In early September, a famous singer Olga Polyakova and dozens of other stars of the Ukrainian stage went to the Cabinet of Ministers for a protest action with requirements to regulate the activities of artists during the quarantine period. They demanded that the authorities prevent the complete collapse of the industry, engage in a dialogue with representatives of the sector and jointly create a plan to get out of the crisis.
Representatives of the show business sphere were outraged by selective restrictive measures from the government, which, according to them, put some concert organizers in a more privileged position compared to others. Therefore, they called on the authorities to provide all representatives of the music industry with equal rights and opportunities.
The information and analytical agency "ElitExpert" spoke with Andrey Malyutin - a musician, manager of the MRK group (a parallel project of the vocalist of the Green Gray group - Murik) and singer VIKA MIROVA. He attended all protest events and is an active participant in all initiatives related to the restoration of full-fledged show business activities. And it seems that the artists were heard in Kyiv. In the first reading, the Verkhovna Rada voted to lower VAT rates for theater, opera, musical performances and a number of other services in the sphere of culture and tourism.
Presenting the draft law, Culture Minister Oleksandr Tkachenko noted that this bill offers tax benefits in the sphere of culture, tourism and creative industries. By the way, of course, the coronavirus restrictions are still in place.
— The point is that, after a long time, specifics have finally appeared — clear working conditions for artists. But it is even more important that these specifics, these rules of the game are observed for a long time. That is, so that the artists who planned their tours and tours for March-April could postpone them to autumn. True, there were optimists who postponed the events to the summer, but I consider this a complete failure of the management of these artists. In the fall, we had a situation where concert activities were canceled, but at the same time, we all saw how the Days of Cities in Ukraine are celebrated without observing quarantine norms. Yes, and many entertainment establishments around the country continue to work, although they were also prohibited - it is worth going to Arcadia in Odessa or to the top establishments of the Dnipro.
Now we have received at least some reaction from the state. Did the numerous appeals up to the rallies that have arisen recently affect this? Yes, definitely. We were with Olya Polyakova at the event, and I know what I'm talking about. Two options remain: either they will prohibit everyone from working and harshly punish violators, or those whose tours are now interrupted will be more active and express their "fe" more publicly, as they say. I am sure that the officials are not ready for either the first or the second option now, — Andrey Malyutyn is confident.
In general, show business is grateful to the authorities, but points to points not taken into account by law. Among them is the impossibility of securing loans and fully completing calendar events.
— The rules are accepted, but I can't say they are perfect. Moreover, both for the viewer and for the organizers and artists. "The chess order, a certain number of people per square meter, will actually result in an increase in ticket prices and a decrease in fees for artists, and accordingly, in a decrease in the profits of the organizers. At the same time, the more famous the artist, the more he spends on his team: musicians, lighting, sound, ballet, etc. But, again, show business will adapt to these rules in any case. The main thing is that they are not changed a hundred times a day. Otherwise, there will be a "showmaidan", Malyutin said.
