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https://theconversation.com/rising-on-pause-dark-mofo-ticket-sales-delayed-the-government-must-insure-our-arts-events-161737>
"When lockdown was announced in Melbourne on Thursday, it came on the same
morning as the opening of Rising, a large new cultural festival designed to
“re-synchronise” and “re-energise” the city that spent much of 2020 in
hibernation.
The festival has announced a “pause” on shows for the coming week.
The arts are again confronted with the total loss of ticket revenue, just as
the sector was tentatively recovering. It is another terrible setback for a
bruised industry.
Lockdowns and border closures in 2021 have already forced shows to cancel at
the Sydney, Adelaide and Perth festivals, while Byron Bay Bluesfest was
cancelled at the last minute. Reacting to the developing situation in
Melbourne, Tasmania’s Dark Mofo — scheduled for June — has delayed ticket
sales.
We need to do better in putting a floor under losses for the live-performance
industry.
A publicly funded insurance scheme to compensate companies and their performers
for COVID-19 related losses would give the sector planning confidence, and
accelerate the return of cultural life to Australia’s cities."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics