COVID Is Killing Emerging Artists: Study Estimates a 47% Drop In Young Musicians Touring Europe

Paris, France. Photo Credit: Isaiah Bekkers

Per a recently published study, the coronavirus pandemic has produced a 47 percent year-over-year dip in the number of new artists who are touring in Europe.

Liveurope, a live music promotional initiative funded in part by the European Union’s Creative Europe program, unveiled the telling projection in a detail-oriented analysis. According to this report, the average number of Liveurope-supported concerts featuring new artists dipped from 36 last season to 18 in 2020, factoring for each of the entity’s 15 member venues. (Liveurope provides payments to these venues when they book emerging acts from different European nations.)

The average number of overall shows at each sponsored venue decreased from 36 to 22, comparing the 2018-2019 and 2019-2020 seasons. And total gigs, for their part, were nearly halved between the former and latter seasons, from 505 to 276. Building upon these points, Liveurope concludes its study by calling for bolstered funding in future EU budgets, given that the financial risks associated with booking talent from across Europe may prove intimidating in the precarious post-COVID concert space.

More broadly, the unprecedented disruption ushered in by the coronavirus and its associated lockdown measures could well dissuade some new artists from pursuing careers in the sphere. As it stands, a September survey found that 64 percent of UK musicians were considering permanently quitting the industry, against the approximately 33 percent of British musicians who said in a different survey that they were weighing the prospect of walking away from music.

An October analysis found that 55 percent of British musicians weren’t earning any money from music, owing to social-distancing requirements and large-gathering bans. Additionally, vocal lockdown critic Van Morrison earlier this month unveiled a relief fund for struggling musicians. The fund, which provides roughly $650 payments to eligible recipients, became oversubscribed after just five days; a second round of aid is expected to initiate in the new year.

On the concert-return front, Live Nation, Germany’s CTS Eventim, and other prominent promoters are banking on a comeback sometime in 2021. The clinical-trial successes of multiple COVID-19 vaccines appear to bode well for the timetable and, to be sure, are playing a major part in Ticketmaster’s plans for the full-scale reemergence of non-socially distanced music experiences.

With domestic coronavirus cases having leveled off – and the summer season officially initiating today – Australia is beginning to host traditional live music events once again. Guns N’ Roses recently revealed plans for a November of 2021 Oceania tour, with eight stops currently scheduled between both Australia and New Zealand.