Róbert Németh

No massive event of more than 500 people will take place until August 15, the government announced today. We asked Hungarian musicians, music industry professionals and journalists how they feel now, how their work and creative activities are affected by the announced restriction and what are the consequences of the situation of the Hungarian music industry in the medium term.

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The decision just announced is not the beginning of something, but another season in a reed race that has been hitting the Hungarian music industry for several weeks. The industry, which includes musicians, managers, organizers, tour managers, publishers, and diverse technical staff, the background industry (roads, suppliers, technicians, lighting technicians, etc.) collapsed at the first moment of the epidemic and crisis resulting, practically equal to the earth.

“We hope to recover our old life”

“In my case, the Siamese band AndFriendset and János Bródy are also seriously affected by all the current restrictions, but obviously we understand, we care and we accept,” he says. Peter Kirschner Guitarist-producer. “Actually, one is trying to pretend that the situation is acceptable or normal. As we have become accustomed in a short time, everything has changed, and we all breathe at the same time hearing a small crumb of good news. The fact that the festival season is essentially lagging is as if we had no air. Not only existentially, but also, more spiritually. I don’t know what state we will be in, the musicians, the stage workers, the organizers, in our souls in August or September, and how we will return to the stage. And, of course, what we are going to write songs about. I also wonder what this trauma will bring us and what the new songs will bring to viewers. Obviously we will have to write about ourselves, it will be an artistic challenge at its best. If we live in the meantime.

Peter Kirschner

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Balázs KonczAccording to 30Y, Kornél Esti and the manager of the Giant, “the profession has been waiting for this announcement for a long time.” At the planning level, we somehow calculated this, Koncz says, now that the date is known, an astonishing message and a phone download have been started again about the prepared relocation of the programs, their announcement and the development of new alternatives. An exciting question is what regulations will be implemented for events with less than 500 people and to what extent this could attract a new summer for actors in the life of light music.

Some say the restriction announced today is also not enough. Jonah Vera the songwriter and singer says, “It was a pretty irresponsible statement like that.” “Because the French have banned festivals until next summer. It’s hard to imagine everything restarting here starting in September, “he says.” On the other hand, I would really love for the festivals to be small again. I would love to perform close-ups in small gardens and living rooms, and I would also love listening to great Hungarian bands in such an environment. I don’t think great festivals are about music in a long time. ”

Jonah Vera

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“Budapest Although it means a regular income for about 25 people, everyone has a family, children and now our best months are falling. This is not only a financial loss, but the concerts and the union keep this community together, which is missing a lot now, “he says. Andrea Gáncs, manager of the Budapest Bar Association. Not to mention that much of our preparatory work has been largely wasted. We have worked hard in recent years, which fortunately has results in every way. At the same time, there is always the possibility of a “company” in such a way that it suddenly stops or ends. Fortunately, it will not end, we hope slowly, but we can return to our old lives. In any case, at least one specific date has been set today. I sincerely hope that our audience, even though they think better about what they spend their money on, do not save on experiences and culture. So far, we have received very kind and compassionate comments: they really want to go back to the concert. ”

“Mitigation would be a great step”

In spirit, we believed until the last moment that this would not be how it had just happened. In fact, because our service providers were very supportive, we would have had the opportunity to wait until July 1, but in the meantime, because a similar announcement could be conceived, we began to prepare what would happen if that decision: this Oszkó-Jakab Natália, says the general manager of the Valley of the Arts. “We are planning four weekends in the Valley for the fall, which of course is not the same as the Valley of the Arts, it is just a more limited offer of the program. Those who have already purchased their tickets can use the tickets there, But they can also choose to store their tickets for 2021. Of course, those who request the ticket price will be reimbursed, and if there is anyone offering a subsidy for the amount they have paid, we would like to thank you very much. What is happening right now puts the organizing team in a difficult position and breaks our hearts to lose our favorite festival, but we understand the need for the decision. We are trying to find new solutions and our team will stay together. ”

The measures announced today provide some clues and reasons for confidence, that is, Balázs SoósThe position of the organizer of the A38 program. “A possible relaxation in June, which would allow for the regulated opening of restaurants and patios and small outdoor concerts, would be a major step towards standardization. Whichever way mitigations work, we can respond to them as quickly as possible with the utmost security in mind. With us, as in any other industry, all players expect a reboot, but once again and emphatically: security is paramount. ”

With 90 percent of our foreign productions, we have already agreed on a new date, Soós adds, and almost all agencies feel they are looking for the right situation that benefits everyone. We try to keep up to date taking into account national and international regulations, but the situation is complicated and changes from day to day. It should be seen that a smaller production also travels 20-30, often musicians and staff abroad, and not only is the cost high, but their journey is not physically possible at the moment. In my personal opinion, the international touring business will not really start again before the first half of 2021. There are many factors outside of the industry.

Is the festival ball exploding? And what about the many people who work in the background?

For a while now, you could have at least guessed it would be something or something, he says. András Rónai music journalist. “It is also important to see that after August 15, anyway, everything will not go as it would otherwise, and I am not only thinking about crowded and postponed events, but, for example, 40 percent of Reuters polls say that until there is a vaccine or another cure, until then you don’t go to concerts, theaters, movie theaters. We may not have such a large decrease in audience (this was a US poll), and this attitude is perhaps less typical of typically young visitors to festivals. We will see that fear grows stronger, or “we are finally having a big party now that we finally can.” I prefer to have more events to share with a smaller audience, although there is a possibility that those who go to festivals spend more after bad times. “

According to Rónai, “it has been said for years that the festival fan will come out, obviously this will happen now. Not only in the festival market, but also in music in general (and beyond), the biggest ones are in the best position because they have reservations, they have a solid and built brand. On the other hand, I hope that very small events, operating primarily out of enthusiasm and only secondarily or in many ways for material reasons, will find a way to survive in some way. Of medium-sized events, he has the best chance of surviving the crisis, which has a very strong image, a special atmosphere (for example, Fishing On Orfű) and, of course, his financial conditions. ”

It is even a question of what will happen to the large number of people who work in the background and need months of work for the events of a few days to occur: Rónai highlights an important aspect of the current distress situation. “From his point of view, the fortunate result is obviously finding a job elsewhere, in a more crisis-resistant sector, but from the point of view of festivals, this is precisely the danger of losing their workers and skills better located, which will also be difficult to replace. It usually takes years to learn to work in the music industry. ”



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The coronavirus is the greatest crisis of our time, in which it is literally vital to discover it from an authentic source. At HVG, we are committed to this mission even in this situation: to provide accurate, objective and independent information to our readers.

Support our work to bring you up-to-date information even in difficult circumstances.

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