MPs and over 100 music industry voices have put their names to an open letter calling on Chancellor Rishi Sunak to provide a better “safety net” for music festivals to stop them from being lost forever.
This week saw a Digital, Culture, Media and Sport select committee being told that this summerâs festivals could be cancelled as soon as this month without government support and assurances regarding insurance, funding, the vaccine and mass-testing. It is feared that if festivals suffer another summer of cancellations many of them will collapse and won’t be able to afford to ever return.
Now, the DCMS committee of MPs has written to the Chancellor asking him to extend government-backed coronavirus insurance schemes – which are currently being offered to the film and television industries – to festivals and live music events in order to secure their future. This comes after Glastonbury asked the government for similar support last month.
In the letter, which you can read below, it is argued that “without insurance, the events we know and love simply wonât take place this year â vaccine or no vaccine”.
âThe Government is telling us that life should be getting back to normal by the summer but unless it can provide a safety net, it will be a summer without festivals,” said DCMS Committee Chair Julian Knight MP. “The industry says that without government-backed insurance, many festivals and live music events just wonât happen because organisers canât risk getting their fingers burnt for a second year.
âThe Committee has heard from festival organisers that this is a matter of urgency. Insurance must be the first step in unlocking the huge contribution that festivals make to our economy, protecting not only the supply chains, but the musicians who rely on them for work.”
He added: âThe Government already offers a level of cover to the film and television industries, now is the time to extend support to other creative industries or risk losing some of our best loved and world-renowned festivals.â

Read the full letter below:
“Dear Chancellor,
“Festivals, live performance and live music are the lifeblood of the UK entertainment industry, providing a huge contribution to our cultural landscape and our economy. In 2019 alone, the gross value added to the economy by festivals was ÂŁ1.76 billion, and almost 1 in 3 Britons watched Glastonbury on TV. Live music is also a major reason why people visit the UKâs nations and regions: in 2019 music tourists spent ÂŁ460 million across the Midlands alone and sustained more than 45,000 jobs nationwide.
“Planning for this yearâs festivals, live performances and events is taking place now, and while the vaccine rollout is cause for optimism, organisers need confidence that this work and investment will not go to waste. Central to that confidence is insurance.
“Without insurance, the events we know and love simply wonât take place this year â vaccine or no vaccine. Sustaining losses like those weâve seen in 2020 for another year isnât an option, and hundreds of businesses in the events supply chain have already been forced to fold. The Government has backed insurance for the film and television industry to the tune of ÂŁ500million. Itâs now time to do this for other creative industries.
“There are a number of forms this could take. One of these requires no upfront contribution from the Government and utilises the existing Pool Re structure, developed in response to unpredictable and devastating acts of terrorism. This would leave Treasury with a maximum liability of ÂŁ1.5billion and could be adapted to cover a range of sectors â including hospitality, sports, and leisure, as well as festivals, live performances and events.
“Whatâs clear is that insurance is of the utmost importance when it comes to getting our economy going again across the whole of the UK. Whatever form it takes, businesses need to be able to access reliable insurance schemes to get back on track. Government underwriting is the only way this will be possible.
“We call on you to act now and back the UKâs renowned events, music, festivals, hospitality and theatres, to name but a few, so that livelihoods are saved and people have something to look forward to in summer 2021 and beyond.”
The letter has been signed by MPs on the DCMS committee, as well as over 100 members and bodies from the music industry including the Music Venue Trust, Association of Festival Organisers, Featured Artists Coalition, Night Time Industries Association, PRS For Music, #WeMakeEvents, UK Music and the Ivors Academy.
UK Music shared a new report, Let the Music Play: Save Our Summer 2021, this week outlining their recommendations for how to restart the UKâs live music industry once it is safe to do so with government support. The hearing also heard of how Brexit is threatening the UKâs âtalent pipelineâ, as well as the countryâs access to European artists.
Meanwhile, Isle Of Wight Festival boss John Giddings has suggested a plan for live crew workers and music venues to come together for a mass roll-out of the COVID-19 vaccine in order to help life return to normality and to allow festivals to take place.
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