The Musicians' Movement has penned an open letter to the Department of Digital, Media, Culture and Sport (DCMS) and Arts Council England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Creative Scotland asking they do more to help local communities and freelance musicians during the coronavirus pandemic.

“Despite the much needed £1.57 billion support package for the arts sector, both local communities and freelance performers are being left behind,” the letter argues. "The announcement of Arts Council England's £500m Cultural Recovery Fund along with similar schemes across the UK is welcome news, but whilst the package will help to protect our national treasures and their employees over the next few months of turmoil, it will not reach the freelancers who form the core of our world-renowned music industry. As a result, the general public, who actively engage, learn and thrive through their interaction with the UK's live musical sector, are also being left behind. We will not accept a country without live music, particularly at this time of national crisis. Musicians need to get back to work.”

Proposed is a new grant scheme to enable live events to take place in line with the Covid-19 social distancing guidelines, covering the difference in income for tickets sales between 100 percent audience capacity and a reduced capacity, guaranteed minimum fee paid to each performer, fixed rate per ticket in line with a full pre-Covid venue capacity and more. Read the full letter online.

Founded by saxophonist Phil Meadows and tuba player Chris Barrett in March 2020 at the beginning of the Coronavirus lockdown measures in the UK, the Musicians’ Movement Facebook group has over 16,000 members. A fundraiser campaign is ongoing to keep the collective working.