Ed Sheeran, Paul McCartney and The Rolling Stones are amongst the more than 1,500 musicians who have signed an open letter to U.K. Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Oliver Dowden demanding support for the live music industry that has been severely impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. It calls for a timeline for resumption of concerts, financial support and tax exemption on ticket sales. Citing research from Media Insight Consulting, the letter states that the music industry contributed £4.5 billion ($5.6 billion) to the U.K. economy last year, and supports 210,000 jobs. In response, Dowden tweeted: “I understand the deep anxiety of those working in music and the desire to see fixed dates for reopening. The pandemic led to a wave of live concert cancellations across the U.K., including Glastonbury, All Points East and End of the Road Festival.

Source: Fox News July 02, 2020 14:15 UTC