21/08/2024
How much do we value our artists? This story highlights the slippery slope our beloved music industry is sliding down. We are rightly proud in the UK of our music heritage - a sovereign creative sector that has influenced the world. But we're losing it.
The business model that supported new music recording has been entirely democratised by streaming services - now more than ever, musicians can write, produce, record and release music for comparatively low investment and without a contract in sight. All good?
Well, no, because there is no revenue model - you simply cannot make enough money to live on through streaming services. It's unsustainable.
Big labels are interested in highly controllable 'acts' that return guaranteed margins across various media platforms. That's their business model.
For independent artists it's far more difficult. My sons are musicians, and my wife and I have massively enjoyed getting out and about in the Bristol live music scene watching them and meeting their incredibly talented community.
But if new music creators can't make money from recording and releasing their music, where can they?
Live music? Venues seldom pay bands even enough to cover the expense of fuel to get them to the gig. It does ramp up, but very, very gradually.
Touring? Bands need to invest huge time and money to get around the UK by whatever means they can to build their base. That's always been the way, but the associated costs of fuel, transport, accommodation, food etc have increased dramatically, while the fees haven't.
Merchandise? Bands can make some money for themselves, after making the initial investment of course. But that's all a bit topsy turvy isn't it?
On a trip to Liverpool in April, my wife and I were enjoying the atmosphere of Mathew Street - famous for its cellar bars, including The Cavern Club. However, we went in three bars and each had on stage a young white male playing an endless medley of (largely the same) cover songs on an acoustic guitar. In an alleyway world famous for giving birth to new music, today it celebrates homogeny.
What's the upshot? A handful of billionaire uberstars; recycling of old music (and legacy stars) on ubertours; cookie-cutter pop stars with cookie-cutter music; 'tribute' bands dominating the live scene; and the only original bands or artists that do make it big being middle class white kids.
That's not to say some labels aren't trying - but bands are traditionally 'discovered' playing gigs. If they can't afford to play gigs, or their habitat is no longer there, or they find it easier to make a living dressing up as Kurt Cobain and playing Nirvana songs, there's nothing to discover.
We need to make a choice. If you think 'music these days is rubbish', that's not the artists' fault. It's ours. Supporting new music is huge fun, cheaper than you'd imagine and easy. We've just got to make the effort.
'The financial strain on touring has become too much.'
