. Whilst this will not replace the many cancelled festivals this year – a gig, concert, opera or musical staged in a similar way would at least allow a paying audience to attend a live event involving music.

The cinema sector is apparently exploring dynamic ticketing systems which could allocate tickets according to social distancing guidance. Members of the same households could sit together but be sufficiently separated from others. If cinemas use these systems successfully, they will no doubt be adopted by organisers of seated live music events. We will be watching as cinemas reopen to see what we can learn and borrow for the music industry.

When high profile sports events recommence, albeit while observing social distancing, it should also be possible for live music to be held in the same stadiums under the same rules. Where no audience or a very reduced audience can attend, gigs and concerts could be broadcast and broadcasting fees may provide a small supplementary income for the event, including for the musicians involved.

We and the Music Venues Trust have also looked into some promising ‘stage buses’ which could be used to put on small scale outdoor local gigs with social distancing in place.

Cabaret-style gigs with tables two-metres apart may be an option for some venues, increased ticket prices could be possible where performers are high profile, and there are added benefits such as table service.

Safety must be the key focus when formal education resumes

Many music teachers have been able to undertake a certain amount of work online during the school closure period, although the situation has been far from unproblematic. We have seen some tutors furloughed but most not, even those who are on PAYE, and the furlough scheme is fraught with issues as, for example, teachers are then unable to work at all for the employer so can’t keep teaching their pupils online.

As some schools reopen on 1 June, we anticipate increasing pressure for our members to return to teaching in person. If teaching is being successfully provided online, then this can and should continue as it is the safest option in social distancing terms. We are supporting the NEU’s campaign to ensure teachers and pupils’ safety prior to reopening.

Once music teachers are able to return to the school environment, or for those who are keen to do so following some schools reopening on 1 June, we will provide advice on the safest ways to do so and how to navigate this in conjunction with schools and parents.

Teaching in a student’s home or your own home for visiting pupils remains difficult under current guidance but may feasibly be possible in a few weeks’ time. We will be keeping an eye on government guidance and will issue revised information for teacher members regularly.

Tutors must, of course, take reasonable care, carry out risk assessments (in conjunction with their engager or employer) and comply with relevant legislation. We are working with the teaching unions and Music Mark (representing music hubs) to ensure that safety is everyone’s key focus when formal education resumes.

Social distancing applied to orchestral work, including broadcasting

It is great to see that Wigmore Hall and the BBC have come together to broadcast some live concerts on weekdays in June. Whilst we understand that the Proms won’t be taking place as normal this year, we hope that the BBC and the Albert Hall will be able to work together to broadcast some live performance during the Proms season.

At the moment, we are dealing with numerous requests to stream existing recordings of orchestras that companies already have in the bank. Some new streaming fees have been agreed with our Recording and Broadcasting Committee to enable these things to happen if the content has not already been pre-cleared under contract.

Current social distancing guidelines will be difficult to follow precisely in any pit setting and in most venues where a full orchestra is involved and an audience is present.

It is much more likely that we will see smaller ensembles and project work in the early stages of recovery in the orchestral sector. This will present scheduling and financial challenges for orchestra managements.

While bigger venues are more able to accommodate a socially distanced band, they will struggle to open with significantly reduced ticket sales. The Government will have to provide increased and sustained subsidy for orchestras in order for them to survive. The furlough scheme being extended is certainly helpful and some orchestras may be able to take advantage of the option of part-time furlough later in the year. This could enable project work to be scheduled without the orchestras taking on payment of full-time salaries straight away. Freelance orchestras are, of course, more fleet of foot and we hope to see offers of work starting to trickle back later in the summer.

It is worth mentioning that outreach work may be feasible before live performance. One UK orchestra was able to record themselves from home and stream the performance into care homes, with the freelance players receiving their fees as they would have when delivering the work live. All companies have been experimenting with what content players can produce from home, but it is obviously only really feasible with smaller groups as otherwise it is very expensive and time-consuming to edit effectively.

Getting West End, regional and touring theatre running

Theatre producers would love to be open for Christmas but need twelve weeks run-in time to get a production up and running. As with other live events, understanding consumer demand and audience behaviour will be key to planning for re-launch. So, of course, will be the health and safety of cast, crew and our members.

Old venues present many challenges – cramped backstage areas, pits, changing rooms, toilet facilities and, in the early days at least, musicals with large casts will be difficult to get back up and running. There is also the issue of the lack of parking in the West End. Until the public are comfortable travelling on the tube for non-essential reasons, bookings are likely to remain much lower than usual.

We are discussing options for re-opening such as a reduced number of weekly performances (in case they can’t sell) and analysing what smaller audiences will mean for the finances of a musical production. The Producers are committed to reopening as many suspended shows as possible and to getting our members back in work. We will work collaboratively to facilitate this and will consult members contracted on suspended shows in the planning phase.

A broad idea of what might be possible

I hope this gives a very broad-brush idea of what might be possible as we emerge from this crisis. We appreciate that health and safety issues vary across workplaces and we will we look at these in detail before any area of the business reopens.

We will also need to be vigilant about inequality and discrimination as certain individuals or groups in our membership may find it harder to re-enter work than ours.

As we all look forward with a mixture of hope and trepidation about the future of work, we want you to know that we are with you every step of the way. Please let us know of any interesting projects, any concerns you have, or contracts you are offered.

They can also broaden what music teachers, schools and music services/hubs are able to offer, which may be necessary if social distancing remains in place for a long time, or if the resumption of extra-curricular music is delayed.

The guidance on our new advice page aims to help music teachers set up and run group online music sessions. Although the guidance is specific to Zoom, many of the processes and tips are universal and can be adapted to whatever software you are using.

The page covers:

• Setting up for your first session
• What equipment you’ll need, or may find useful
• Considering the timing for your session
• What to do before the session starts
• Leading the session
• Editing a performance together

Visit the Online Group Teaching page for advice on the specific practicalities of group teaching online. For a first hand account on group teaching, see our blog from Inspire-Works’ co-founder Mike Simpson on Leading Live Music Workshops Online.

For more general guidelines please see our Teaching Music Online guidance, which covers the basic principles of online teaching, including safeguarding, privacy and security.

They will now be running a daily world-music workshop at 2:00 pm each weekday, for early years to key stage three students. You can find out more about their interactive YouTube workshops here.

They will also be running HealthRHYTHMS Workshops for adults from 2 June onwards. These workshops have been proven to reduce stress, boost the immune system and improve the mood and creativity. Find out more and sign up on Inspire Works’ website.

