Three in five workers consider leaving the Victorian music industry, survey finds

After two decades working in the music industry with the likes of Cold Chisel and Crowded House, Melbourne tour manager Sean Richards last year found himself holding a stop/slow sign to make ends meet. Key points: An RMIT survey found COVID-19 has had a "devastating" impact on the Victorian music industry. Key findings: Forty-four per cent of respondents lost all their music-related work in the pandemic, with those in full-time employment dropping from 34 per cent to seven per cent More than half of respondents were worried about paying for basics like food and rent More than 80 per cent of respondents thought their involvement in the music industry would be different post COVID-19, with almost three in five considering leaving the industry all together "Before the pandemic, Melbourne was one of the great music cities of the world," lead author Dr Catherine Strong said. "The survey also highlighted that the pandemic exacerbated some already-existing problems within the Victorian music industry, including income security, discrimination and elitism."