The Largest Protest of the Music and Creative Industry on the Horizon

The coronavirus pandemic has affected numerous areas and activities, particularly the music and creative industry. In line with this, all major festivals and events across Croatia have been canceled in recent months. From the Festival of Lights, Sea Star, Ultra, to the Pula Film Festival, various festivals in Zrće, and all city events and concerts. Due to the complete ‘shutdown’ at the beginning of the year, it was already questionable whether the economy and the state would recover after several months of complete inactivity.

After everything was returned to the ‘new normal’ and most segments were allowed to operate normally, it was to be expected that the music and creative economic sector would also receive the opportunity for some form of work. Unfortunately, this did not happen. Phones in the entertainment industry are literally ‘on fire’, with most of the music industry proposing mass music protests, frustrated by unclear and inconsistent decisions, as stated in the announcement.

Namely, the sector of organizing cultural and entertainment events, concerts, and festivals represents an industry that was the first to feel the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic and will be the last to be allowed to operate normally.

This sector employs more than 15,000 people (considering all segments – from production, organization, security, and actual realization), who, according to initial plans for 2020, were supposed to realize more than 150 events from July 1 to September 30, with accumulated spending exceeding 200 million kuna. It raises the question of how it is possible that all outdoor festival and concert events are completely stigmatized, banned, and problematic, while no one offers any rational explanation that it is completely safe to stay in shopping centers, restaurants, nightclubs, public transport, and other closed facilities.

Due to all of the above, the Association of Organizers and Music Managers points out that they are threatened with complete shutdown, not only of entertainment and concerts but also the shutdown of at least 15,000 jobs. The consequence of this is a significant decline in all other industries that they drive.

– This new normal of ours is becoming increasingly abnormal. While European countries are adopting emergency support measures for the industry, most of our companies have not even managed to get a response from Hamag Bicro, let alone funds. Germany allocates 50 billion euros, Italy even 130 million euros, and the British government 1.57 billion pounds. Here, local headquarters send daily instructions to cancel all cultural, sports, and concert events regardless of whether there are infected individuals in their county. How is it possible that thousands of jobs depend on local ‘prohibitors’, who do not allow us to earn a salary for our employees, and also to contribute to the state budget, from which those same ‘prohibitors’ will receive a salary, whether they do their job or not – said Darko Tuček, organizer and private entrepreneur in the creative and music industry.

– All you self-proclaimed experts of various professions who are currently commenting and suggesting lockdowns and prohibitions of certain business activities, while most of you have never paid a salary in your life, and you have only paid tax on income provided by the state, that is, us private entrepreneurs. Therefore, we would suggest that you think carefully when proposing something and thereby confusing the public, which contributes to the decline of the economy, in which ultimately you also live. We ask you to consider the general interest more broadly, just as you expect us to fully respect epidemiological measures in the interest of the general public. It is much easier to be a ‘prohibitor’ when someone else secures your salary, whether you work or not – added Tuček.

– We expect the National Headquarters to establish clear criteria under which our industry can at least minimally function, because under the current criteria, nothing is forbidden to us, and nothing is allowed, but everything is vaguely recommended – concluded Darko Tuček.

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