With the Night of Light 2020, the event industry sent a message that, given the current situation and the regulations currently in force, the lights will soon go out.

Buildings and facilities across the country were bathed in red light to demonstrate how many people and jobs depend on them, and that we cannot return to normal operations under the current regulations, nor do the emergency aid measures reflect realistic working conditions in any way... (e.g., emergency aid can only be used for operating costs, etc.)

Hope dies last...

Whether this will revive the discussions or even finally lead to an understanding between the parties is, as always, questionable, because unfortunately, many politicians still believe that enough has already been done. While many German citizens are already back to work almost normally (including taking vacations), the self-employed and artists are still condemned to a kind of "hibernation," and if we're honest (and this is often missing from crisis communication), 2020 will be a complete washout for many, if they even survive the year financially...

The #nightoflight2020 on June 22, 2020, clearly demonstrates how many people depend on the events industry, and while I don't own a venue, I still support such actions because they directly affect me. It's been exactly 101 days since I've played a single #event as a #DJ. My #business is currently in #hibernation, and I hope things will resume soon with reasonable regulations...

What will happen next...?

It's too early to say for sure. Although there are increasing relaxations of restrictions in each federal state, including regarding private celebrations and events, there's a crucial factor that many tend to forget – the CUSTOMER...

Anyone who enjoys going out to parties is currently thinking five times before deciding whether they want to subject themselves and their guests to the current regulations, and quite honestly, I wouldn't want to celebrate like this right now. All the relaxations that now apply to weddings, for example, are very open to interpretation, and the final decision regarding a wedding in a rented venue still rests with the owner. Just as an example, if they say that, for instance, the DJ, as an external service provider, can only perform while wearing a face mask for infection control reasons against their staff, then as a DJ, I have two options: either I swallow the bitter pill and work 10-12 hours wearing a mask, or I start a discussion, because the regulations in the state of Bavaria, for example, don't mandate masks at weddings. Now the first questions arise: does this only apply to the guests, or also to the staff in the venue and the external service providers brought by the bridal couple...?
This will inevitably lead to discussion, and unfortunately, there are also restaurant owners who will certainly make life extra difficult for external service providers...
( You're not coming into my house without a plexiglass screen and a face mask... )

To all those who have already started celebrating and marching through the streets shouting "It's going to continue!", I understand your optimism, BUT I'm sure that reality will vary from case to case, and after the fifth wedding held under the current regulations and guidelines, everyone will be questioning whether it really makes sense. I've also taken a closer look at the petitions submitted and created by wedding vendors, including their hygiene protocols. Many of them are wonderfully and creatively designed, but when it comes to the part of the day that involves music, fun, and dancing, I always get the feeling, "Oh man, someone's been overthinking this again who either a) never gets to that point or b) has no clue what the core of what we do as musicians, DJs, or bands is."

A small example:

One of these petitions suggested/recommended that music requests should only be submitted via WhatsApp. This would eliminate direct contact and protect against infection (COVID, still). Yeah, right – 30% of the people who come to my event want to see what music I have because they can't remember the title or artist. With around 23,000 tracks in non-COVID times, this is already annoying, and now I'm supposed to type them all in via WhatsApp...? (Great idea!) Another issue with this recommendation: okay, it's my mobile number (which is also visible on my website), but this number is still advertised for music requests during the event. And if some joker comes along a week later who still requests a song from me, even though they weren't at the event, the whole thing becomes absurd...

I would need over 100 phone numbers a year, one for each event, so that it's possible to track whether a request actually comes from a guest currently attending the event. Yeah, someone's really put some thought into this, and it's a brilliant idea. (Irony mode off, though; it's just mind-boggling...)

It's nice that people are thinking about this, but it's often forgotten that the customer, the guest, is uncertain and currently reluctant to celebrate under the current restrictions. Sure, there are weddings happening again in July, but in a setting where music, dancing, and parties have been ruled out from the start. And if they do take place, I think it will be more like a tea dance at a retirement home than a lively party for the best day of one's life...

We'll see how it develops, and of course, all of this is affecting me too. There are many things that annoy me day in and day out, especially when yet another supposedly brilliant idea is pushed through the information channels. The only thing I've realized in the 102 days since I last played is:
Freelancers and artists are neither considered essential workers in this country, nor are they valued as an economic pillar of society, yet those who cry out loudest for aid are always the ones who don't actually need it. I'll leave aside the self-promotion of some for now, because one can draw attention to grievances and the current situation without prominently promoting oneself on every social media channel, in actions where we should all be equal, because we're all in the same boat...