Want more advice on moving your teaching practice online during the Covid-19 pandemic? See our advice page for guidance.

They want to understand concerns both about the impact of Covid-19 and the support that is being provided by the Scottish Government and UK Governments.

How to respond

There is no deadline for written responses – and views are welcome in English, Gaelic, Scots or any other language.

You’ll find a template document, which you can use to write up your views, on the Scottish Parliament’s website – complete this and return it to europe@parliament.scot

Submit your response now

Any questions – please get in contact with europe@parliament.scot who will be happy to help.

Upcoming courses are:

Production Co-ordinator Skills – Setting Up a UK Location

1:30 pm, Thursday 21 May

Learn about setting up a UK Location shoot – including booking crew and kit, access v location agreements, release forms, insurance, talent, media management & data wrangling and schedules/call sheets.

Book your place

Getting the most from your iPhone

1:30 pm, Tuesday 26 May

If you’re only using the default apps on your smartphone, it’s like owning a Ferrari but only driving it in first gear. This session will you show some of the many apps which journalists, programme makers and others can download and use so they’re purring along smoothly in fifth.

Book your place

Building a loyal fandom on social media – especially for TV audiences

1:30 pm, Thursday 28 May

Join this session to understand how your show can talk to, engage and harness a social media following.

Book your place

The Do’s and Don’ts of making entertaining factual television

1:30 pm, Tuesday 2 June

After 30 years of making factual entertainment television, more on the entertainment, than on the factual. Andrew Fettis explores the minefield of finding the humour and entertainment in amongst the facts, the fiction and the editorial policy makers.

Book your place

Great news writing – any platform

1:30 pm, Thursday 4 June

Thought provoking session on the fundamentals of cut-through writing for news - on tv, radio, the web and social media. Getting the story straight, using simple language and writing to engage.

Book your place

Remember, MU members also have free access to all of FEU Training’s online workshops, webinars and training courses. Browse what’s on offer by visiting the FEU Training website.

Results from the survey enable UK Music and its member organisations (including the MU) to demonstrate how music contributes to the UK economy through hard economic data. This has led to success in securing support for live music venues, copyright protection and performers’ rights.

This survey will mainly focus on your 2019 income. What happened last year is still very important, as this establishes a benchmark before the coronavirus took hold. You will also be asked some questions about the first half of 2020 to help UK Music better understand the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on our industry thus far.

All responses are anonymous, confidential and aggregated, managed in accordance with GDPR legislation. It should take around nine minutes to complete, and if you leave your contact details you can enter into their draw for a pair of Sennheiser PXC 550 wireless headphones.

Please complete this survey and help UK Music be more effective in speaking to government on issues that impact you.

Take the survey

We are currently liaising with our specialist Health and Safety advisor, plus Occupational and Public Health medical practitioners from BAPAM, to ensure that we will get the best advice and guidance for members going forward.

And we are supporting our partner union, the National Education Union (NEU), in their call for the Government to meet five key tests before they move to the further opening of schools.

These five tests are:

1) Much lower numbers of Covid-19 cases
2) A national plan for social distancing
3) Testing, testing, testing!
4) Whole school strategy
5) Protection for the vulnerable

You can read the full details on all five of these tests, and why they are vital, on the NEU’s website.

For further advice for music teachers during the Covid-19 pandemic, including guidance on online contracts, and safeguarding practices to use over video calls, see our Teaching Music During the Outbreak pages.

Teachers with specific issues, please email teachers@themu.org or contact your regional office.

Even in less exceptional times, mental health at work is a trade union issue. At least one in six people experience ill mental health, and in the music industry that number is even higher.

It’s important that you have the resources to support your mental health, and that you know where to seek extra support should you need it.

Getting and sharing support

We’ve published a list of resources that you can use during the Covid-19 pandemic – including helplines which offer advice and support to anyone in the music industry, and downloadable guides on staying mentally well – on our mental health support page.

For those interested in reading up on mental health issues in the music industry and beyond this MHA week, we’ve selected some key resources and listed them below.

Remember, If it’s an emergency, or you or someone you know is at imminent risk of harm or in acute distress, you can call 999 or go to your local A&E department.

Find out more about mental health in the music industry and beyond

Help Musicians’ conducted a detailed research project into ill mental health in the music industry – this report summarises their findings on how musicians and others working within the wider music industry experience mental health concerns. Read “Music and Depression: Can Music Make You Sick,” online now.

BAPAM publish some great, easy to digest factsheets on staying physically and mentally well. Two mental health documents that we particularly recommend are, “Psychological Self-Care: Enhancing Mental Health and Wellbeing,” and their factsheet on stress and drinking problems, “The Drinks Are On Me!”

Mental Health charity Mind has a website packed full of information. The whole site is well worth a browse, but some particularly useful pages include:

• Types of mental health problem
• Legal rights
• Tips for everyday living
• Tips for everyday living: Online mental health
• Tips for everyday living: Parenting with mental health problems
• Tips for everyday living: Money and mental health
• Tips for everyday living: Loneliness
• Tips for everyday living: LGBTIQ+ and mental health
• Support guides and services

UK charity, the Mental Health Foundation is also a great resource. Pages that may be of interest include:

• Getting help
• Challenging myths of OCD, podcast
• Body image podcast
• How to sleep better PDF

For further resources, included the contact details for 24/7 helpline Music Minds Matter, see our Mental Health Support page.

Teachers moving to online lessons might find it useful to update their teaching contracts to reflect this new way of working. We’ve now added a second online teaching contract, to use with learners who are over 18 years old.

MU National Organiser for Education and Training, Diane Widdison, explained:

“Online teaching has given our members who teach a chance to carry on delivering lessons to their pupils during this challenging time. It has also given some the opportunity to explore different ways of working and reaching new students.

This contract is for online learning for adult students, either for new or existing students, as we always encourage members to have a contract in place for all their teaching.”

You can both contracts, along with our online teaching advice, by visiting our coronavirus advice page on online teaching.

Below are a number of music venues which have signed up to our Fair Play scheme, and are individually raising funds to survive and emerge from the crisis.

If you are in a position to donate to any of these venues, please do. As our General Secretary Horace Trubridge stated in a recent blog post, it is, “important to plan for a recovery and make sure that the essential workplaces – studios and live music venues – survive and resume their business as soon as is practicable.”

We’ve included links next to each venue which you can use to share their crowdfunders directly to your Twitter or Facebook channel – so even if you’re not able to make a donation right now, you can support them by spreading the word.

