Live Music Bosses Condemn Scottish Government's "Car Crash" Plans
"This is not a roadmap to recovery but an industry car crash..."
Live music bosses have condemned the Scottish Government's approach to live entertainment.
The Scottish Government are able to construct a different road map to the rest of the UK, setting out plans as they see fit.
However the latest consultations from Nicola Sturgeon's SNP administration has resulted in fierce condemnation from those on the ground.
The next step forwards takes place in early June, when up to 200 people will be allowed for indoor venues, increasing to 1000 for outdoor events.
*Speaking to IQ*, DF Concerts and TRSNMT boss Geoff Ellis branded the plan a "meaningless" and said it would have not impact on the "viability of live entertainment".
Owner of fabled Glasgow venue King Tuts Was Was Hut, he commented: "It's currently meaningless for the viability of live entertainment in Scotland. A maximum of 100 people indoors and all physically distanced is under 20 people in King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut – to put it into context."
He added: "We need Scottish government to give us a proper roadmap that goes beyond ‘level 0 by end of June’ as that still means physical distancing will be in place. However, based on common sense and logic arising from the progress being made in Scotland with both the suppression of the virus and the roll-out of the vaccine programme, I am very optimistic for shows without restrictions by the late summer – at the very latest in good time for our TRNSMT festival at full capacity."
Elsewhere, fellow promotions guru Donald MacLeod - owner of Glasgow live music hubs The Garage and Cathouse Rock Club - said the plans were a "shambles".
He said: “The latest ‘draft’ guidance from the Scottish government on social distancing for the hospitality sector is as clear as mud, and a cut and paste socially distanced shambles. It is obvious that whoever drafted them has not one scintilla of business sense or an ounce of care for the sector, whose operators are desperate and struggling to make ends meet in these exacting times."
"For venue owners, promoters, managers, bands and of course Scotland’s battalions of live music fans, with the Scottish government still not committing or even discussing with the sector indictive re-opening dates, pilot test events, and contemptuously refusing to include them in the strategic opening Tier Levels, I fear the worst. This is not a roadmap to recovery but an industry car crash."
Find their comments in full *HERE.*
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