Paris live sector asks for government support following attendance drop

The terrorist attack at the Bataclan venue in Paris that claimed the lives of 89 people has had a chilling effect on the live music industry in Paris, as is understandable considering that the country is still in a ‘state of emergency’. 

Ticket sales have fallen by 80% year-on-year in the week following the attack, and are forecast to remain sharply lower for the foreseeable future. 

This has led the live music sector to appeal to the government for a 50 million Euros emergency fund, necessary to ensure the survival of especially small to medium-sized businesses for which the loss in revenue could be catastrophic. 

The government, via culture minister Fleur Pellerin, has already set up a €4 million emergency fund but that can only support venues in the short term. 

Parisians have displayed a great deal of resilience to the attacks, by staging public marches and going back to their day-to-day routines, stating that terrorists cannot dictate the way they live their lives. Fear is inevitable after this immense tragedy, but in time and as venues develop and deploy tighter security, the Paris live music scene will get back on its feet. The government simply needs to ensure that struggling venues do not falter in the meantime. 

(Andrea Leonelli)