Venues in Wales and South-West England

Komedia (Bath)

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The Exchange (Bristol)

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The Louisiana  (Bristol)

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Venues in the Midlands

The Sugarmill (Stoke-on-Trent)

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The Shed (Leicester)

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The Railway (Oakham, Rutland)

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Venues in London

Toulouse Lautrec

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229

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The Windmill (Brixton)

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Troubadour

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Venues in East and South-East England

Boileroom (Guildford)

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The Forum (Tunbridge Wells)

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Komedia (Brighton)

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The Horn (St Albans)

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The Wedgewood Rooms (Portsmouth)

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Venues in the North of England

The Met (Bury)

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The Leadmill (Sheffield)

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Venues in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Sneaky Pete’s (Edinburgh)

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The Glad Café (Glasgow)

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Audio (Glasgow)

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The Black Box (Belfast)

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We’ve heard from some members that the checker is initially showing them as ‘not eligible’, even though they know that they fit the criteria for the grant. If this happens to you – it is worth trying the checker again later or the next day.

If you continue having issues – the charity TaxAid have a dedicated helpline for HMRC issues. You can call them on 0345 120 3779, Monday to Friday 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.

MU members have reported over £21m of lost income since the Covid-19 lockdown came into force, and members of the Ivors Academy anticipate a loss of £25,000 per person over a six-month period. It would take 62 million Spotify streams to break even on a £25,000 loss, a figure that is unattainable for most music creators.

Media coverage

We’ve been spreading the word on the combined findings of our research across the media – and as a first step, we’ve set up a petition calling on the Government to urgently undertake a review of streaming to ensure that the music ecosystem is transparent and fair.

So far our campaign has been covered in national news, with a full article in The Guardian – online and on page three of the print edition published on 11 May.  It was also featured on Jazz FM’s Business Breakfast (approximately 22 minutes in), and in an article on NME’s website.

As well as the above mentions of the campaign, our statistics have been released on the Classic FM website and quoted in an article in The Times which examines the possible road back to live concerts, and another article in The Guardian on festivals under threat.

The campaign has also been covered in the following trade press:

• Music Week
• Ydraft.com
• Complete Music Update
• Music Ally
• Record of the Day

And in regional news:

• Belfast Telegraph
• Evening Express
• York Press
• Thurrock Gazette

Take action now

All of this press coverage shows us that there really is a public interest in protecting our music industry.

Call on Government to urgently undertake a review of streaming by signing the petition. Show your support for the campaign to fix streaming and keep music alive.

• Sign the petition now
• Show your support on social media: share this tweet or use this text to share on other social media platforms: "I support the campaign to #fixstreaming and keep music alive. Find out more and sign the petition now https://bit.ly/2WlNKOL "

• Gross Paid Sole Trader Freelancers eligible for SEISS scheme can request a one-off payment up to £1,000. The BBC encourage freelancers to apply even if they think they do not qualify for the SEISS, as it will depend on why they cannot qualify for the SEISS scheme as to whether their application will be successful
• It is a time limited fund and will be open until 31 May 2020

Eligibility Criteria:

• You must have been engaged by the BBC within the last 12 months
• You must have the right to work in the UK
• Your hardship is related to the impact of COVID-19

What you can Claim, Engagement History and Repayment:

• If you are eligible you can request a one-off payment of £1,000
• Repayment required in three months after the government fund opens

Application is made via a one-page request. This can be found on BBC/Freelancers page.

Extras and Deputies with the BBC Orchestras should put “paid by fast fee” in the contract box and BBC personal number box”.

Your engagement history will be used to verify eligibility if application is successful.

The BBC will work quickly to get your application reviewed and provide you with an outcome in five days.

Beyond The Blue has always been one of my favourite songs from Sheik. I recorded it at a gig in the Home Bar, Shoreditch, many moons ago. If you knew Sheik, have a listen and raise a glass. Big love to all.

After hearing Segovia perform, Pat studied classical guitar at Len Williams's Spanish Guitar Centre in London and moved to Bristol in 1962. Having already started to compose for the instrument, he there joined the staff under Mike Watson at the Spanish Guitar Centre (Western Area) and went on to be commissioned by the BBC to compose and perform guitar music for television and radio.

He also performed live as a classical guitar soloist on HTV and BBC Radio Bristol, played in several stage shows for famous names, and was a much sought-after guitarist and bassist for jazz and dance bands in the south west.

In 1969 he became guitar tutor at Millfield School in Somerset, a post he held until his retirement in 2005, where the exacting demands of his enthusiastic pupils required him to be a jump ahead on everything from Bach to blues and flamenco to Pink Floyd. He also directed the school's jazz band, which won national acclaim. Trinity College London have included some of Pat's compositions in 'Raise the Bar', published in 2017, a selection of the most popular pieces from their guitar exam syllabuses.

Brian Farrell, one of Ireland's leading classical guitarists, who recorded 'West Country Sketches' and other pieces by Pat, said: “I feel very privileged to have known Pat and his music. I'm very happy to have had some input into his music and I even have a few more pieces that he sent me that I plan on recording someday.”

By Judith Benham

Although born in Worcester, much of his childhood and adolescent years were spent growing up in Bath. It was here that his interest in music started, learning to play the snare drum in the Boys’ Brigade and then joining the army, the 3rd Carabiniers, which took him to Osnabruck, Germany in the late 1940s. Returning to the UK in the early 1950s, whilst working initially in industry, he played drums and percussion in the Morris Motors’ band, whilst also working as a freelance percussionist in regional orchestras as well as playing drums in jazz and dance bands.

In the mid 1950s he trained and qualified as a teacher, and from 1957 through to 1974 he taught metalwork at Speedwell School in Bristol. From 1974 through to his retirement in 1991 he combined his teaching skills with his love of music and taught as a specialist drum and percussion teacher, on a peripatetic basis, covering local authority schools in Bristol and the former County of Avon, as well as independent schools, notably Bristol’s Clifton College and Wells Cathedral School in Somerset.

Throughout this period, and beyond his retirement from teaching, right up until 2013 he continued his freelance work – continuing with both classic orchestral music and jazz band work, as well as work for broadcasting organisations. Notable work here included working with Sidney Sager, Director of Music at HTV in Bristol, on many television series made in the South West.

He enjoyed long term playing for Bath Choral Society, Bath Symphony Orchestra, Bristol Symphonia as well as the Philharmonia of Bristol and smaller local groups. He also worked for many years with Clifford Harker at Bristol Cathedral in many of the choral works performed there.

