Too Little, Too Late

Why the New Funding Scheme Does Not Support the Music Industry.

“I’ve got so many posters of gigs that my DJ name’s on that never came to fruition and it’s eery. Just seeing them flapping in the wind on a pole in town is like ‘ugh’! That was a space and a memory that could have happened. It’s in this weird hold space.”

Roxy Leppan

Roxy Leppan, also known as Pork Crackle, is a young Wellington DJ, who is among many artists throughout Aotearoa who are trying to keep their heads above water at a time where the Government has provided insufficient support for creatives.

“What did everyone do during all these lockdowns around the world? They listened to music, they watched movies or TV shows, they read books. All these things to fill up everyone else’s time was an art form which has now been left in the dust.”

Carlos McQuillan, also known as Techno Tradie, is another young Wellington DJ, who, like many other artists, is trying to maintain artistic momentum as we move into our third year of living with Covid-19.

The effects of Covid-19 have been felt in a range of ways across Aotearoa, but it seems that those within the music industry are feeling these impacts more significantly as government support continues to remain minimal. A new round of Cultural Sector Emergency Relief Funding has recently been announced, enabling eligible self-employed sole traders to apply for a one-off grant of $5,000.

While more funding may seem appealing, it should be noted that this grant only covers 10 weeks’ worth of work, which gives artists a total of $500 per week. With rent prices in Wellington sitting at around $250 a week for an individual room, it’s unlikely that this amount will enable artists to do much after they pay for their rent and their weekly grocery shop.

This funding announcement also comes too late, at a moment in which artists have been without income for an entire month. The submission date for applications is stated to be from the end of February, ensuring that by the time these are processed by the Ministry of Culture and Heritage, artists will have likely been left in the dark for even longer.

Manager of Fat Freddy’s Drop, Nicole Duckworth, expressed that a range of emotions are being felt across the industry and the new rounds of funding have only seemed to worsen frustrations.

“The events insurance schemes and the arts funding that’s recently been announced are not fit for purpose. It’s not accessible by artists, the insurance schemes don’t seem to cover the artists or production crew – it’s just so difficult to access,” says Nicole.

“In order to apply you have to submit basically your full financials – which includes a statement of financial position, a profit and loss sheet, [an] eight-week cash flow forecast. You basically need to hire an accountant to be able to submit the application. It’s way too complicated, it’s too late. It’s not enough.”

Carlos McQuillan

These feelings were reflected in the conversation I had with Carlos McQuillan, a Wellington-based DJ, known as Techno Tradie.

“That sole traders thing you can’t even actually apply for. You’re not actually able to apply until the end of February. That’s a whole month worth of not being able to get anything whatsoever.”

“Pretty shit fucking recovery realistically,” says Carlos.

Pork Crackle, has also felt left behind by the Government. “Those few weeks where the funding hadn’t been announced was so scary. The date that we went into red light was talked about by the Government in December, they could’ve organised something so that people weren’t left terrified. I’m still scared so it’s not really helped,” says Roxy.

While many artists were able to access wage subsidy support throughout the previous stages of Covid-19 alert levels, the new traffic light system prohibits events occurring while offering those involved in cancelled events minimal compensation or long-term support.

“With red light, for some reason, that wage subsidy’s just nowhere to be seen,” Roxy explains.

It’s becoming ever more urgent that the creative industries are supported to ensure that their creativity and workflow is enabled to continue. As case numbers rise, an end to red light does not seem near and artists are likely to be without income from shows for the foreseeable future. Without financial support from the Government, artists will not be able to sustain their livelihoods and continue to make the art that fulfils all of our lives.

Roxy Leppan

“It sucks,” says Roxy, “because everything that has been comforting to the entire world throughout these past few years, all of the industries and all of the things that people consume that has been making people feel ok is art.”

“Music, Netflix, TikTok, content creating… so many things that people consume to make themselves feel better about how shitty the world has been goes back to the world of arts and for that to not be taken seriously and not be looked after is so backwards.”

Brent Eccles, Managing Director of Eccles Entertainment and Frontier Touring, spoke of the likelihood of Aotearoa seeing a rapid reduction in the size of our music industry.

“Things will have to start to turn within 6 months, it cannot go on like this. Either [Covid-19] will disappear or the industry will really, really turn into itself and shrink,” says Brent.

