Pollstar (01/24/22) Gottfried, Gideon

U.K. live events industry organization LIVE has conducted a survey estimating that 26% of domestic and 44% of international shows have been canceled in the first quarter due to little confidence from the public and business professionals. Fans are reluctant to buy tickets, fearing further COVID-related restrictions, while 90% of the industry expect an adverse impact from Brexit even after a full market reopening. Primary reasons for concern about domestic touring include lack of confidence from the public; local lockdowns or new restrictions being implemented; further COVID-19 variants disrupting touring; little confidence from artists, venues and promoters; and fallout from Brexit, such as mandates for visas, work permits, cabotage, ATA carnets and more. As for international touring, most respondents cited local lockdowns or new restrictions as their main concern. LIVE said the virus's unpredictability clearly shows that "overnight businesses of all size can be devastated by rapid changes in the public health situation." The fact that much of Europe is still closed puts international tours at risk, while Brexit-related visas and punitive regulations on the trucks and vehicles needed for touring add to the uncertainty. LIVE listed measures the U.K. government could implement to help mitigate these crises, such as "keeping the reduced rate of [value-added tax] on tickets, urgently fixing the broken government insurance scheme, and resolving roadblocks for transportation to enable tours to go ahead."

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