As well as his playing, John was a renowned authority on all aspects of percussion instrument repairs and servicing, these activities being continued right up until only months before his death. He was known world-wide for this work, making timpani sticks and custom accessories for some of the country’s pro players and establishments, including the likes of the Covent Garden Opera and Royal Northern College of Music. This work gave him great pleasure, particularly in past times when such items were either not mass produced or as readily available as they are today.

Always an immensely practical man, especially with the pre-war ‘make do and mend’ ethos instilled in him from childhood, one of his major concerns was lack of practical and analytical skills that he noted so prevalent in modern society.

His hobbies, as might be expected, included extensive reading, making and repairing things in his home workshop, property maintenance together with his love of cats.

A funeral service and thanksgiving was held on 27 June 2019, with proceeds from a collection being distributed between the charities Help Musicians UK, Cats Protection & Dementia UK.

By Richard Giddings

While still a student, he graduated from piano/assistant MD (under Anthony Bowles) to Musical Director of West End musical ‘Share My Lettuce’, and this set a career trajectory as he subsequently conducted many more West End shows, including: Divorce Me Darling, Matchgirls, Two Cities, Promises, Promises (a highlight for Ian included meeting and working with Burt Bacharach in the pre-production period.), Thomas and the King, I Do! I Do!, Privates on Parade, Annie, Song and Dance, plus Ian both orchestrated and conducted Kiss Me Kate and Poppy (for the Royal Shakespeare Company) and Pickwick. He also led the Orchestra on a production of Robert and Elizabeth in Canada.

Other theatre work as musical arranger and orchestrator, included the musicals Windy City, Pinocchio, Oh Kay, Metropolis, Rage of the Heart, Scrooge and Sherlock Holmes.

In addition, both in concert and on record, Ian's intuitive and supportive skills as accompanist and musical director were appreciated by a number of diverse singing artistes such as Agnes Bernelle, Annie Rogers, Ann Shelton, Dana and Lulu and many more who beat a path to Ian's door to bring out the best of a song in rehearsal.

However, for his brother Ross – also a singer (who predeceased Ian by 20 years) the proudest moment occurred when Ian was called up to deputise for the indisposed pianist to accompany Frank Sinatra in concert, at the recently opened London Arena one memorable evening in 1990.

Ian composed and arranged music for film, TV, commercials and library music, as well as orchestrating film scores by Nigel Hess, Jennie Muskett, Alex Hefes and many other composers.

He also composed an original stage work: Castaway, based on the story of Robinson Crusoe (lyrics by Peter Reeves), staged at the Horseshoe Theatre in 1988.

Ian would often speak of the enriching experience assisting Irwin Kostal on orchestrating the Sherman Brothers' score for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, alongside another budding composer, the young John Williams. It is Ian playing celeste on Truly Scrumptious!

Ian wrote extensively (both as orchestrator and composer) for Wind Band, having scored many of Nigel Hess' concert pieces, including East Coast Pictures & Thames Journey, as well as Hemming Way by John Dankworth. He also orchestrated a number of pieces for Carl Davis which were performed during the latter's tenure as Artistic Director and Conductor of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra.

His own composition, Scottish Fantasy, was premiered at Edinburgh's Usher Hall by the Lothian Region Schools Wind Band in 1995 and is now published (Samuel King), as is his Lauderdale Suite for Band (Valentine Music Group).

In later years (2000 - 2010) Ian deployed his wealth of experience to develop and instruct as he became a tutor for students of orchestration. Composer Savourna Stevenson being chief amongst his alumni who will miss Ian as mentor. This also brought Ian back to his beloved RAM where he became a proud associate in 2006, which created an elegant bookend to Ian's career.

In his final decade, ill health hampered his productivity and admission to hospital with heart failure during the 2020 pandemic Covid-19 virus led to his death.

Ian is survived by his long-term partner of 54 years - Vicky Clayton, her daughter and granddaughters, for whom he was an adored step(grand)dad.

By Alex Clayton Black

Influenced by bassists Paul McCartney, Andy Fraser (Free) and Talking Heads’ Tina Weymouth, he played in Robyn Hitchcock’s post-punk outfit The Soft Boys after graduating from Cambridge, before a three-album stint with Thomas Dolby and a short period with the Thompson Twins.

Matthew became a sought-after session musician, playing alongside Dolby as part of Bowie’s band at Live Aid in 1985, on Bowie’s hit single Absolute Beginners released the following year, and the Labyrinth film soundtrack. He played sessions for a host of other major artists as diverse as Morrissey, Stereo MCs, Sinead O’Connor and Alex Chilton. Favouring a black Fender Jazz bass for his main instrument, he also used a fretless Ibanez for his work with Dolby.

By the early 90s, Matthew’s attention was drawn to the legal profession. Initially in Personal Injury, he switched to Human Rights and was still sending communications about his legal casework while in hospital. “Matthew was very far from anyone’s idea of a rock star lawyer,” recalls legal colleague Rod Campbell-Taylor. “Boyishly enthusiastic, humble and utterly intolerant of any form of bullying or cruelty.”

He moved to Sendai, northern Japan in 2005, before finally returning to London to carry out his Human Rights work. He continued his music though, appearing at several festivals, plus touring with Dolby in 2012. As the latter fondly observed, “Matthew would want us to remember the good times and have a party.”

By Clive Somerville

A personal tribute to Matthew by Kevin Armstrong

In life we meet people, we work with people, we fall in love with people, we fall out with people, we come together, we drift apart, but, in the end, a few significant friendships are what really matter.

Some friends become a part of us. Those who we can never not love, never get bored of, always trust with a secret, go to for good solid advice, laugh with, always feel yourself with, never feel judged by. These friendships are like treasure, like signposts to a better world. They don’t have to always be constant, or intense but they are like touchstones that reliably restore your faith in humanity whenever you need that.

My friendship with Matthew Seligman was one of these. I miss him like a brother. All the things we did together, enjoying the first exciting forays into music, recording, travelling, ending up onstage with David Bowie, all of them have the backdrop of solid, warm affection that only true friends can share.

Matthew was an exceptionally warm and generous person. He had a true gentleness and a calm and funny way of looking at things. Though his life was sometimes full of self-inflicted hardships and dramas, he was always willing to spend time for others and always maintained his sense of humour and boundless charm and bonhomie.

This is one of the saddest days of my life and for those of us who had the delight and privilege of knowing Matthew, our memories of him will have to serve the irreplaceable loss of his presence.

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are currently still operating under the ‘stay at home’ message, whereas Boris Johnson has announced the following changes for England.

