The Musicians’ Union, which represents more than 30,000 musicians in the UK, said in January that almost half its members still do not qualify for either of the government’s financial schemes and that 50% do not qualify for SEISS because less than half their work is freelance.

For women, particularly those who have recently taken maternity leave, the situation has been worse. The gender pay gap between self-employed people is estimated to be 43%.

Jen Downer, a music teacher and musician in Wales, told openJustice that because she had recently taken maternity leave, her income over the past three years had been reduced. Her SEISS grant was significantly lower as a result. Campaign group Pregnant Then Screwed brought a judicial review against the government for indirect sex discrimination and maternity discrimination, but a judge ruled against them. Olga Fitzroy, a campaigner with the group, says they plan to appeal.

Equity, the actors’ union, says that 40% of its 48,000 members have received no government money. Paul W Fleming, Equity’s general secretary, told openJustice that in spite of the success of the industry he represents – and the fact that the work of performers has been a lifeline for many through the pandemic – “its workforce has been largely abandoned”.

“The hardest hit are, of course, the lowest paid and those who struggle with access to work in the industry in the first place,” Fleming said. “Everybody should be concerned for what this national scandal says about who is welcome to be an artist – and who our government feels is worthy of pursuing careers in culture, art, and entertainment.”

Tom Clues, a stage manager and guitar technician, told openJustice all his income came from touring with bands. It’s how he’s made a decent living for two decades, working with a host of big bands and performers. In April 2020, he started claiming benefits. “I grew up working class – I come from poor – but it’s not easy on Universal Credit,” he said. “I was also eligible for the SEISS grant. If I hadn’t been, it would have been very hard.”

Charles Cave said that 85% of his income came from performing live and that the summer, “where a weekend of festivals can provide the same kind of income as perhaps 12 to 16 headline shows”, was the most lucrative time for performers like him. “The pandemic has ruled out 18 months of live performance, and so 18 months of regular income,” he said. Selling merchandise is also a part of this, though Cave said his band White Lies make less than metal and emo bands, which “can make a killing on merchandise”.

While ordinary musicians, actors and artists have been forced to seek other work; celebrity performers have been able to fall back on brand collaborations and a vast array of passive income streams, from radio royalties to property investments. Cave told openJustice that he was in, “the category of musician that basically has two roles: writing and recording, and performing… There’s no income to be made from the actual work of writing and recording… The bottom line is that, for me, touring is nearly everything.”

This post was originally published on Radio Free.