UK Music Chief Executive Jamie Njoku-Goodwin is urging Boris Johnson to include live music in his roadmap out of Covid-19 restrictions.
The call comes ahead of next week's expected Government announcement on plans to reopen the economy.
Njoku-Goodwin said: “We are fast reaching a critical point for the live music industry. If festivals and large events are forced to cancel for another year, many will go under and thousands of jobs are at risk of being lost forever.
“We are not asking to reopen a moment before it is safe to do so, but if our sector is to survive through this pandemic then we require urgent clarity about the months ahead and some indication of when live music will be able to return."
Meanwhile, the Music Venue Trust welcomed Johnson's recent suggestion that rapid Covid-19 tests could enable nightclubs and theatres to reopen.
CEO Mark Davyd said the organisation “has already created the possibility of two pilot sites to host events featuring rapid testing and a range of other mitigation measures intended to deliver live music in a safe setting”.
He said the organisation has been in discussion with the government since July around issues associated with rapid testing and other forms of "health passporting".