Coronavirus: Info For Musicians & Bands

We've written an FAQs blog for our clients as a lot are contacting us regarding this issue - please take a read and let us know if you have any questions or thoughts on this here.

You can view our contract booking terms and conditions here.

Force Majeure is covered in clause 10. The current status is certainly a Force Majeure and it will be the case that the Force Majeure clause will apply all the time government or local authority action restricts gatherings in some way.

It's also important to have in mind that 'epidemic' is listed as an example of a Force Majeure and with the latest government update being that measures will likely be in place until June 21st 2021 at the earliest and there potentially being international travel restrictions for some time to come, it could - I think, be successfully argued that cancellations/postponements are due to a Force Majeure, regardless of when the event is due to take place this year. It would be down to the cancelling party to prove the Force Majeure, but it's certainly my opinion that pursuing clients for cancellation fees for events due to take place in 2021 will be fruitless if it ended up in a court and would cost you time and money. I also don't think it's fair or right to pursue a cancellation fee if the client is cancelling due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Force Majeure clause is intended for this sort of situation.

We will continue to encourage clients who have events June 21st 2021 onwards to stick with their date - some will still take the decision based on their own situation, but we will do our best to encourage clients to go ahead - many don't need much encouragement and are desperately keen to go ahead :)

In the event of postponements our focus will be to secure a rescheduled date wherever possible and we'd strongly recommend you support that too. Some clients are looking to move their wedding to 2022 - one thing you might want to think about with those is what your fees will be in 2022. If the plan is to increase them, I think it is appropriate to accommodate the reschedule but request the new booking be made on your 2022 prices (I'd keep increases modest though as if the client deems the increase unfair or greedy you could lose the work and risk negative PR).

Enquiries and bookings have picked up since the start of 2021 and I expect that to ramp up further as lockdown is lifted and clients can visit venues again. Please keep your calendars up-to-date so we can move as quickly as possible with new enquiries and hopefully make the end of 2021 a busy one... and 2022 the busiest year yet :)

We are hopeful the impact of rescheduling dates will be reduced on all of us by the likelihood that a lot of the popular wedding venues are already booked on peak dates in autumn 2021 and summer 2022 so it's probable that rescheduled dates will fall on more off-peak dates. If one of your clients makes contact to discuss postponing or rescheduling a booking we will be in touch with you and will provide all the support we can to achieve an outcome that works for both parties.

We will contact you about every single booking that is being postponed, so you can judge things on a case-by-case basis.

The team have highlighted that some venues are giving clients as little as six hours to confirm a new date as the demand is so high, with that in mind, please regularly check for calls and emails and respond promptly. It would also be a great time to check your availability calendar is up-to-date.

If you have any concerns about fulfilling events when they are allowed to take place again, please let us know at the absolute earliest opportunity.

If you have any questions or concerns about the impact of this outbreak please do get in touch. This is clearly a challenging time for anyone working within the events industry, but I do think it's important to stay focused on the fact that this is a temporary situation that will pass and we'll get back to regular working life soon :)

Useful links:

• COVID-19: Guidance for small marriages and civil partnerships
• Working safely during coronavirus (COVID-19)
• Self-Employment Income Support Scheme
• Government Guidance
• Universal Credit For Self Employed
• MU - Financial Support / Hardship Fund / Mental Health Support
• Help Musicians - UK Charity For Professional Musicians
• PRS Emergency Relief Fund