ISM report highlights the impact of lockdown extension on musicians

The organisation's actions have included:

• Contact with Oliver Dowden MP (secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport) asking the government to publish safety mitigations that organisers of live events can begin to adopt before we reach Step 4 of the roadmap. Following the publication of the Events Research Programme, the ISM has written a second letter asking for sector-specific guidance to aid the return of cultural events.

• A letter to the chancellor and MPs on the Treasury Select Committee highlighting the economic impact of the four-week delay and suggesting appropriate intervention.

• A letter to Sajid Javid MP (the new Secretary of State for Health and Social Care) which compared the disparity in public health guidance between music and comparable activity, such as sport.

• A letter to MPs on the Public Accounts Select Committee in reference to their recent report on the Cultural Recovery Fund, which supported our recommendation that more support should be extended to freelancers. Their report also endorsed our proposal for a government-backed insurance scheme to give live events the confidence to return safely.

Boris Johnson announced on 14 June that the current restrictions will remain for at least a further four weeks in England, which is predicted to cost the live music sector more than £500m.

Read more: 'Catastrophic': Extended lockdown puts live music at risk

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