Serota and Henley told MPs they could not have handled the emergency funding response any better, failing to acknowledge the lack of support for freelancers.
Comedians are making just 5% of their pre-pandemic income from streamed shows while half of off-stage workers have no live gigs booked, raising questions about the industry's survival.
Freelancers, young people, women and live performance art forms have been disproportionately affected by a year of lockdowns. Extended financial support may not be enough.
Even with a light at the end of the lockdown tunnel, musicians' mental health is suffering due to "substantial uncertainty around how quickly the music industry can recover".
Underpaid artists have become caretakers for communities that commissioners want to say they’re supporting. Eleonora Belfiore asks: whose responsibility is it to push for the change we so desperately need?
Middle Eastern and North African arts professionals have been all but invisible in the UK. It's time to find our voice, take ownership of the narrative, and change how the industry sees us, writes Sepy Baghaei.
Complex rules, higher costs and visa requirements are set to place new barriers to EU artists working in the UK, even for short-term contracts or single gigs.
European touring is under threat as the cost and logistics of taking performances to EU countries will pose "significant challenges" for everyone from individual artists to major national companies.
An unacceptable truth
To describe the past year as unprecedented is an understatement. Just don’t make the mistake of thinking anything has really changed, Liz Hill warns.