Aussie Live Sector Launches Massive #VAXTHENATION Campaign To Get Back To Work


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In one of the biggest campaigns by the A$36.4 billion ($27.04 billion) Australian live entertainment industry to get back to work, 400 artists and representatives of promoters, festivals, venues, ticketing agencies, record labels, theatre, opera and dance companies, media outlets and associations launched #VAXTHENATION Sept. 6.

“Stop the interruptions” it relayed to Australia, and get vaccinated… now!  
The 225 acts included Midnight Oil, Powderfinger, Jimmy Barnes, Vance Joy, RÜFÜS DU SOL, Hilltop Hoods, Paul Kelly, Birds Of Tokyo, Human Nature, Courtney Barnett, Amy Shark and Iva Davies.
“There aren’t many things we can control in the world at the moment,” said Bernard Fanning of Powerfinger, who donated the use of their hit single “My Happiness” for the campaign. “It’s pretty hectic out there with loads of competing information. 
“For us it is pretty straightforward. Vaccination is the only way out of this for not just the live entertainment industry, but everyone.”
#VAXTHENATION was spearheaded by the newly established LIVE Alliance (Live Industry Venues + Entertainment) – which includes reps from Association of Artist Managers (AAM), Australian Live Music Business Council (ALMBC), Australian Music Industry Network (AMIN), APRA AMCOS, Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), Australian Festivals Association (AFA), Frontier Touring/Mushroom Group, the Live Entertainment Industry Forum, Live Nation, Live Performance Australia (LPA), Secret Sounds and TEG.  
According to LIVE Alliance, live music activity was at just 12% of pre-COVID levels prior to the current lockdowns. Two thirds of industry jobs (79,000) were gone by the end of 2020, while $23.6 billion ($17.5 billion) of economic output and $10.7 billion ($7.9 billion) of added value was also lost.
Meanwhile, industry body Live Performance Australia has signaled it is looking at mid-2022 for concerts, festivals, musicals and theaters rather than the October ’21 target many had hoped. 
The association’s chief executive Evelyn Richardson said the Australian government’s target of loosening restrictions after 80% of the population had their second COVID vaccination shots by end of November, would not be effective for the sector.
“That will only happen when productions are allowed to go back to 80% attendance capacity when they can be financially viable again.”
This could possibly be quicker than expected. Speaking on the Recovery Roadmap Webinar, co-presented by the Victorian state government, Tandi Palmer Williams of research agency Patternmakers said, “We know that vaccination has become a major factor in the decision-making of many audience members around the country.
‘It’s really positive to see in early July, when we collected data from arts audiences, we could see that arts audiences were being vaccinated at a much faster rate [than the general public]. It’s likely we’re going to reach over 90% vaccination in our audience base very quickly.”
More venue owners are supporting banning entry to those without double vaccinations, and calling for governments to set up legal frameworks to protect them from court action.