Industry reacts to UK Chancellor’s autumn budget

Bodies from across the live entertainment, theatre and night time industries have called the UK Chancellor’s autumn budget a ‘missed opportunity’.  Chancellor Jeremy Hunt unveiled the autumn budget yesterday (Thursday) and despite calls for an extension to Theatre Tax Relief and a cut to VAT on ticket sales for circus, entertainment and performing arts companies, …

Live music bodies call on new Prime Minster for VAT reduction

Following the news that Rishi Sunak has become the UK’s new Prime Minister earlier this week, organisations in the live music sector have called for stability. Sunak was made Prime Minister and leader of the Conservative party following Liz Truss’s resignation after just six weeks in office.  Those in the live music sector have called …

LIVE invited to join UK Government’s UK-EU advisory group 

LIVE, a live music and entertainment business trade group for the UK, has been invited to join the UK Government’s UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) Domestic Advisory Group (DAG). LIVE will be representing the entertainment and cultural industries, and its application was supported by UK Theatre/Society of London Theatre (SOLT), Association of British Orchestras …

LIVE survey showcases continuing cancellations in 2022 

British organisation LIVE, which describes itself as the collective voice of the live music and entertainment industry, has found that the perfect mixture of COVID-19 and Brexit has already resulted in a quarter of live music shows being cancelled in the first quarter of 2022. Some 26% of UK shows have already been cancelled and …

UK music’s ‘Christmas of misery’ already impacting 2022

The UK’s live music industry is experiencing a “devastating rise in lost income” according to a snap industry survey from trade group LIVE. The group says that up to 50% audience no-shows and widespread cancellations have created a ‘Christmas of misery’ which is set to carry into at least the opening months of 2022. The …

COVID passes and masks for theatres, cinemas in England

Prime Minister Boris Johnson yesterday (Wednesday) announced that England will move to Plan B in a bid to tackle the spread of the Omicron variant of COVID-19. The update means the introduction of the NHS COVID Pass for entry into nightclubs and large events, which will begin Wednesday 15 December. In a statement, the UK …