With the vast majority of events in 2020 cancelled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, cover bands and entertainment providers have been hit hard.
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While some artists have been able to use this extended period of downtime to write and record new music, most cover bands have had to sit on their hands.
Richard Kornas, who is a member of a number of Ballarat cover bands, said it's been a difficult six months, both financially and creatively.
"While it's not my primary source of income, it's still a part of my income," he said.
"Having that taken away has had a huge impact... we've got two kids, we rely on that income.
"But what really hurts is that it's just not a financial impact, this is what we love to do. We perform because we love it... that outlet has been taken away.
"Just to help scratch the itch we performed a driveway gig for our neighbours."
Mr Kornas said at the start of 2020 things were shaping up to be one of his busiest years to date, however the pandemic changed all of that.
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"This year was shaping up to be fantastic... At the start of the year, we had already been booked for about three-quarters of the year," he continued.
"Deb balls, pub gigs, birthdays, events, it was shaping up to be a bumper year. Unfortunately with the pandemic, that all ended, all that income disappeared."
Ballarat Entertainment Services director Matt Baird said he has had a similar experience to Mr Kornas, with his company forced to wait until things return to normal.
"All facets of the business have basically shut down," he said.
"I don't want to complain because everyone is in the same boat but in saying that, it's been devastating for our industry."
Mr Baird's business facilitates entertainers as contractors to events around the region, however due to the pandemic most of the communication between him and the artists he would usually use has ceased.
"There hasn't been much dialog during this time between us and our musicians. Individually a lot of our artists have been staying ready and honing their craft so that when the time comes to get back moving, they can do that."
While 2020 has been tremendously difficult for his business, Mr Baird is projecting a huge bounce back year in 2021 if restrictions continue to ease.
"In terms of the long term outlook, we're staying positive," he continued.
"2021 is going to be a huge year for entertainment and hospitality... There'll be double the amount of events, every company is going to want to do something for their employees. I think we're in a really good position to bounce back in a strong way."
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