Josh Pyke is “very, very concerned” financially for musicians going forward
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31.03.2020

Josh Pyke is “very, very concerned” financially for musicians going forward

He spoke on Q&A last night.

Renowned Australian singer-songwriter Josh Pyke has shared his concern for the future of musicians fighting through this industry shutdown.

Appearing on ABC’s Q&A last night, he recognised the fact that the government is making efforts to support workers in all industries but seemed bemused as to how the recently-announced JobKeeper payment would apply to musicians.

“Our industry is very much a famine and feast industry, so we can have a quarter that’s highly successful and then basically have nil income for two quarters,” Pyke said on Q&A.

“So I find it confusing and I know a lot of my musician friends and industry friends find it confusing to see how the eligibility criteria would apply to us.

“But I do want to say is that it is positive that Paul Fletcher has been sitting down with the industry, that is very positive because there has at least been an acknowledgement of the myriad of business structures that we do operate under.”

There was an air of positivity to Pyke’s voice but while he suggested the community nature of the music industry would help it rally, he couldn’t deny the financial worries.

“Artists are always optimistic and inspired by things like this, so from a creative point of view I think that we’ll really rally and try and bring communities together,” Pyke said.

“But in terms of financially, we’re all very, very concerned.

“Our industry has been decimated. My personal touring income has just been written off for the next six months.”

Check out the full Q&A episode here

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