Iron Maiden, Judas Priest and over 1,500 other artists call on UK government to act now to save live music scene

IRON MAIDEN, JUDAS PRIEST and BULLET FOR MY SAINT VALENTINE are among the artists who have endorsed UK MusicThe #LetTheMusicPlay campaign, which calls for immediate action to help the massively affected music industry amid the coronavirus pandemic.

More than 1,500 artists have signed an open letter to the government in an attempt to “show the vital importance of the UK live music industry, ensure that the government cannot ignore live music and make noise to gain support public and financial industry needs to survive. “

“UK live music has been one of the UK’s biggest social, cultural and economic successes in the last decade,” says the #LetTheMusicPlay campaign. “But, with no end to social distancing in sight or government financial support yet agreed, the future of the venues, concerts and festivals and the hundreds of thousands of people who work there seems bleak.

“Like other countries like Germany and Australia, we need the government to help the music industry, which brings £ 5.2 billion to the economy annually and maintains almost 200,000 jobs to ensure it remains a world leader after the damage caused by this pandemic. “

“Until these companies are able to operate again, which is likely to be 2021 at the latest, government support will be crucial to prevent massive insolvencies and the end of this world-leading industry.

“On July 2, 2020, UK Music and members of the UK live music group, along with a coalition of live music companies including artists, venues, concerts, festivals, production companies and industry figures, launched a campaign, Let The Music Play, to highlight the importance of the sector to the Kingdom’s economy. United “

IRON MAIDEN showed its support in Twitter, writing: “Each band has to start somewhere (on time), and IRON MAIDEN They were not the exception. 90% of UK grassroots music venues are under threat of closure due to COVID-19. Show your support for live music and share a photo / video of the last concert you attended by tagging #LetTheMusicPlay “

BULLET FOR MY SAINT VALENTINE He wrote: “Today we are meeting with the rest of the UK music industry to show our support for #LetTheMusicPlay, a campaign highlighting the crisis facing the live music sector. We need the UK government to listen and act now to help protect venues that you might be forced to close. In addition to supporting the industry’s workforce. We encourage you to get involved by sharing a photo of your last concert using #LetTheMusicPlay to show your support for live music from the UK “.

ENTER SHIKARI added: “Today, our friends at the Music Venue Trust are asking artists to share a video of their latest live show as part of their #LetTheMusicPlay #SaveOurVenues campaign.

“We wouldn’t have been able to do what we’ve done for the last decade if it weren’t for the time we spent in our teens playing on a support circuit of grassroots music venues. But this is not about us going around. world and have fun …

“UK music exports contribute over £ 2 billion to the UK economy. More than 90% of UK music venues are at risk of closure unless the government steps in to support them during this It doesn’t take a rocket surgeon to see the devastating effect. This could have.

“So please retweet them and then tweet a photo / video of the last show YOU attended, using the hashtag #LetTheMusicPlay. Show the government the support UK places have from the people who use them.”