'We need help too' DJs plea to Stormont as funding plan is revealed
Last updated 24th Nov 2020
Full-time DJs from across Northern Ireland are urging Stormont not to forget about them when carving up the covid support funding
Many of them have not been able to work since March after venues were not permitted to stage events because of the pandemic
These include Belfast-based DJ Tez.
He said they all understand fully the current health crisis and why they cannot work at the moment.
However, he said they had still not had an indicative date to return and, in the meantime, many are struggling to make ends meet.
Now as part of a new collective ‘Help Our DJs’ he said they were reaching out to the politicians to help them.
“We are working tirelessly to raise awareness about the forgotten sector,” he told Downtown Radio & Cool FM.
“We haven’t worked since March so this is the problem.
“Eight months on and still no date for a return to work – these are very much real jobs.
“There are guys in this group that provide concerts in the SSE Arena – you have to take these things into consideration.
“There are 7,500 people attending concerts, say, that’s 7,500 taking a taxi home, buying a pint that night etc.
“For the economy it is huge – and we are the draw.”
He said to date they have not been able to avail of any significant help because they do not seem to fall easily into any category.
DJ Tez said that needed to change so they could restore their livelihoods.
And he said they now needed Stormont to come up with a plan and quickly.
“We don’t have a lot of options at the moment because we don’t have a date for re-opening,” he said.
“So what we want really now from the Government is a long-term plan – a strategy to try and get us back on our feet.”