Even if a show sells out of its tickets, a venue and a band still need everyone to turn up and at least buy some refreshments, but there’s worrying news coming out of people at the gig coal face: a huge number of people aren’t going to the gigs they’ve bought.
Now, we can’t blame anyone for wanting to play it safe these days, but we still feel for promoters and the whole live music ecosystem which is still far away from being saved. Graeme Stewart, a manager, spoke to the Guardian and explained that normal absentee rates were “around 5 per cent” currently “you’re getting as much as 40 per cent no-shows for some gigs now… It’s an enormous problem… And it’s happening for anything that’s ticketed.”
Some of this is due to fears of catching Covid, some is due to people becoming ‘less engaged’ every time dates are rescheduled. Here’s Sacha Lord, also in the Guardian, confirming “We’re seeing a big drop-off, even at really hot, sold-out shows. It’s happening every single night, and it’s affecting all artists… The knock-on effects of this are phenomenal. It’s decimating the whole industry.”
And, of course, there is no solution with Covid growing once more.
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