As the four countries of the UK start to offer financial lifelines to venues wanting to reopen, Priya Patel explains how the Arts Working Group and their Recovery Toolkit can provide support with some of the thornier problems they are now addressing.
“We must use this time to reset values and make our industry and institutions more relevant for the whole of society.” Janet Archer draws together this summer’s Edinburgh Culture Conversations.
ACE has welcomed projections that the sector will recover to pre-Covid levels by 2022. The “bounce back” relies on only the most economically productive organisations surviving.
70% of audiences say they are willing to pay for digital events as full capacity shows remain on ice. But the shift towards user-pays models "will be a challenge," experts warn.
Even if people are willing to pay for digital performances, are they willing to pay enough? Robin Cantrill Fenwick examines the data emerging from the pandemic’s rush to digitise, and where the income opportunities lie.
New ONS data lays bare the critical state of the arts and entertainment sectors. Yet these organisations are supporting their employees better than most.
Tate Gallery will be one of the beneficiaries of the Government’s £1.57bn bailout. But as major organisations consult on redundancies, rumours are flying as to who else will – or won’t – receive funding.
Ongoing closures mean the impact of Covid-19 is more severe for arts and entertainment than any other industrial sector – and the drought may not be over yet.
What would happen if an audience was allowed to make a reservation for a small fee, enjoy the experience, and then pay afterwards, when the emotional value is highest? Kahlil Ashanti tried it out – and was very glad he did.
Cultural venues exempt from VAT will gain nothing from new rules meant to benefit the sector, while commercial operators will be significantly better off.
R&D funding for artists is hard to come by, but Hannah Grannemann and Amy Whitaker believe emerging artist-centric sources of finance will offer important new opportunities that could radically shift the economics.
If ACE only distributes the Government's support package to the organisations they have a current relationship with, then 80% of the sector will remain vulnerable and large scale venues as well as small will be at risk says Michael Ockwell.