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The Effect of Covid-19 and H1N1 Swine Flu on Cultural Industries
Introduction
The COVID-19 outbreak has brought the entire world to a standstill in a matter of mere months. The new virus has negatively affected the major economic sectors. Those of them that rely on travel and gatherings of people such as tourism and entertainment have arguably been hurt the most. Tourism and entertainment industries felt the ramifications of the looming pandemic even before the World Health Organization (WHO) gave the outbreak that status. Customers were growing concerned, fearful, and discouraged from traveling and attending cultural events, hearing the news, and learning about the speed with which the virus was swaying the planet. Once the WHO announced the pandemic, country governments proceeded with putting legal hurdles to travel and organizing events, further straining the sectors. Covid-19 is not the first global outbreak of disease: the most recent pandemic caused by H1N1 swine flu was also detrimental to the global economy. This paper discusses the effect of Covid-19 and H1N1 Swine flu on cultural industries with a focus on Jamaica.
Tourism Industry
Tourism is a social, economical, and cultural phenomenon that implies the movement of people outside of their usual environment, often with the purpose of cultural education and enrichment. As a sector, it heavily relies on person-to-person interactions, which is why crises that go beyond the borders of one country compromise its integrity and survivability. So far, the COVID outbreak has caused lockdowns of entire cities and countries and travel restrictions at the national level. The United Nations World Tourism Organization (2020) reports that by 2019, the sector had come to represent one-third of the worlds exports of services with the revenue amounting to as much asUS$1.5 trillion. In developing countries, the share was even larger: half of the total export of services. The first quartile of 2020 saw a 22% global decline in the number of tourist arrivals, with Asia and the Pacific region experiencing the worst consequences.
Jamaica is the third-largest tourist destination in the Caribbean. In 2019, the country saw 2.7 million tourist arrivals, which denoted an 8.6% increase from the last year. In Jamaica, the Covid-19 outbreak has been especially disruptive to the tourism sector. The pandemic took a toll on employment in the country: as reported by Loop News (2020), out of 170,000 Jamaicans employed in the tourism sector, only 17,000 secured their jobs. Recently, Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett announced that as the situation is improving, the country is getting ready to reopen (Karantzavelou, 2020). Bartlett emphasized that for now there is no going back to how the sector operated before: it will have to become accustomed to the new normal.
The Covid-19 outbreak in Jamaica is found to be more deadly than the 2009 H1N1 swine flu outbreak. Now, it is challenging to assess the exact impact of the H1N1 pandemic on the Jamaican tourism industry back in 2009. However, as reported by Myers (2009), the Caribbean might have benefitted from the swine flu havoc in Mexico. Many North American tourists were choosing to rebook their trips to the safer Caribbean region as they did not want to miss out on vacations altogether.
Music Industry
The music industry has been hit hard by the Covid-19 outbreak. Hall (2020) estimates that the six-month shutdown will translate into $10 billion losses in sponsorships globally. As of 2020, the global music industry is worth more than $50 billion. A similar critical situation was observed amidst the H1N1 crisis in 2009. As reported by Landau (2009), canceling live tours around the world translated into significant losses for the music industry.
There are two primary income streams live music and recorded music, each of which accounts for approximately half of the total revenue. Since music events are prohibited during the quarantine, 50% of the income is jeopardized. When it comes to recorded music, the situation is not exactly easy either. While listeners continue buying music recorded before the quarantine, making an extra profit by launching new hit songs is complicated. Writing and recording music, let alone shooting a music video, often requires a gathering of people, which is a health threat.
For this reason, many artists are announcing delays in their releases, rescheduling them for later this year or even for 2021. Surely, digital releases have the potential to generate at least some revenue. However, the main promotion tool for music artists is touring, which is impossible in todays reality. On top of that, a quarter of media brands are reducing their advertising budgets. At the same time, the music industry has found its rebound in online streaming. According to Hall (2020), online subscription revenues have increased by 70%. The number of online users paying for music subscriptions has seen a 54% surge as compared to a year ago. Apparently, listeners are changing their music consumption behaviors during the quarantine. In the absence of other forms of entertainment, discovering new music becomes an attractive option.
