After the coronavirus lockdown forced many venues to close down for the moment, with artists being forced to reschedule entire tours, many were worried about the future of the live music industry. Most venues are struggling to survive without any shows being played. Now, musicians came together to write an open letter that’s calling for help for the UK live music scene.  Liam Gallagher, Dua Lipa, Paul McCartney, Coldplay, the Rolling Stones, Ed Sheeran, Lewis Capaldi and Little Mix are just a few of the 1.500 celebrities that have signed the letter.

The letter says that with concerts and festivals being unlikely to return before next year, the music industry faces “mass insolvencies”. Organisers are talking about “hundreds of redundancies” already. Jobs have not only been lost in venues but apparently also along agencies and promoters. The letter is addressed to Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden.

“The future for concerts and festivals and the hundreds of thousands of people who work in them looks bleak”, it reads. “Until these businesses can operate again, which is likely to be 2021 at the earliest, government support will be crucial to prevent mass insolvencies and the end of this world-leading industry.” It is asking for a “clear, conditional timeline” for venues to reopen, as well as financial support.

I understand the deep anxiety of those working in music & the desire to see fixed dates for reopening

I am pushing hard for these dates & to give you a clear roadmap back

These involve v difficult decisions about the future of social distancing, which we know has saved lives

— Oliver Dowden (@OliverDowden) July 1, 2020

In a statement accompanying the letter, Dua Lipa said that she’s proud to have been working her way up through small clubs up to big arenas and festivals, “but the possibility for other emerging British artists to take the same path is in danger if the industry doesn’t receive much needed government support in the interim period before all the various venues, festivals and promoters are ready and able to operate independently again.”

And Liam Gallagher has reminded that all the shows couldn’t happen without the people behind the stage helping: “Amazing gigs don’t happen without an amazing team behind the stage, but they’ll all be out of jobs unless we can get back out there doing what we love.”

Culture Secretary Dowden has responded to the letter with a tweet, saying that he “understands the deep anxiety of those working in music” and that he’s “pushing hard for these dates & to give you a clear roadmap back.”

Here’s to hoping that Dowden can give an answer soon so all the workers in the music industry don’t have to fear for their job anymore.