THE music industry has warned of nearly 3,000 job losses due to coronavirus - with losses of £1.5 million per week during the lockdown.

The Covid-19 lockdown has hit hard, as the music industry in Scotland has recorded £18.5m in lost revenue.

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Around 2,800 jobs are at risk - more than half of those in the Scottish music sector, and around 75 per cent of music venues may not survive the impact due to social distancing measures, it was warned.

The Scottish Music Industry Association (SMIA) said the sudden closure of concert halls, clubs and arenas had decimated the industry with no box office and bar sales.

And it said it would be “near impossible” for any venues to reopen while the two-metre social distancing rule is in place.

It predicted 2,800 job losses including 414 full-time posts, 1,457 part-time jobs and 929 contractors or freelance staff.

An official report published last year suggested the Scottish music industry was supporting about 4,300 jobs and generated upwards of £430m in economic benefit.

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Dougal Perman, SMIA executive chair, said: “Losses in the live sector are cascading throughout the industry from artists, venues and promoters to booking agents, music managers through to rights holders, crew, events suppliers and into the wider creative industries supply web.

“Losing up to a year of events activity not only has a devastating effect on the cultural economy, but it will also have a huge knock-on effect on the future development of artists, businesses and staff.

“Devising a solution will require a large, radical, collaborative effort.

“Short term, there are obviously great concerns about jobs and businesses being lost due to the immediate economic shock of the shutdown.

“Medium and longer-term, losing venues would be a huge blow to the music scene and its ecosystem.

“Live music has been such a big part of the business model for artists and promoters, but also for agents, managers, publishers and record labels.

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“It is pretty bleak at the moment, but we’re trying to look constructively at what can be done with venues while they are closed due to social distancing requirements, such as repurposing them as makeshift studios for filming and streaming content.

“But it’s a stretch to think that any revenue from that could replace box office and bar sales.”