"France is in the green zone, but we remain confined". T he current music industry regrets that Emmanuel Macron did not give a key to reopen the concert halls when the health crisis seems to be coming to an end.
Read also: The theaters puzzled about the reopening
Current standards - standing public prohibited, 4 square meters for one person, closing of the bar, etc. - "always put our business places in economic danger" , stresses to AFP Malika Séguineau, from Prodiss, the leading employers' organization of musical entertainment in the private sector. "Public transport has resumed, places of worship have reopened, as well as bars and restaurants, but, we, no," abounds with AFP Aurélie Hannedouche, from the Syndicate of current music (Sma).
"No one yet knows when the theaters will reopen and what the financial strength of the organizing structures will be , " worries Sacem (a society of authors, composers and music publishers) in a press release.
Prodiss and Sma also regret a lack of visibility on the part of the authorities. "We would like the president and the government to understand that to reopen the rooms on September 1, it requires a little time," insists Aurélie Hannedouche, "extremely disappointed" with the intervention of the President of the Republic: "there were many expectations and ... nothing . "
Reopening in September?
"To prepare for the stage, you need wiring, pre-production, artistic residencies and then the show organizers have to sell and promote," she continues. A decision at the end of August is too late, we would like an answer on June 22. We want to see clearly ” .
"To sell tickets, it takes 4 to 5 weeks," adds Malika Séguineau, also left hungry after the intervention of Emmanuel Macron: "The good news is that France is in the green zone but we - the live performance - let's stay confined ... " .
Sma would like to sit around a table with the government to "discuss the evolution of the gauges and set a course" . The Prodiss is campaigning for a reopening in early September with a "full gauge" and is working with the Veritas office on an adapted health protocol to obtain the green light from the government. But Malika Séguineau believes that September could be only "a step before a real recovery" , "before the public is fully there" .
Culture in recession
The big summer festivals remain canceled for the time being and "the communities are in the process of realizing the shortfall" , highlights Aurélie Hannedouche.
“Culture creates so much wealth, with spinoffs for the hotel industry, tourism, etc. There, with a summer without festival, dying, there are so many terraces, shops that will close ... " , develops for AFP the singer Benjamin Biolay. "In the current government's thinking software, culture with state aid is heresy," he tackles. In the future, a Minister of Culture who is a political heavyweight will be needed. He will be welcome. He will see that he will have lots of interesting people to talk to, who are not so vehement, who have a lot to say about what they know, ” argues the artist.
Read also: Benjamin Biolay will never "support a presidential candidate again"
"There is undoubtedly a little populism behind the fact of no longer talking about culture in recession," this is not the time to talk about cultural people ". But in “the cultivators”, there are a lot of smicards, people who have credits and who wonder what future profession they will be able to do ” , depicts Benjamin Biolay. "For concerts, we are told" do as you see fit, at worst we can cancel your shows at the last moment ... ". When you choose this profession of acrobat, and it is “war” - a word from the President of the Republic - you know that culture, we forget, unfortunately, ” he concludes.