• Return to the workplace if you cannot work from home

Since theatres, venues, pubs and schools remain closed this instruction does not currently apply to most working musicians.

• Avoid public transport
• Schools in England to reopen for some primary pupils as early as 1 June

This could impact on teaching members. We will be seeking further clarity and informing members as soon as possible.

• Restaurants and cafes to remain closed until at least July
• Unlimited exercise, some sports and meeting one other person outdoors to be allowed from Wednesday
• Quarantine for all airport arrivals ‘soon’

Any members who are being asked to return to work and who have concerns should contact their regional office for advice.

• Self Assessment UTR (Unique Tax Reference) - if you do not have this, find out how to get your lost UTR
• National Insurance number - if you do not have this, find out how to get your lost National Insurance number
• Bank account number and sort code you want us to pay the grant into (only provide bank account details where a Bacs payment can be accepted)
• Government Gateway user ID and password

The document also includes advice on accessing your Government Gateway ID and what to if the site doesn’t identify you when you go to make your claim.

Read and download the full advice document on preparing to claim the SEISS grant on their website.

The Covid-19 crisis has exposed the fact that many artists and songwriters cannot survive on royalties from the streaming of music online, despite the fact that it brings in billions of pounds of revenue for platforms and major labels. 

On Twitter, Tim Burgess has been hosting Twitter listening parties which celebrate the joy of listening to albums – see #TimsTwitterListeningParty. During the weeks of lockdown, with the involvement of many bands and artists, 120 listening parties have now been held with tens of thousands of music fans.

Launch of the Broken Record Appeal

On Monday 11 May, #TimsTwitterListeningParty and the #BrokenRecord campaign have come together to launch ‘The Broken Record Appeal’ to support every kind of music creator in need as a result of the Coronavirus. 

Donations received via this appeal will be split equally between the MU Coronavirus Hardship Fund and the PRS Emergency Relief Fund. 

Join the Broken Record Festival

In order to amplify the #BrokenRecord campaign and raise money via the appeal, #TimsTwitterListeningParty will present “The Broken Record Festival” on Sunday 24 May.  

The online festival will feature:

• Boy George with Culture Club’s ‘Colour By Numbers’ (w/ producer Steve Levine) 
• The Shins with ‘Oh, Inverted World’ 
• KT Tunstall with ‘Eye To The Telescope’ 
• John Grant with “Pale Green Ghosts’ 
• PINS with “Wild Nights

Delighted to be part of @Tim_Burgess #brokenrecord Festival. Join us 24/05 at 6pm for a Wild Nights listening party (@Tim_Burgess page) followed by incredible records from @johngrantmusic @TheShins @KTTunstall @BoyGeorge. Supporting music creators in need. https://t.co/Tlhp5ZKtQ1 pic.twitter.com/oDjLQBUdnD

— P I N S (@WeArePins) May 11, 2020

Help promote the event by downloading and sharing the digital poster.

Make a donation to the Broken Record Appeal

The project works with industry workers, employers and other organisations to arrange learning activities and networking events throughout Wales.

The organisers have published the following explanation of their survey:

“We need to learn more about you, the skills you want to develop and the type of education and training you prefer, so that we can ensure you have access to high quality learning that is relevant and affordable.

“Due to Covid-19 CULT Cymru is looking to work as effectively as possible in supporting creative workers across Wales in your learning and continual professional development through this challenging time.”

They will be looking at what sorts of training will be useful, how they could alleviate financial pressure for those wishing to learn, and how they could get more creatives involved in the training and sharing process.

Take the survey now

Since early March, over 20,000 applications have been received to music industry Hardship Funds. This crisis has brought into sharp relief the fact that creators and performers are sustained primarily by income generated by the live side of the music business and that streaming royalties are woefully insufficient.

Thousands of musicians and music creators have taken to Twitter to highlight this issue, using the hashtags #BrokenRecord and #FixStreaming.

MU members have reported over £21m of lost income since the Covid-19 lockdown came into force and members of The Ivors Academy anticipate a loss of £25,000 per person over a six-month period. It would take 62 million Spotify streams to break even on a £25,000 loss, a figure that is unattainable for most music creators. One in five respondents to an MU survey said they were considering leaving music altogether.

The Keep Music Alive campaign aims to ‘fix streaming’ and calls for industry stakeholders to come together to agree an equitable, sustainable and transparent model for royalty distribution in the streaming era.

As a first step, the two organisations have set up a petition calling on Government to urgently undertake a review of streaming to ensure that the music ecosystem is transparent and fair.

Sign the petition now

Our members can no longer accept the record labels taking the biggest share of income

Naomi Pohl, Deputy General Secretary of the MU, said:

“Musicians shouldn’t be so dependent on their income from gigging and music teaching that when it falls away they are literally unable to pay their bills within weeks.

“The recorded music industry must play its part in shoring up the individuals on whose talent and creativity it so heavily relies. We have been asking for a fairer deal on streaming for years and it is long overdue.

“Our members can no longer accept the record labels taking the biggest share of income. We have to fix streaming now.”

MU General Secretary Horace Trubridge added that the coronavirus pandemic has highlighted the issue:

"The fact that musicians and songwriters are having to ask the government for financial help at a time when the major record companies are publishing record profits from streaming is a clear indication that something is wrong with the streaming payment model.

"We want the government to shine a torch into the murky corners of the streaming payment model to find out why the money isn’t getting through to the people who make the music."

Warwick Music Group releases thousands of sheet music titles for free

A music group and recycled instrument manufacturer has released more than 6,000 free pieces of music online.

Warwick Music Group’s raft of instant digital downloads of its most popular sheet music titles have been made available for free until the end of June, to music teachers as well as families looking to boost their skills during lockdown.

Check them out here.

Families get free access to Classical 100 during lockdown

A unique collection of classical music spanning 1,000 years has been made available for free during lockdown as part of a landmark agreement between Decca Classics, Classic FM and the UK’s largest music education organisation, ABRSM.

The Classical 100 collection includes everything from Hildegard of Bingen to Graham Fitkin via J.S. Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, Mozart, Elena Kats-Chernin and Tchaikovsky and is available online now.

View it online now.

Royal Over-Seas League at Home

Royal Over-Seas League have put their music at home project online, keeping the the young musicians, artists and writers creative.

You can take a look at some of the ways in which ROSL alumni are making sure their artistic output isn't diminished by the isolation we all find ourselves currently in.

View ROSL at home.

