German thrash act Destruction, like every other band on the planet, is hurting financially thanks to the cancellation of tours. Unlike some countries, Destruction is getting actual and ongoing help from their government.
Vocalist Marcel "Schmier" Schirmer tells Scars and Guitars that Destruction is considered a business in Germany and is eligible for financial help. He also adds that the German government has dropped some of their usual bureaucratic red tape to move the process of getting help along quickly.
"We've been really scared to death when all of the shows got canceled, because we basically make our money with live shows. Nowadays, when physical sales are down and people are streaming, there's not enough money coming in from an album, so we have to play live. Luckily, the German government [has been offering] some help with small businesses. As Destruction is a company, we got emergency help. [The process has been] quick and less bureaucratical than normal in Germany, because it's a very bureaucratic country here — everything takes time, and a lot of applications that you have to fill out. But this was actually quite fast, like they promised everybody, and I think that really helps us at this moment now to survive."
"Now that everything's loosening up, it looks like there's gonna be concerts happening this year. We have canceled everything till November. So November-December hopefully is gonna happen. Before this, I don't know. So we don't know yet how we're gonna get through this, because nobody has big savings here; we're a rock and roll band — we spend our money, and we don't earn that much. But so far, I'm not looking into a total crash, but, of course, it's a little threatening at the moment. But I'm trying to stay positive. We're a band, and we have also, luckily, other incomes that come in here and there — merchandise and streaming [statements] are coming in every couple of months. So this whole thing will keep us alive until we can play again. It won't be easy, but I'm actually happy to say that my government helped us at this point, and therefore Germany has done a lot of good [for smaller businesses]. They're trying to help the people — as good as they can, of course. I mean, you're paying also a lot of taxes here, so finally it's time for the government to pay it back. It's how the system should work."
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