In a meeting with the Minister of Culture on Friday afternoon, central cultural institutions expressed deep concern about the situation in Norwegian cultural life – where, among other things, ticket sales for Christmas concerts and tours are experiencing a full drought.
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Countless media reports about the risk of infection and a new variant of corona. National and regional press conferences with serious officials who provide infection advice. New restrictions on cultural life.
All this contributes to creating uncertainty among the audience who have bought tickets to cultural events; is it really safe to walk?
– There is a direct connection between national and local press conferences about the corona situation and ticket sales, with the result that ticket sales have almost stopped completely in the last couple of weeks, especially for concerts close in time, writes Marius Lie in the Music Industry’s business council in a post on Facebook- the group Industry Prat.
The Business Council was among the fifteen invited cultural actors who participated in the meeting with Minister of Culture Anette Trettebergstuen on Friday.
According to VG’s information, no concrete promises have been made by the Minister of Culture at this meeting, where the status of the cultural life situation right now was settled, and input was provided to the authorities on what should happen in the future.
Marius Lie suggests a market failure of 30 percent and further writes that some organizers have reported a no show percentage – ie ticket buyers who still do not show up – is up to 20.
–E24 wrote Friday night telling about Vulkan Arena, which says that the new restrictions means full closure for the concert venue.
Trine Rein told VG on Thursday that sales to her Christmas concerts in some places have been catastrophic in churches that she has previously filled up completely. She says people are afraid to show up due to constant newspaper articles about fear of infection and the prospect of new restrictions.
– In some places I have had a no show percentage of over twenty. And these are people who have bought tickets, said Trine Rein.
At the same time, she reminds that several of last year’s Christmas tours were postponed until this year.
– The market is saturated. There is no room for more, says Rein.
The general manager of Norwegian concert organizers, Tone Østerdal, believes this is clear proof that it was right to extend the compensation scheme for cultural life, first to apply to November and December this year, and then until June 2022, as it was presented at the government press conference on Thursday .
But Østerdal is also concerned that the market failure that is being experienced must now be taken into account in the extended scheme.
– It is crucial that the schemes are not continued in their current form. They must be adjusted, already from the period November-December 2021, she says.
– In addition to receiving compensation related to actual infection control measures, it must also be compensated for the market failure that organizers throughout the country are currently experiencing. It is not as if a lot of tickets are sold in Bergen just because it is currently “only” in the Oslo region that number restrictions are introduced, says Tone Østerdal.
Knut Harald Pleym at Drammen scenes was one of several as in Aftenposten had to report a complete failure in ticket sales.
– Every time there are new signals from the authorities, we experience that ticket sales stop almost completely, Pleym said.
VG has tried to get in touch with Minister of Culture Anette Trettebergstuen after Friday’s meeting with Norwegian cultural life, and asked what she thinks about adjusting – not just continuing – the current compensation scheme, as well as the possibility of introducing corona passes at larger events, but so far without hell.
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