MU London Regional Officer Jamie Pullman explains the intention behind commissioning Yshani to create Blue Bottle:

“I saw Yshani’s piece The Hedgehog on Twitter and thought it was such a lovely idea, to bring people together while apart, that I wanted to be able to give our members a chance to do the same thing.

“The fun of the piece was that while you knew what your part was, you didn’t know how it would sound until you heard the entire thing stitched together – I hope that people have a good time with her new piece, Blue Bottle!”

How to take part

Yshani describes how to choose your part:

“Blue Bottle is written for open instrumentation. While I have given some suggestions in my notes as to what instruments could partake and how, this is absolutely not a comprehensive list.

“Please make alternative choices as necessary to make the piece work for you - every instrument and voice is welcome. I have included a variety of alternative parts but please adapt these parts further if required.

“Alternatively, if you are without a particular instrument you feel would be perfect in your line-up, it could be interesting to reach out to someone you do not yet know."

You will probably find these PDF’s handy to start with:

• Blue Bottle - Performance Notes
• Blue Bottle - Ranges
• Blue Bottle - Full Score

And then once you’ve decided on your parts, here are the scores:

• Blue Bottle - Part I (in C)
• Blue Bottle - Part I (in Eb Clarinet in Eb)
• Blue Bottle - Part II (in Bb)
• Blue Bottle - Part II (in C)
• Blue Bottle - Part II (Sop Desc Recorder)
• Blue Bottle - Part III (Alto Clef Viola)
• Blue Bottle - Part III (In Bb Tenor Saxophone)
• Blue Bottle - Part III (In C Bass Clef)
• Blue Bottle - Part III (In Eb Alto Saxophone)
• Blue Bottle - Part IV (In C Bass Clef)
• Blue Bottle - Part V (Drums)
• Blue Bottle - Part VI (Bass Sounding 8vb)
• Blue Bottle - Part VI (Piano Concert Pitch)

You can stream all the click tracks directly from our sound cloud account:

Putting it all together

The composer handed on some more tips on how you might put your recordings together:

“I used Filmora9 to compile the phone videos for Hedgehog but I needed to buy the full version to hide the watermark. However, as Blue Bottle has only six parts (rather than Hedgehog's nine), there will be more free software options available, including iMovie. In terms of aligning the parts, I recommend making a sound (e.g. a clap, click or tap) on the second of the two intro click bars to aid this.

“It is entirely up to you whether you construct Blue Bottle via group discussion in consultation with the score, or drive blindfold guided only by the click and see what happens! Feel free to e-mail me with any questions. And do tag me online – I'm eager to see all your individual versions!"

He also recorded the following video message for us use in promoting the auction on our social media channels.

Are you a @PhilipPullman fan? Take a look at this exclusive wooden box!

Handmade by the man himself and up for auction to raise money for the MU Coronavirus Hardship Fund.

Bid now > https://t.co/jsoL1sCe3f #MUauction pic.twitter.com/uv3yrbtbUM

— Musicians' Union (@WeAreTheMU) May 5, 2020

To see the full range up for auction, including Philip Pullman’s box and other special items like a Grinderman postcard fully autographed by Nick Cave, Warren Ellis, Martyn P Casey and Jim Sclavunos – visit our ebids page.

Key quotes included Sam speaking about going back to work and the 19%  of musicians considering abandoning their careers:

“When schools go back, my work will be fairly low down their list of things to do. So it’s a real quandry there…If the diary stays empty for too long, people will have to start making that choice.” 

And Horace had a pressing request for the Government:

“There are thousands and thousands of music lovers out there who had tickets for Glastonbury, for the Proms, for all sorts of gigs that were taking place. They’re being starved of live music. We have to find a way of delivering it to them so we can keep these fantastic musicians in work.

“Look again at the scheme that you launched and see where the gaps are, and help us. Otherwise our profession and this fantastic industry that the UK has enjoyed for so long will shrink, and shrink alarmingly.”

Read further details on the results of our impact survey here.

Sustaining Creativity Fund – Apply by 11 May

Offering grants of £750 for music creators experiencing hardship from loss of work due to COVID-19. Find out more about Sustaining Creativity Fund.

Hitmaker – Apply by 13 May

Offering grants of up to £10k for songwriters and producers working in popular music. Find out more. Find out more about Hitmaker.

PPL Momentum – Apply by 26 May

Grants of up to £15k for artists at a tipping point. Find out more about PPL Momentum.

The Composers' Fund – Apply by 28 May

Grants of up to £10k for composers at a pivotal career stage. Find out more the Composers' Fund.

Other sources of financial support

Our MU Coronavirus Hardship Fund remains open, and is continuing to release individual grants of up to £200 to meet the immediate financial needs of members.

For further information on financial assistance, including other hardship funds, sources for financial advice and details on the Government’s income support schemes – see our advice page on financial support.

You can apply for the loan if your business is based in the UK and has been negatively affected by coronavirus. There are more details on eligibility criteria and how to apply on the Government’s website.

Money Saving Expert have published an extensive article on how the loan may benefit self-employed workers who are not eligible for the Government’s Self-Employed Income Support Scheme, and those who work as limited company directors.

You can read their article on the Bounce Back Scheme and how it could provide income support, online here.

The government have also released new guidance on how different circumstances affect SEISS claims which you may find helpful to read on their website.

As of Monday 4 May, HMRC has begun to contact customers who may be eligible, but they are also inviting the self-employed to complete an online check on their website.

Once you have completed the online check, you will be given a date for when you’ll be able to submit your claim.

To complete the check quickly, you will need to:

• Have your Unique Taxpayer Reference (UTR) and your National Insurance Number to hand
• Make sure your details are up-to-date on your Government Gateway account

Complete the online check on HMRC’s website.

Find out more about SEISS coverage

HMRC are also hosting a webinar, giving a fuller overview of SEISS. This will be hosted a number of times over a number of days, and you can choose your preferred time to attend on their website.

The webinar will cover:

• the aim of the scheme
• who can apply
• how much a person may be entitled to
• how to apply for the scheme
• what happens after following an application
• other support available.

Register to attend here.

Take action now

Although SEISS is good news for many, more than a third of musicians are likely to miss out on Government support, according to new research by the MU.

Ask the Chancellor Rishi Sunak to protect all self-employed workers, and ensure no musician is left behind.

You can use our template letter if you're not sure what to say. Remember to include how you are affected too. Personal stories make all the difference.

Write to Rishi now, see our advice on how.

