Once the booming concert industry calms down after the coronavirus

NASHVILLE, Tenn (AP) – Inside a warehouse for MooTV, a live video production company in Nashville, Tennessee, floor-to-ceiling shelves are lined row after row of video screens, cables and wheeled crates that would normally be on the road with Brad Paisley, Chris Stapleton or Dierks Bentley. At one end of the warehouse is an empty bar with beer taps where fans sat on stage with Paisley.

There is absolute calm in the warehouse, which was once a bustling hive of activity just a few weeks ago.

“We have observed 100% of our schedule clear within a few days, which means no income and lots of mouths to feed,” said Scott Scovill, owner of MooTV.

Live music, concerts, festivals, awards, and other live entertainment events were interrupted just a few weeks ago due to the spread of the new coronavirus. For thousands of live performance professionals working behind the scenes, the world has become much quieter.

Concerts are a multi-billion dollar live event industry that has exploded in recent years as album sales have declined. But this industry went from peaks to unprecedented lows in just a few days.

Workers who live in concerts to support musicians, sports, festivals and other live events that attract massive crowds are suddenly faced with months of no income and no clear idea of ​​when the concerts might resume. Many of them are self-employed or contract workers, which means that they do not have the support of a company to keep them working during downturns or to provide health care or medical leave. Concert activity is also very seasonal, with the number of shows slowing down during the winter months, which means that many businesses and workers are financially dependent on an increase in concerts starting in the spring, just when the virus hit.

Kai Griffin is a tour manager, production manager and sound engineer who has worked for country artist Lorrie Morgan for seven years, in addition to working with several new and upcoming bands. On average, he performs around 125 shows a year. But after the virus hit the United States, it was out of work for the foreseeable future and with very little savings.

“I had practically no work by the end of the year,” said Griffin, 49, a father of three. “You save for dry weather in this industry. Now it’s nothing. It is completely dry. “

Griffin asked for financial help from his family and MusiCares, the charity of the Recording Academy, which gave him $ 1,000 to pay his bills. “I was so grateful,” he said, but admitted he hoped the federal government would take action for people like him.

For most people, COVID-19 causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially the elderly and people with existing health problems, this can cause more serious illnesses, including pneumonia.

The vast majority of people are recovering from the new virus. According to the World Health Organization, people with mild illness recover in about two weeks, while those with more serious illness can take three to six weeks to recover.

The first real sign of the impact of the virus on mass events was the cancellation of the South By Southwest festival in Austin, Texas, followed by the postponement of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in California. It is likely that these mass entertainment events and places will not be the first to return either.

“In my 29 years, it’s the worst I’ve ever seen,” said Chris Lisle, of CLLD LLC, a show production designer in Nashville, Tennessee, who worked on tours for Jason Aldean, Miranda Lambert and One Direction.

He launched a non-profit workshop called Touring Career Workshop a few years ago to help freelancers in the live music industry with information on health insurance, pensions, accounting and taxes. . Another program, called All Access, links homeless workers to mental health and counseling professionals, who he says will be essential for many unemployed people at this time. “We encourage people to make sure they take good care of them mentally,” he said.

Lisle said that although many important touring artists have paid staff – such as a facade engineer, lighting director or guitar technician – there are many more jobs as support technicians, video technicians and audio technicians who work independently.

Country artist Zac Brown posted a video on Instagram a day after tearfully canceling his tour, explaining that he had to let go of 90% of his team and staff on tour.

Feld Entertainment, a Florida-based company that performs in arenas like Disney on Ice, Monster Jam, and Supercross, has announced company-wide layoffs because all of its tours have been interrupted.

Bandit Lites, a large stage lighting company with seven offices in America, Europe and Asia, employs 250 people and works with 300 clients, including Garth Brooks and Jimmy Buffett. Michael Strickland, the founder of the company, said that he had a plan to grow his business over the next 24 weeks without layoffs or cut wages.

“I have now seen three artists with net worth over $ 50 million on television crying, talking about having to fire 20 people,” said Strickland. “It’s a whim.”

He urges other live event companies, as well as artists, to avoid immediate layoffs and seek federal financial assistance under the Coronavirus Family Response Act, which was enacted by President Donald Trump last week. This gives small businesses tax credits as a rebate to provide employees with paid family and medical leave.

“But the only way it works is that not everyone in the entertainment industry fires everyone,” said Strickland. “They must keep their people.”

MusiCares has created a COVID-19 fund especially for those who have lost their jobs due to the virus. In the past, they have provided financial assistance to entertainment workers after the September 11 terrorist attacks and Hurricane Katrina. But Harvey Mason Jr., acting president of the Recording Academy, said the effect of the coronavirus on the music industry was unprecedented because it was so widely felt across the country.

“We get hundreds of calls a day,” said Mason. “The requests range from” I can’t get my medication “to” I can’t afford to shop for groceries and I need help with my rent. “

MooTV’s Scovill keeps its employees on the payroll so they don’t lose their health insurance. He is looking for small business loans to keep the business afloat, but said it would put him in deep debt. Like many people, he keeps himself isolated at home.

“The world has become absolutely calm for me,” said Scovill. “For myself and for everyone in the entertainment industry, we are suffering.”

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Online:

MooTV: https://www.mootv.com/

MusiCares: https://www.grammy.com/musicares

Bandit Lites: http://www.banditlites.com/

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Follow Kristin M. Hall at http://twitter.com/kmhall