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Highlighting That Musicians Deserve Better

In the Performers’ Alliance All Party Parliamentary Group this morning, we highlighted how yesterday’s announcement from the Chancellor has left many musicians feeling abandoned.

Published: 25 September 2020 | 12:00 AM Updated: 28 April 2021 | 4:31 PM
Photograph of musician with a guitar and mike, silhouetted against the stage lights.
MPs who attended the Performers’ Alliance APPG will be asking questions of the Government in Parliament and highlighting the plight of musicians during this crisis. Photo credit: Shutterstock

Many workers are waking up feeling a sense of relief this morning following the Chancellor’s announcement yesterday. Most musicians will be waking up feeling completely abandoned by the Government.

The Job Support Scheme simply does not work for many of our members, many of whom are not working at all at the moment. And even if musicians do qualify for the extension to the SEISS grant, expecting people to survive on 20% of their usual monthly income is an insult.

There was also no acknowledgement of the fact that 38% of musicians don’t qualify for this scheme anyway – a point we’ve been hammering away at for months now.

The MU made these points today in a meeting of the Performers’ Alliance All Party Parliamentary Group, which was attended by a number of MPs as well as the other performers’ trade unions. These MPs will be asking questions of the Government in Parliament and highlighting the plight of musicians during this crisis.

We are also speaking to the TUC to urge them to join with us in calling for sector specific support that will work for our members.

Musicians deserve better. Music deserves better. We will not stop fighting for our members.

Take action now

Join our urgent call to the Government to do more, in order to safeguard the future of the UK’s music culture and industry – ask your MP to make your voice heard in Parliament.

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 your MP now.

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