Our research has identified key gaps in the Government’s current support for self-employed workers facing financial hardship as a result of the impact of COVID-19:

• Those who are part self-employed (i.e. less than 50% of their total annual income)
• Those who are self-employed for less than a year
• Those who run as a limited company
• Those with annual profits of over £50,000

We’re also concerned that musicians who have taken time out for maternity leave are being disadvantaged, since maternity leave is not being disregarded from the self-employed income support scheme.

We’re urgently calling for more meaningful support for those affected, including measures such as a method for musicians who are part self-employed (at less than 50% of their total income) to access the Self-employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) and for the removal of the £50,000 cap.

The Government must consider how vital music is to our national community

MU General Secretary Horace Trubridge reacted to the results:

“We risk facing a devastating impact on the music industry. From providing us with the joy of live music, to teaching our children, musicians play a huge part in our everyday lives and to wipe out a fifth of that will have unimaginable consequences.

“We’ve seen other countries recognise this and, importantly, act.

“In Germany, the total package for the arts is worth £46.3billion, with the Government also promising financial support to micro businesses of up to five employees. Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland have all announced funds and aid packages for the sector.

“We are calling on our Government to take action by reassessing its SEISS package and considering how else it can help a sector that is so vital to our national community.”

Take action now

Ask the Chancellor Rishi Sunak to protect all self-employed workers, and ensure no musician is left behind. Find Rishi Sunak's contact details here.

You can use our template letter if you're not sure what to say. Remember to include how you are affected too. Personal stories make all the difference.

Written to Rishi? Now let us know!

Tweet about it

Share on Facebook

Discover more ways you can take action for musicians now.

The campaign group, Pregnant Then Screwed, sent a report to the Women and Equalities Select Committee on why SEISS discriminates against women. The campaign was featured on BBC news on Friday 1 May.

Following wide-spread coverage, the Committee received so much evidence that they’ve extended the deadline for contributions.

Pregnant Then Screwed encourages those who believe new mums shouldn’t be penalised just for taking maternity leave to make sure that they write to the committee and tell them how their family has been affected.

They encourage those writing to the Committee to include:

• The impact this will have on your family, including career and childcare options going forward
• When you took maternity leave and how long for
• How much your maternity reduced your annual income by
• How maternity reduces your average income (calculated across the three tax years 2016-17, - 2018-19)

Write to the Women and Equalities Select Committee.

Take further action for musicians

It is vital that no musicians are left to fall through the cracks. This is why we’re encouraging all musicians to write to their MPs now.

Personal stories really do help – they show MPs the truth of the situation and give them case studies to show Government that it is urgent. We need to make sure that all self-employed musicians are truly covered.

We have the full details on how to email your MP, including a template letter if you’re not sure how to get started.

Take action now.

The hardship fund will be open to applicants based in Scotland who became self employed on or after 6 April 2019. For full details on the eligibility criteria for the fund and how to apply, see the Scottish Government’s business support page.

The second phase of funding has also seen applications open for a Creative or Tourism and Hospitality Enterprises Hardship Fund and a Pivotal Enterprise Resilience Fund.

Leave no musician behind

Even though these measures from the Scottish Government are great news, we still need to act to ensure that no musician is left to fall through the cracks.

Take action by writing to your MP. Personal stories really do help – they show MPs the truth of the situation and give them case studies to show Government that it is urgent.

We have the full details on how to email your MP, including a template letter if you’re not sure how to get started

Take action now

Unlike a mortgage holiday, there is no obligation to repay the balance at a later date. We hope that the break in fees will offer some financial relief to members who are in need.

As with our Hardship Fund, this scheme will have a significant impact on MU resources, so please act responsibly and only apply if you are in real need.

Read the full details, eligibility criteria, and submit your application on our subs holiday advice page.

Eligibility criteria

To receive a three-month subscription fee holiday you will need to meet the following conditions:

• You are a current MU member who has kept with up to date with your membership subscriptions.
• You are currently paying the full membership rate or joint NEU/UCU/EIS membership rate. Members who joined for £1 over six months ago and are therefore currently paying the full membership rate by direct debit will also be eligible.
• Members who joined for £1 under six months ago, members paying the student rate and retired members will not be eligible.
• Members who pay their subscription by Direct Debit but have cancelled their payment instruction will need to reinstate it before applying.

The subscription holiday is available for members who pay their fees annually, quarterly, or through a monthly direct debit. For more details on how this works, see our subs holiday advice page.

A message from our General Secretary

We released a message from our General Secretary, Horace Trubridge, on Thursday 30 May announcing and explaining our decision to open applications for subs holidays. You can view the full video message on our twitter channel.

Full and joint MU members in financial hardship will be able to apply for a 3 month subs holiday from Monday 4 May.

Find out more > https://t.co/rqXKjf4oLw #BehindEveryMusician pic.twitter.com/ktsunG6kVh

— Musicians' Union (@WeAreTheMU) April 30, 2020

Other sources of financial support

We’d also like to remind you that our MU Coronavirus Hardship Fund remains open, and is continuing to release individual grants of up to £200 to meet the immediate financial needs of members.

Our Crowdfunder for the hardship fund had passed £47K on the publication of this news story, and is continuing to grow. And our auction to raise further funds is quickly building momentum.

For further information on financial assistance, including other hardship funds, sources for financial advice and details on the Government’s income support schemes – see our advice page on financial support.

In recognition of the difficulties Covid-19 poses to the independent community and wider industry, the event will be free to access and open to all. To do so, attendees should RSVP on the AIM house website.

Programme of events

The full day of programming from AIM includes panels, workshops and speed networking sessions covering the latest key issues for the independent sector. Content for one of the three virtual 'rooms' will be delivered in partnership with CMU Insights, who also programme and present the core conference strands at The Great Escape each May.

Themes of discussion will focus on business areas that are still viable during Covid-19 – practical measures that attendees can learn from and enact straight away. Confirmed panel topics include ‘livestreaming for the long-term’, ‘building on sudden online success’ and a post-Covid-19 / Brexit visa workshop.

Attendees will also hear from members of AIM’s Climate Action Group (Ninja Tune, Full Time Hobby, Brownswood Recordings) and Julie’s Bicycle on sustainability, and Key Production will deliver the seminar ‘Vinyl Edition – Sustainability is Key’.

Speakers join the conference from companies including Brownswood Recordings, Full Time Hobby, GigRev, Julie’s Bicycle, Key Production, Ninja Tune, The Floor and Viva la Visa.

AIM Crisis Support for Contractors

To directly aid those suffering hardship as a result of lost work from Covid-19, AIM launched a Crisis Support Fund last month, aimed at contractors working in independent music. The fund is open to applications and pledges online.