Without a sustainable plan in place to support the music industry long-term, it is likely that many creatives will have no choice but to reduce their time spent on art, and pick up other avenues of work.

After the second lockdown, Carlos took on full-time work again as a builder. While he recognises that he is amongst those lucky enough to be able to lean on other skills, he notes that this has seriously impacted on his creative flow and productivity.

“Even in the small stint where it was orange light - trying to get gigs moving and for people to dance, it was near impossible. That was the change for me where I realised that I’m going to need to do something that can still operate in a [Covid-19] world,” explained Carlos.

But taking up other avenues of work can have a real impact on the capacity of an artist to continue with their creative endeavours on top of further work.

“The mental brain space that that [a] painter or writer or musician or filmmaker needs to have to come up with ideas and have clarity of mind and energy and not be tired from working – they need time, they need brain space,” says Roxy.

These feelings are being further fuelled by what seems to be a lack of investment in supporting or fostering the arts within Aotearoa. As artists receive both minimal financial support and appreciation, it’s not surprising that many are losing their motivation to continue.

“A lot of people from what I talk to, they’re finding it really hard to keep going with their passion. That’s kind of the hard point, to find something that you still want to do because there’s a glimmer of hope that you can at least make it,” explained Carlos.

Roxy mirrored these feelings when I spoke with her. “These things that keep a country with terrible mental health a little bit afloat – that hope. It’s a big deal to take that away from people and it’s a big deal to take that away from all the event planners and musicians.”

It is very apparent that the general feeling appears to be one of frustration and helplessness. These artists are the very people who kept our spirits alive during these lockdowns, and we cannot see out a future where we watch artist morale beaten to a pulp.

Carlos McQuillan

“If you’re not looking after the people doing this,” explains Carlos, “there’s not going to be anymore new shit. There’s not going to be anything because everyone has to go off and become an accountant or do something fucking boring.”

This points to a sombre future for the New Zealand music industry. One in which our creative talent is depleted and devalued unless we start to see significant changes starting to occur.

Nicole Duckworth also spoke to this point saying, “I imagine what we will find out looking back on this period is that we have lost a generation of artists – they won’t come through, they’ll just be lost.”

The Government needs to seriously consider better ways in which they can offer support to the creative industries. These conversations make it blatantly clear that without accessible funding and long-term measures in place, many artists will be unable to provide for themselves in their current situations.

When asking what support artists themselves believe they are actually in need of, comments regarding the Pathways to Arts and Cultural Employment (PACE) scheme have been thrown around.

“We did have that when we came up as emerging artists,” says Nicole. “It meant you could be on the unemployment benefit for like a year and your rent is covered and you could really go out and pursue your artistic endeavours. It is talked about with much nostalgia these days.”

This scheme was started under Helen Clark’s Labour Government in 2001, until it was officially axed by the National Party. It offered young, emerging artists the opportunity to hone in on their craft and foster their artistic talent without financial anxiety and pressure. It also reflected that artists and the wider creative industries were valued and respected by the rest of the country.

Many of the New Zealand artists we now consider household names were at some point on PACE. I think it’s really important to consider the impacts this could have on our future generation of emerging artists who are moving into the industry without any support of this kind.

How can we expect the same level of success for new talent when the Government is not sending the message that they’re valued?

When asked what she would like to see from the Government, Roxy stated, “It would be considerate to have some better communication, to not only hear about that $121 million but to see it going to people and to see the process of acquiring that made realistic and understandable for non-academic brains or young brains.”

My conversation with Nicole added to this point as she notes, “The funding really is not fit for purpose – all the funding appears to be is good media coverage for the Government.”

“They can say these nice things, that they’re giving all this money out, but if no one can access the money, the money is not going anywhere. All it is [is] a media announcement – it’s gone no further than that.”

These are hard times for those involved in live performance, and for those of us in Covid-19 operating jobs, it’s important to acknowledge the privilege of stability in times like these. For many people around the country, this is not the case.

For now, artists who are eligible as sole traders, can start applications for a one-off grant of $5,000 from the Ministry of Culture and Heritage. It is still unclear when artists will realistically receive this payment, by which time many will have gone without income for a prolonged period of time.

As Carlos put it, “It’s a pretty shit fucking recovery.”