The Dark Side of Business: An Interview with Scott Ian Lewis of Carnifex

Scott Ian Lewis on the dangerous state of live music, comics, and Necromanteum

According to the International Labor Organization (ILO), there are over 450 million people who currently want a job, but are unable to get one. Many of these people lost their jobs in the pandemic, as businesses had to shut down, and incomes decreased. While this crisis was particularly damaging for those living in low-income nations, the so-called “First world” was not spared this disaster. Indeed, around 9.6 million people lost their jobs in the US, while about 2.7 million did so in the European Union.

In this period in which face-to-face interactions had to be kept to a minimum, the entertainment industry and, in particular, the concert industry, were especially affected. According to one calculation, in 2020 alone the global concert industry suffered an estimated 30 billion dollars in lost revenue. And that’s without taking into consideration the ancillary industries, like caterers, security personnel, and others.

As the pandemic disrupted their ability to make ends meet, some musicians used their platforms to bring attention to their plight. That was the case of Scott Ian Lewis, singer and founder of Carnifex, who already in April of 2020 was voicing his frustration.