The risk to international artists of receiving the public charge designation has increased in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, as artists who are in the USA for long term engagements that have been cancelled for the foreseeable future may seek out healthcare, unemployment, and other public benefits.

In response to the government of the USA’s expanded public charge rules, TamizdatAVAIL has expanded its pro bono legal assistance program to help international artists who are in the USA and who have questions about whether or not receiving benefits from the USA’s government will impact their ability to extend their visa status or receive a visa or green card in the future.

For these artists, TamizdatAVAIL can provide:

• Guidance as to what counts against you as a disqualifying benefit for USCIS purposes, and how the calculation works
• An explanation of DOS’s more subjective approach to the public charge test and how your use of unemployment, health, and other public benefits might play into it
• Guidance on how to figure out whether your Medicaid is solely state-funded (and therefore not a disqualifying factor under the USCIS test), or federally-funded, in whole or in part
• Guidance on when you should seek the advice of an immigration attorney.

For more information on the pro-bono legal assistance Tamizdat is able to offer, see their website. You can also email avail@tamizdat.org or call +1 (718) 541-3641

We encourage only members in genuine and pressing need to apply for this benefit. As with our Hardship Fund, this scheme will have a significant impact on MU resources, so please act responsibly and only apply if you are in real need.

We will be releasing full details on the scheme, and opening it up for applications next week. We’ll be letting you know when this happens through a second member-only email, on our website, and through our Twitter, Facebook and Instagram accounts.

We’ve released a video message from our General Secretary Horace Trubridge, explaining this decision and assuring members:

“Hang on in there. We will emerge from this nightmare, and be assured that your Union will be with you, by your side, ready to help in any way we can, every step of the way. Take care, stay safe, and keep the faith.”

Full and joint MU members in financial hardship will be able to apply for a 3 month subs holiday from Monday 4 May.

Find out more > https://t.co/rqXKjf4oLw #BehindEveryMusician pic.twitter.com/ktsunG6kVh

— Musicians' Union (@WeAreTheMU) April 30, 2020

Other sources of financial support

We’d also like to remind you that our MU Coronavirus Hardship Fund remains open, and is continuing to release individual grants of up to £200 to meet the immediate financial needs of members.

Our Crowdfunder for the fund recently reached £45K and is continuing to grow, and our auction to raise further funds is quickly building momentum.

For further information on financial assistance, including other hardship funds, sources for financial advice and details on the Government’s income support schemes – see our advice page on financial support.

You can organise or attend an event with thousands of other music lovers around the world in 125 countries. Whether you’re a seasoned musician, an enthusiastic novice, or someone who simply enjoys dabbling with an instrument, it’s an open invitation to all to make and share music on one day.

To join in with your own live stream events on the day sign up on Make Music Day’s website. If you have any questions please email info@makemusicday.co.uk

Rockschool are delighted to announce that we will be donating £5 to the NHS National Fund for every Rockschool graded music exam entered during this difficult period.

This pledge applies to UK & Ireland exam entries made between 23 April and 31 May.

To find out more about our NHS pledge, exam updates, offers and continued business developments, see Rockschool’s website.

Moving your teaching practice online

For further guidance on moving over to online lessons during disruption from coronavirus, including advice on what software to use, preparing your teaching space, and online safeguarding – see our advice page on teaching music online.

Meetings have been held with Leader of the Opposition Keir Starmer, Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Jo Stevens, and Shadow Culture Minister, Tracy Brabin. We’ve also sent letters to the Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, and the Minister for Culture, Caroline Dinenage.

We are using the statistics from our latest survey to make our argument – many thanks to all members who took part.

The Chancellor initially claimed that the Self-employed Income Support Scheme (SEISS) would work for 95% of the self-employed and that those not covered would be the richer self-employed.

Our survey of members has shown that this is categorically not the case for musicians. We’ve gathered some powerful statistics, showing the percentage of musicians who predict they will not be protected by SEISS is far higher than the number presented by the Chancellor.

We’ll be releasing the statistics from our online survey very soon.

Further government assistance is urgently required

Musicians who do not qualify for Government assistance currently fall into the following main categories:

• Self-employed less than 50%
• Self-employed for less than a year
• Limited company
• Yearly profits of over £50,000

We have therefore argued that we urgently need:

• Meaningful support for those who have been self-employed for less than a year.
• A way for musicians who are part self-employed (at less than 50% of their total annual income) to access support through the SEISS.
• The removal the £50,000 cap in the SEISS, as no equivalent cap exists for employed people, and pay people up to the cap.
• Support for self-employed people who run as limited companies and pay themselves in dividends through the SEISS.
• A speeding up of the Universal Credit application process up to cover the gap until support via the SEISS is made available in June, or an alternative method of covering the income gap.

We are also concerned that members who have taken time out for maternity leave may be being disadvantaged, since maternity leave is not being disregarded from the income average used to calculate what a person is entitled under the SEISS.

Funding for Live Music

The live music scene has been temporarily wiped out by social distancing and urgently needs support.

We’re urging the Government to consider some assistance funds for musicians and the creative industries along the lines of what has been set up in other European countries and indeed in other nations in the UK.

Some examples of these are:

• In Denmark the Government has launched a £10.95M package of direct aid for those who would otherwise be organising gatherings (festivals etc) of over 1,000 people.
• In Germany, the total package for the arts is worth £46.3B and the German government is also promising financial help to micro businesses of up to 5 employees of a grant of £8,330 rising to £13,890 for those with up to 10 employees.
• In France, a support fund for music professionals has been established with the National Music Centre administering individual grants from a total budget of £9.14M.
• As well as Denmark, the other Nordic countries have also announced that they will be setting up specific grant funds for the culture sector. £22.59M in Norway, £37.4M in Sweden and a more modest £1.34M in Finland. Norway has also announced that there will be a VAT and employer’s contributions holiday in April and May.

Take action for musicians

Write to your MP now. Personal stories really do help – they show MPs the truth of the situation and give them case studies to show Government that it is urgent. 

You can already see the impact that you’ve made in calling on Government to provide financial relief for the self-employed. Now we need to make sure that all self-employed musicians are truly covered.

We have the full details on how to email your MP, including a template letter if you’re not sure how to get started.

Take action now

The data will be used to understand how these sectors have been impacted by disruption from COVID-19, and how they have been engaging with the Government’s financial schemes and other interventions.

The survey will take around 10-20 minutes to complete, and your answers will remain anonymous.

Take the survey