NO one could dispute that it's been a tough 12 months for the performing arts industry, with gigs, tours, businesses and livelihoods lost to the COVID-19 pandemic.

But while many industries are largely back up and running nearly a year after Australia was first locked down, the music industry is still crippled – live music alone is operating at less than 4 per cent of its level this time last year, and there hasn't been a festival run at full capacity or a national tour undertaken by an Australian artist since last March.

Pressure has been building in recent weeks.

With JobKeeper and the coronavirus supplement to JobSeeker both set to wrap up at the end of March, many in the music industry are still struggling to make ends meet.

More than 3500 musicians, artists and music industry workers this month signed an open letter to the Australian Government calling for government support or an industry-specific rescue package in the face of the "continuing devastation" wrought by successive lockdowns and restrictions.

"We are an industry in crisis," the open letter says.

"We can't afford to lose the skills and businesses of our industry. The result for Australian music and live entertainment would be catastrophic."

Mildura musician Iwan Soebardi was among those who signed the petition, which he said was "a no-brainer".

"We're going to lose so many talented people to other jobs because they need just to put bread on the table," Mr Soebardi said.

"There'll be no drive for them to write music or to play, because they just want to feed their family and themselves. The long-term culture is going to be affected if there's no government support.

"That to me is a big loss."

And the concern of people leaving the arts industry isn't an empty threat.

Last week, a Victorian Music Development Office and RMIT University study found well over half the people working in the Victorian music sector were considering leaving the industry.

The survey, Understanding Challenges to the Victorian Music Industry During COVID-19, also found 57 per cent of respondents were worried about paying for basics like food or rent and 44 per cent had lost all their music-related work during the pandemic.

The number of people in full-time employment had dropped from 34 per cent to just 7 per cent.

Soebardi and his wife Andrea were among those who lost out when the pandemic hit, leading them to seriously consider a career change.

"We thought about it – my wife, especially, thought about it," he said.

"She kind of panicked and went straight for looking for courses to get other qualifications and sent job applications, even to the supermarket.

"People think because we're not high-profile musicians, that it's just a weekend warrior kind of pursuit, and that it's just a hobby, so it's nothing to be worried about. But for Andrea and I it's full-time."

The couple leant on government support and music teaching to get by, along with Mildura Arts Centre (MAC) online events.

"We did three (MAC events), all last year, and that was the only gig we had," Soebardi said.

"It didn't pay that much, but that didn't matter – at least we had an outlet to play."

But Mildura Entertainment promoter David Storer wasn't as lucky.

Although he's been able to cling to his business – just – he did have to leave the industry at the height of the pandemic.

"I left it for three or four months and drove a semi-trailer last year," Mr Storer said.

"I had to – it's no different to a lot of industries; if we can't operate we've got to try and make a living some other way.

"I've been on JobKeeper myself through Mildura Entertainment – everything I do is music-related, that's why I went and did something else while I could."

But this year he's back on board and hoping he can help some performers back onstage.

"We're taking a lot of risks," he said.

"A lot of people just said, 'Forget 2021, don't even put concerts on' but we're taking a punt and doing it.

"It's been really tough to promote things and then have to start all over again. The bands are all excited to be playing because some of these bands haven't played an event like this since … March last year."

But both Mr Storer and Soebardi are worried about the potential for future lockdown measures.

"In one week, we can lose hundreds of dollars with a snap lockdown," Soebardi said.

"People don't really appreciate that … not everybody has a wage-earning job and will still get paid during the lockdown. In our case, as soon as there's a lockdown our income's gone for that week."

Mr Storer said performers like the Soebardis were a prime example of why JobKeeper should be extended or a similar program implemented to cover musicians.

"A lot of people in the music industry that play music – I'm talking about the guys who play solo down the pub on a Friday night and in a mall on Saturday – they do that for a living," he said.

"Those that aren't fully employed by someone else should get JobKeeper."

But Soebardi said it's not just performers that are set to lose out come the end of March.

Without a lifeline, he's worried people will fall through the cracks.

"JobKeeper is definitely a lifeline and parachute, not just for musicians, but everybody," he said.

"We're not the only ones that are going to suffer."