A new survey has shown that 64% of professional musicians are now considering leaving the profession.

It was conducted by the online musician booking platform, Encore Musicians, and shone a stark spotlight on the acute state of anxiety and insecurity being felt by musicians across the arts as the Coronavorus pandemic continues to restrict performance activities.

Lost earnings

Encore Musicians is a marketplace platform which helps over 42,000 musicians gain bookings and professional engagements across the UK.

They surveyed 560 musicians and found that on average they had lost over £11,000 in earnings since March when event cancellations started to occur.

They also found that there were 87% fewer bookings in place for August to December in relation to the same time last year. 50% of those surveyed had no bookings for the remainder of 2020 and 40% stated they had applied for a non-music job since March.

Charity help

41% had received no government help and 42% reported that they had relied upon non-government help from charities or the Musicians Union.

Young female musicians were particularly badly hit in a sector that contributes over £5.2 billion annually to the UK economy and employs nearly 200,000 people.

This problem is being felt across the industry — from signed veterans to young musicians at the beginning of their careersEncore CEO & Co-founder James McAulay

Industry problem

Speaking about the findings, Encore CEO & Co-founder James McAulay stated: "We're acutely aware of the damage the pandemic has done to our musicians' livelihoods, but I was still shocked to see just how few bookings most musicians have left in the diary for 2020.

This problem is being felt across the industry — from signed veterans to young musicians at the beginning of their careers. The government must act now to make sure our musicians aren't left behind."

To find out more go to: https://encoremusicians.com/blog/