Industria muzicala a fost optimista inaintea pandemiei Covid-19. In 2018, estimarile au sugerat ca veniturile totale ale industriei muzicale globale s-au ridicat la 53,77 miliarde de dolari, in crestere de la putin sub 51 de miliarde de dolari in anul precedent. Cifra era de asteptat sa creasca in fiecare an si sa depaseasca 65 de miliarde de dolari in 2023.
Apoi, intr-un oras indepartat situat pe cel de-al 3-lea cel mai lung rau din lume, cineva a deschis fara griji o aerisire intr-un laborator de cercetare! Aceasta simpla actiune a redus la tacere instrumentele muzicale si a pus capat viselor de faima si avere pentru o intreaga generatie de adolescenti. A fost o Cutie a Pandorei reincarcata!
Covid a maruntit si foile de calcul Excel. Un raport muzical din Marea Britanie a dezvaluit ca industria muzicala a contribuit cu 5.8 miliarde de lire sterline (7.9 miliarde de dolari) la economia britanica in 2019. Acum, contabili sobri si “groupees” tatuati impartasesc aceeasi durere. Raportul a prezis, de asemenea, ca muzicienii si compozitorii vor pierde 65% din venituri, crescând la 80% pentru cei mai dependenti de performanța live si munca de studio. Aproape 198.000 de locuri de munca depind de succesul industriei muzicale din Marea Britanie. Deci, imaginati-va cat de multe locuri de munca ar putea fi afectate in intreaga lume.
Pentru industria muzicala, luminile de la capatul tunelului Covid s-au dovedit a fi doar spoturi de scena pe care cineva a uitat sa le opreasca. De exemplu, un raport al PwC a spus ca, atunci cand multe tari s-au mutat in “lockdown”, era de asteptat sa existe o crestere a “streamingului” muzicii. Parea sa aiba sens ca un public “captiv” acasa ar asculta mai multa muzica. In mod surprinzator, “streamingul” a scazut in raport cu nivelurile pre-COVID-19. New York Times a raportat pe data de 6 aprilie 2020 ca “fluxurile” combinate ale Top 200 de pe Spotify din SUA au scazut pentru a treia saptamana consecutiv. Spotify a confirmat aceasta tendinta, observand o scadere a utilizatorilor activi zilnic, in special Italia si Spania, cel mai puternic afectate de Covid.
A devenit clar ca unul dintre “catalizatorii” pentru “streaming-ul” de muzica este ca tinde sa fie o activitate pe care o facem cu altii: cum ar fi naveta la serviciu, la volan si exercitii fizice la sala. “Blocarea” a redus sever aceste activitati sociale comune.
Dar poate industria muzicala sa riposteze?
Pentru a ajuta muzicienii sa se puna din nou pe picioare, biletele la concerte ar putea fi scutite de TVA sau taxe locale, guvernele ar putea oferi scutiri de impozite promotorilor care rezerva locuri de concert, precum si subventionarea costurilor infiintarii unui grup operativ pentru a stabili protocoale privind testarea Covid in locatii.
Tragedia este ca muzica transcende barierele lingvistice. Muzica este singurul lucru care conecteaza o varietate de societati fara traducere. Lumea in care traim astazi are nevoie de muzica mai mult decat orice altceva!
Dissonance in the Music biz!
Pre-Covid, the music industry was optimistic. In 2018, estimates suggested that the total revenue of the global music industry amounted to $53.77 billion, up from just under $51 billion the previous year. The figure was expected to increase each year and surpass $65 billion in 2023.
Then, in a far-away city situated on the 3rd longest river in the world, someone carelessly opened a vent in a research laboratory! The simple act of opening that vent closed music venues around the world, silenced musical instruments and ended dreams of fame and fortune for a generation of teenagers. Pandora’s box reloaded!
Covid shredded Excel spreadsheets, too. A UK Music report revealed that the music industry contributed £5.8 billion ($7.9 billion) to the UK economy in 2019. Now, sober accountants and tatooed ‘groupees’ share the same grief. The report also predicted that musicians and songwriters would lose 65% of their income, rising to 80% for those most dependent on live performance and studio work. Almost 198,000 jobs depend on the success of the music industry in the UK. So, just imagine how many jobs could be affected worldwide.
For the music industry, lights at the end of the Covid tunnel have turned out to be just stage spotlights someone forgot to switch off. For example, a report by PwC said that when many countries moved into ‘lockdown’, it was expected that there would be a rise in music ‘streaming’. It seemed to make sense that a ‘captive’ audience at home would listen to more music. Surprisingly, ‘streaming’ fell relative to pre-COVID-19 levels. The New York Times reported on the 6th of April that the combined ‘streams’ of the Top 200 on Spotify in the US had fallen for the third consecutive week – hitting the lowest point of the year. Spotify confirmed this trend, noting a decline in daily active users, particularly Italy and Spain, hardest hit by Covid.
It became clear that one of the drivers for music ‘streaming’ is that it tends to be an activity that we do with others: such as, commuting to work, when driving, and exercising at the gym. ‘Lockdown’ has severely cut back these shared, social activities.
But can the music industry fight back?
To help musicians get back on their feet, concert tickets could be exempt from VAT or local taxes, governments could offer tax relief for promoters who book concert venues, as well as subsidising the cost of setting up a taskforce to establish protocols on Covid-testing at venues.
The tragedy is that music transcends language barriers. Music is the one thing that connects a variety of societies without translation. The world we live in today needs music more than anything else!