IRON MAIDEN, JUDAS PRIEST And More Than 1,500 Other Artists Call On U.K. Government To Act Now To Save Live Music Scene

IRON MAIDEN, JUDAS PRIEST and BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE are among the artists who have thrown their support behind UK Music's #LetTheMusicPlay campaign, which asks for immediate action to aid the massively affected music industry amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Over 1,500 artists have signed an open letter to the government in a bid to "show the vital importance of the UK's live music industry, ensure the Government cannot ignore live music and make noise to get the public and financial support the industry needs to survive."

"UK live music has been one of the UK's biggest social, cultural, and economic successes of the past decade," the #LetTheMusicPlay campaign says. "But, with no end to social distancing in sight or financial support from government yet agreed, the future for venues, concerts and festivals and the hundreds of thousands of people who work in them looks bleak.

"Like other countries such as Germany and Australia, we need the Government to help the music industry, which contributes £5.2 billion to the economy annually and sustains almost 200,000 jobs to ensure it remains world-leading following the damage caused by this pandemic.

"Until these businesses can operate again, which is likely to be 2021 at the earliest, government support will be crucial to prevent mass insolvencies and the end of this world-leading industry.

"On July 2, 2020, UK Music and members of the UK Live Music Group, alongside a coalition of live music businesses including artists, venues, concerts, festivals, production companies and industry figures launched a campaign, Let The Music Play, to highlight the importance of the sector to the UK's economy."

IRON MAIDEN showed its support on Twitter, writing: "Every band has to start somewhere (in time),and IRON MAIDEN were no exception. 90% of the UK's grassroots music venues are under threat of closure due to COVID-19. Please show your support for live music and share a photo/video from the last gig you went to, tagging #LetTheMusicPlay"

BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE wrote: "Today we come together with the rest of the UK music industry to show our support for #LetTheMusicPlay, a campaign highlighting the crisis faced by the live music sector. We need the UK government to listen and act now to help protect venues that could be forced to close. As well as supporting the workforce that make up the industry. We encourage you to get involved by sharing a photo from your last gig using #LetTheMusicPlay to show your support for UK live music."

ENTER SHIKARI added: "Today, our friends at Music Venue Trust are asking artists to share a video of their last live show as part of their #LetTheMusicPlay #SaveOurVenues campaign.

"We would not have been able to do what we've done for the past decade+ if it wasn't for the time we spent as teenagers playing a supportive circuit of grassroots music venues. But this isn't about us going off around the world and having fun…

"UK music exports contribute £2billion+ to the UK economy. Over 90% of UK music venues are at risk of closure unless government steps in to support them through this time. You don't need to be a rocket surgeon to see the devastating effect this could have.

"So, please, retweet them then tweet us a photo / video of the last show YOU went to, using the #LetTheMusicPlay tag. Show the government the support that UK venues have from the people that use them."