For nearly two years now, we have stumbled from one wave of coronavirus to the next. This has taken a toll on almost every section of our society, but no other sector has been faced with closure as often as the concert and nightlife sector. The barometer that has recently come into force makes it painfully clear again: while a number of relaxations are still possible for a seated audience under code red, indoor concerts and nightlife continue to be prohibited. An average theatre can today – according to the barometer – fill 70% of seats with a clear conscience. The threat of closure is even lessened: there is no ‘worse’ code beyond red. And, for the sake of clarity, we do not begrudge our colleagues this.
However, things could not be more different in the world of pop, rock and nightlife. Under code red, our venues and clubs remain closed to standing audiences. We ‘may’ open for seated audiences but, for most concert venues and clubs, that does not only mean running at a great loss, it also goes against the spirit of what we do. You cannot enjoy live music and nightlife seated. It is an all-encompassing experience that touches deeply and gives an energy boost that contributes to the mental well-being of the artist, the fans and workers alike. And this, it seems to us, is exactly what the community so desperately needs in these times.
So all we can do is to look forward to the moment we enter code orange, where there will be genuinely feasible options for our sector once again. The conciliatory committee will then apparently decide what the maximum capacity is (so much for a predictable barometer), which will then be somewhere between 60% and 90% of venue capacity. It is a mystery to us how we, as organisers, will be able to switch so suddenly. We are also, by the way, the only ones who can be shut down again should the situation worsen again...
We would rather not speculate whether the prescribed ventilation standards under code red will be satisfied by the majority of concert venues and clubs, but realise already that code orange will not immediately result in a great musical festival of freedom. Then, it is merely a case of waiting until we enter code yellow, when the majority of restrictions will be lifted.
To hear now that we may move into code orange around the end of February means losing a number of crucial weeks of what would normally be the busiest period of the concert and clubbing season. The constantly postponed timing of the barometer is currently squeezing the life out of the concert and nightlife sector. We are bleeding dry, and to delay staunching the wound is tantamount to negligence. We urge you to wait no longer and switch to code orange on 12 February. Every week counts! In other major countries (France, Ireland, England, Scotland, Denmark, etc.) events can already take place without significant restrictions. The music sector is exceptional in that it exists within an international context and there is a danger that artists will simply skip Belgium in future.
Our music venues and clubs must quickly return to doing what they do best: welcoming audiences to our venues, putting artists on stages and providing work for staff and suppliers. Let us be perfectly clear: for artists, staff and suppliers, this has been a bloodbath. Our sector is a significant employer and we can no longer stand by and suffer while we watch more and more people fall by the wayside, having tightened their belts for nearly two years. Weren’t new support measures supposed to be attached to the barometer? These seem to have passed us by.
In a nutshell: after this Belgian Music Week, we want to open wide the doors of our concert venues and clubs. This is the best way to ensure a vibrant future for everyone in our industry. We are the last in line, but now our time has truly come.
Picture © Michelle Geerardyn
4AD
5to9management
Amigo
Ampere
Ancienne Belgique
Area V
Barabar
Botanique
Bram Bostyn
Brussels By Night Federation
Busker Artist Agency
C12
Cactus Club (Brussel)
Carré
Catclub
Charlatan
Chez Ginette
Cloudshaper
Club Capital
Club Lima
Club Vaag
Clubcircuit
Culte Agency
De Muziekgilde
De Roma
Deep In House
Democrazy
Devil in a Box
Discotheek Millennium
E314 Agency
Event Confederation
Fast Forward
Festival Dranouter
Fkp Skorpio
Fucknye
Funke
Fuse
Garifuna
Gay Haze
Gentle Management
Globe Entertainment
Greenhouse Talent
Handelsbeurs
Hangar
Het Depot
House Of Entertainment
IKON
Indy Erens
Jalousy
Jeux d’Hiver
Jimmie Dimmick
kazz_ema
Kitsch Club
Kokorico
Kommilfoo Mgmt
Kras Artists
Kunstmest
Kurious Agency
La Cabane
Listen Festival
Live Nation
Live Sector Overleg
Lucky Lemon
Maandacht
Madame Moustache
Magma
Man Van Staal
Mgmt Jean-Marie Aerts
Mirano
MMaF
Moose Bar
Music & Lemon Pie
Muziekodroom
N9
Nostalgia Club
Not Your Techno
Oko
Peter Verstraelen Agency
Philippe Draps Entertainment
Pilar
Play Label
Plein Publik
Pukkelpop
Quay 01
Radar
Red & Blue
Rick Tubbax management/De Kreuners
Rust
Skytiger
Sotto's
Spirito Sportpaleisgroep (Sportpaleis Antwerpen, Lotto Arena, Vorst Nationaal, Trixxo Arena en Trixxo theater)
The Villa
Toutpartout
Trix
Versuz
VI.BE
Voltage
Voo?uit
Wilde Westen
Wolx Artist Management
You
Zephyrus
Zodiak