Jamaica has a rich music tradition: the country is the cradle of world-famous music genres such as ska, mento, Kumina, reggae, dancehall, and many more. Haughton (2017) opines that while it is uncertain how big Jamaican musics share is on the global market, it certainly deserves more. The author explains that while Jamaican artists have the drive and originality needed to prosper internationally, they do not keep up with customers demands. As of now, the majority of music is distributed online, and if musicians and music brands do not know how to make use of digital platforms, they are bound to fail. This is especially true in the time of the pandemic when a lot of people prefer to stream music. Campbell (2020) writes that the Jamaican music industry will be further exacerbated by the cancellation of events such as Summer Jam in Germany and Rototom in Spain. According to the experts evaluation, it will take the Jamaican music industry over a year to fully recover.
TV and Cinema Industry
The Covid-19 pandemic is a challenging time for the global TV and cinema industry. Movie production spaces are getting closed and movie talent, be it, people, in front or behind the camera, quarantined. Whiting (2020) reports that in May, it was estimated that the global cinema and TV revenues fell by almost $17 billion. The release dates of major films and TV series are being pushed back a situation that is similar to what is unfolding in the music industry. Like in the music industry, the main losses stem from the shutdown of venues such as movie theaters and the inability to produce new movies and shows.
H1N1 was also a dreadful era in the history of cinematography, and yet, the sector has since bounced back and is likely to recover again after the Covid-19 pandemic. As of now, the TV and cinema industry is finding new ways to accommodate the new challenges. Some studios resume production with extra hygiene precautions in place. Others put an emphasis on digital and virtual production, which minimizes person-to-person interaction. Interestingly enough, the pandemic is already serving as an inspiration to movies and series that revolve around survivalist and apocalyptic themes (Atkinson & Kennedy, 2020). For Jamaica, however, the Covid-19 pandemic is mostly bad news. In 2018 and 2019, the TV and cinema industry on the island was on the rise (Pate, 2020). In early 2020, it was announced that the Screen Fund initiative would be funding independent producers projects on a merit basis (Pate, 2020). Now that the pandemic is wreaking havoc on the country, the previous success might be compromised.
Conclusion
The Covid-19 outbreak is a global disaster on an unprecedented scale. Cultural industries, including tourism, music, and cinema, are bearing enormous losses with only a faint hope of soon recovery in sight. The third most popular destination in the Caribbean, Jamaica is suffering from cuts in revenue and a surge in the unemployment rate. The music industry is taking a hit as well: it was weakened by low digital penetration, to begin with. Now when many people switch to online streaming, Jamaican music might lose its edge over other genres. Lastly, the cinema industry is also feeling the ramifications of the crisis, which is concerning especially after the sudden rise of Jamaican cinema in 2018 and 2019.
References
Atkinson, S. & Kennedy, H.W. (2020). How the movie industry is fighting lockdown. The Conversation.
Campbell, H. (2020). Copeland Forbes on COVID-19s impact on the reggae music industry. South Florida Caribbean News.
Hall, S. (2020). This is how COVID-19 is affecting the music industry. World Economic Forum.
Haughton, A. (2017). Music industry grossed US$16 billion globally in 2016& And Jamaica got? Web.
Karantzavelou, V. (2020). Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett to make Jamaicas tourism sector COVID secure. Travel Daily News.
Landau, E. (2009). Making music out of swine flu. CNN.
Loop News. (2020). 17,000 of Jamaicas 170,000 tourism workers still employed- Bartlett. Loop Jamaica. Web.
Myers, M.G. (2009). As swine flu fears pummel Mexico tourism, Caribbean ports, hotels benefit. Travel Weekly. Web.
Pate, D. (2020). Big boost coming for Jamaicas film industry with soon to be launched screen fund. Jamaica Observer. Web.
The United Nations World Tourism Organization. International tourist numbers could fall 60-80% in 2020. Web.
Whiting, K. (2020). This is how coronavirus has changed the film and TV industry. World Economic Forum. Web.
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