This does however raise a few concerns. First of all, the introduction of new COVID-19 restriction could force another situation like what happened earlier in the year. Artists setting themselves up for shows months in advance that either get cancelled or work as socially distanced shows from the get-go. The only issue with this is that, according to Chief Executive of Trade Body UK Music Jamie Njoku-Goodwin, “It just doesn’t work”. Without offering any reason why it just doesn’t work, Njoku-Goodwin did go on to explain, “We’ve been encouraging people to get tested and vaccinated – we want people to know that if they go to a music event, most people are being responsible”. This acting as an alternative to socially distanced shows seems like a logistical nightmare or something that can very easily be fooled. Only time will tell.

2022 now has an absolutely massive back catalogue of pretty much every artist in the zeitgeist at the moment trying to put on a show. Billie Eilish, Coldplay, Dua Lipa, Elton John, Stormzy, Alicia Keys, Lady Gaga, Harry Styles, Olivia Rodrigo and many other massive names are all set to hit the road in the new year. This may sound like good news, but there is now looming speculation that the backlog could cause a shortage in everything required to actually make these shows go ahead; stage equipment, transportation, crew, even venue staff could be a little short. This may prove to be completely unfounded, but it could well happen.

Njoku-Goodwin also mused that “there may be an audience trend where people aren’t wanting to book months ahead but will see how they feel on the day,”. This does seem to be affecting some, as a recent study shows that around 40% of punters actually aren’t arriving at gigs they have tickets to. But other evidence shows quite the contrary as Adele and Sir Elton John’s slots at Hyde Park’s BST Festival sold out in minutes a few months back.

Ignoring the ever-present issue that is the Omicron variant, if things kick back into gear soon London’s O2 Arena will host a total of at least 110 different artists next year. So, get boosted, wear a mask, and these things might actually happen.

Current guidelines in England state that hospitality venues should only open for delivery and takeaway services, and people are prohibited from mixing either indoors our outside in groups exceeding six. London will only leave current lockdown restrictions on December 2nd, at which point it will still be subject to Tier 2 restrictions – under which restaurants will still not be permitted to open.

Ora’s party would also have been in contravention of current Covid-19 guidelines in all other parts of the UK: in Wales, the size of groups meeting in hospitality venues is limited to four people – unless they are from a single household – with stricter regulations coming into force this Friday. The so-called ‘rule of six’ – from up to two households – also applies in Scotland; whilst pubs and restaurants remain closed in Northern Ireland (other than for takeaway and delivery services).

Addressing fans on her Instagram account, the I Will Never Let You Down singer said “Hello all, I attended a small gathering with some friends to celebrate my 30th birthday. It was a spur of the moment decision made with the misguided view that we were coming out of lockdown and this would be OK. I’m deeply sorry for breaking the rules and in turn understand that this puts people at risk. This was a serious and inexcusable error of judgment. Given the restrictions, I realise how irresponsible these actions were and I take full responsibility.”

Following the Notting Hill debacle, Ora also took to Twitter to thank fans for their steadfast backing over a rocky few days. The singer, who was this year recognised in the Spotify Awards as the Most-Streamed EDM Female Artist, posted a video of fan tributes – including from her most longstanding supporters, parents Vera and Besnik Ora.

Whilst Ora may not be feeling so hot right now, the West London songstress is not the first artist reported to have fallen foul of lockdown rules. The Daily Mirror reported that publicity-shy rapper and recent wildcard Presidential candidate Kanye West was suspected of having breached lockdown rules by attending events in London with his daughter North West last month; while drill merchant M24 defied public health restrictions by hosting a mass gathering for a Brixton-set music video in April.

Other artists have also attracted understandable ire for their approach to public health measures during the virus. Scottish vocalist Lewis Capaldi was criticised for playing a concert to 11,000 spectators in Aberdeen  just hours before Scottish lockdown rules came into force in March, with the NME reporting that the singer addressed the crowd by saying “we’ve all probably got coronavirus” during the gig. The Stereophonics were also criticised for playing a sold-out show at Cardiff’s Motorpoint Arena in the same week.

A vocal minority of British musicians have also been particularly flagrant in their disregard for the public health measures designed to stop the spread of the virus. The likes of Stone Roses frontman Ian Brown, fellow 1990s contrarian Noel Gallagher, legendary Northern Irish rock crooner Van Morrison and Italian singer Andrea Bocelli have all frustrated loyal fans with their vocal support for debunked conspiracy theories downplaying the impact of Covid-19. The NME lambasted Brown in particular for embracing ‘red pill rock‘ (aka ‘the dumbest protest genre ever’) in his critically-derided anti-lockdown track Little Seed Big Tree.

UK Chief Executive Jamie Njoku-Goodwin has welcomed the news by saying to Music Week magazine, “This is extremely welcome news and an important vote of confidence by the government in the UK music industry and our world-leading recording studios. I am delighted that ministers have recognised the huge amount of work that has gone into stringent measures to ensure that our studios are Covid-safe environments where work can and should continue.”

He continued by explaining how this benefits the music industry and the economy and says to Music Week “Studios are a key part of the ecosystem of the UK music industry that contributes £5.2 billion a year to the economy and employs 190,000 people. We are determined to continue to work with the government to keep as much of the music industry open as possible as we strive to get the whole industry back on its feet.”

Although Entertainment venues, restaurants, bars, cinemas, and non essential retail places are to shut over the month lockdown set in place from this Thursday 5th November. The body that represents UK Music were reassured that as they are, ‘Places of work’ as ‘The Evening Express‘ reports, they will continue for business.

2.

Q: Can arts venues open for rehearsals and to stream performances?

A: Yes. Arts venues are places of work, so people can come into them for work, if it cannot be undertaken from home. This includes rehearsals and performance. Audiences are not permitted.

— Oliver Dowden (@OliverDowden) November 2, 2020

Oliver Dowden, the culture secretary has confirmed that has confirmed that arts venues will remain open for rehearsals and streaming performances. Caroline Dinenage, minister of state for digital and culture commented on the subject as the ‘The Evening Express’ reports,

“Our world-renowned recording studios form the backbone of the recorded music sector, provide vital employment for musicians, engineers and producers, and make important contributions to our economy. As well as allowing artists to continue making albums, studios such as AIR Studios and Abbey Road produce soundtracks for blockbuster movies and our favourite TV series that have kept us entertained throughout the challenges of the pandemic.”

She continued by saying, “The Prime Minister has been clear that workplaces should stay open where people cannot work from home. This includes professional music recording studios, where work activity can continue in line with Covid-secure guidance.”

There is no doubt that labels, artists and all that work within the music sector will applaud this decision as the pandemic and previous lockdown have already had a huge affect on the music industry. The live music sector has been hugely affected by the restrictions, but it is important that the production of new music can continue in a safe environment.

Geoff Taylor, Chief executive of BPI, Brit Awards and Mercury Prize said as noted by UKMusic.Org, “Artists and labels will applaud this decision to keep music production open, which shows faith in the robustness of the production guidelines painstakingly developed to create a safe recording environment. This will allow for continued investment into new music, providing work for musicians and new releases for fans to enjoy.”