Your Shout

What won’t you miss about the business (circa 2019) when live shows resume?

TOP SHOUT

I wish for a true understanding of everyone’s actual needs in companies, and to look at what really equates to a company being truly equal and fair. Everyone having to be in the office 9am-5pm is not equality in my eyes and is a silly excuse for “Well, if X has to come in at 9am so should Z…”

A diverse workforce is a healthy one. Flexitime should not mean paying less. For example, if you have an amazing parent (mother or father) wanting to join your company but wants to pick their kid(s) up from school often, you should celebrate that, and not penalise them for it and pay them less. I promise you a parent who is able to truly be a good (and as guilt-free) parent to their kids as possible, will be one of the best employees you could have. Pay them fairly. You either trust someone or you don’t. I don’t think it should just be the top people at companies that get their breaks and golf days.

This industry isn’t as inclusive as we think: we have so far to go. It will be interesting to see how many companies reopen and make all their staff come back to the office every day and have to pay again for expensive commuting (themselves) because they can’t afford to live close by.

‘Empathy’ has been a widely used buzzword throughout the pandemic across the industry, let’s see how much of it remains… Being the last person to leave the office shouldn’t be celebrated, but a healthy balance and equally balanced view, support and understanding on what everyone’s individual measures of ‘success’ are, should be.

I can’t wait to see awards events that recognise people’s compassion, empathy, respect and kindness above numbers of hours worked, stadiums booked, albums sold etc. Whenever I speak to my kids on what I want them to be, I just want them to be happy. We should strive for the same in ourselves and each other. Natasha Gregory | Mother Artists Live

6pm meetings on a Friday. Max Lee | Earth Agency

This might be wishful thinking but we try… I would like a workplace (physical or virtual) to be somewhere where everyone speaks their mind without inhibition. Meaning there should be no hierarchy of ideas, proposals or criticism. Someone who just joined the company from university or someone with years of experience should have the same freedom and encouragement to express themselves. Some ideas are good, some are not, but without them we cannot possibly deserve the epithet ‘creative industry.’ Nick Hobbs | Charmenko

The ubiquitous shared cheeseboard backstage. Rob Challice | Paradigm

Personally, for sustainability, festivals should dump the three-day timescale and run for at least five days, starting small Tuesday/Wednesday. It’s crazy to build a whole town for such a short time, and there are loads of way to monetise, after all, it’s most people’s actual holiday. Chris MacMeikan | Continental Drifts

The cock swinging (I hope). Claire O’Neill | A Greener Festival

I won’t miss the moaning at shows. Everyone will be grateful to be there (and earning a few bob). John Giddings | Solo Agency

I surely would not miss all the inefficient last-minute changes, pure ego-driven “bigger, louder, faster” demands for shows, to show off and to develop the brand of a festival or an artist. Unfortunately, I do not expect this to change as it represents what is at the core of our industry: the ego.

Nevertheless, I hope for some voice of reason to slow down the speed and scope of productions, as there simply will not be the same environment on the side of suppliers to make all the madness happen. But already it is clear that clients do not really see any of these issues as the number of requests for 2022 demonstrate that there will be three summers worth of events rolled into one.

Unfortunately, the current signs for the upcoming year tell me that the industry seems to be unwilling or incapable to build back better. Anonymous

We can save a lot of transportation time by cutting down on in-person meetings and still having many [of them] on Zoom. Jarred Arfa | Artist Group International

I don’t miss (and hopefully won’t miss) the legions of highly experienced professionals who constantly worry about what other people are booking instead of finding satisfaction in their often-tremendous achievements. Brian Reynolds | 432 Presents

I’d like to quote my friend and colleague Anderz Nielsen of Gearbox Agency in Denmark: “Let’s use the crisis in the music industry as a chance to get back to the principles of trust, sincerity, mutual respect and loyalty!” Rob Berends | Paperclip Agency