Grassroots: How the music industry is adapting
Venues, artists and their recovery in the 'new normal'
Live music as we once knew it reached a pinnacle before the pandemic, only for an erratic three years to follow: a crackle through headphones. 2019 was a hugely successful year for the music industry worldwide, in which 22% of revenue was derived from live music, contributing £1.3 billion to the UK economy. Live music, as we knew it before, was a source of joy and livelihood for many people.
COVID impacted the music industry to the point of crisis in 2020
An interconnected network of performers, venues, promoters and others struggled to find an audience in a succession of lockdowns. Songwriters and music publishers lost a vital source of income from live performance. The inevitable closure of venues: bars, nightclubs, concert halls etc, led to a predicted loss last year that by 2021, the music industry would see a loss of 85% from live performance revenue.
Music by Numbers, a 2020 report by UK Music, concluded the overall loss of music creatives’ income as 80%. Many music industry professionals are self-employed, and many struggled to receive the required financial support from government furlough schemes.
90% of grassroots music venues on the brink of closure
According to the Unlocked Youth Music Report, an estimated 30 - 50% of the live music workforce faced unemployment in 2020.
Despite worldwide change and upheaval, music consumption is currently higher than it has been since 2006, albeit this is mostly through streaming revenue. A fluctuating landscape has brought a necessity for new solutions for the industry’s survival.
The live music sector encompasses the life blood of music venues
From production services to ticket agency, social distancing had its physical and financial impact on events, and travel restrictions took their toll on touring. Grassroots venues, i.e. non-commercial music venues, were among the worst affected. The UK Government launched the Culture Recovery Fund to provide support, however this was not sufficient to ensure future survival. In 2021, an overwhelming number of artists have turned to streaming platforms (e.g. bandcamp.com) to continue attracting audiences.
For a year, UK Music has pressed the Government to back an insurance scheme for the live music industry. Read the response from our Chief Executive @jnjokugoodwin to the announcement from @RishiSunak & @oliverdowdenhttps://t.co/syx4dG2NES
— UK Music (@UK_Music) August 8, 2021
What space does this leave the music industry of the future to grow?
In 2021, silver linings are emerging. Grassroots venues and artists have been active in their networks to ensure industry growth through the cracks. Mark Davyd, CEO of the Music Venue Trust, refers to a network of music professionals as an 'ecosystem'. MVT are due to host Venues Day 2021 on October 5thto raise support for the grassroots music venue community. Mark Davyd said:
“We have relationships with venues in North America, Canada, South America, Japan, Australia, Africa through Europe. It's going to be a big online day where venues from around the world get to talk to each other, and we were looking for what the shared challenges or opportunities that they have are”.
Source: https://www.statista.com/chart/23222/change-in-uk-arts-sector-revenue-pandemic/
Source: https://www.statista.com/chart/23222/change-in-uk-arts-sector-revenue-pandemic/
Source: https://www.ukmusic.org/research-reports/music-by-numbers-2020/
Source: https://www.ukmusic.org/research-reports/music-by-numbers-2020/
The Ecosystem of Grassroots Venues
“The analogy we use is the pyramid. All the recording, all of the streaming, all the publishing is built on a base of a pyramid. So at the top of that pyramid right now, you've got Ed Sheeran releasing multi platinum albums. But for Ed Sheeran to get to the top of that pyramid, he played three hundred and sixty six shows at [grassroots] level. If you remove 35% of the base of the pyramid, it will topple over"
Music venues’ strain had a domino effect throughout the industry, impacting the income of artists, agents and promoters, although venue and live music performance does not constitute 100% of an artist's career.
“We're pleased to be back open. But the ripple impacts of how it affected individual professions within our ecosystem, we don't know the answer yet,” Mark Davyd said.
35% of all grassroots music venues closed down in the UK in the last 15 years
90 percent of UK venues are now reopen at full capacity or running high-capacity gigs. What we do not have a measure of yet is how the direct impact on venues, a complete loss of income for artists and ongoing costs will play out for the rest of our ecosystem.
London-based emerging artists: a selection
Grassroots Venues: their post-lockdown journey
Proud moment for the shop, as we get on The Times’ list of the 10 best record shops in the UK….#recordshop #londonrecordshop pic.twitter.com/QQ1v45g3YP
— Book and Record Bar (@BooknRecordBar) August 7, 2021
Here’s some exciting news… Hop over to https://t.co/irJu4X9eoB and search for ‘the orb’ for tickets… Limited numbers and selling fast#theorb pic.twitter.com/C01ZGmbY7m
— Book and Record Bar (@BooknRecordBar) August 4, 2021
Photo Credit: Book and Record Bar
Photo Credit: Book and Record Bar
Book and Record Bar, London
Michael Johnson, owner of Book and Record Bar, knew that this was something he wanted to do for a long time. “I ran another business for 20 years or more, which allowed me to travel around quite a lot," Michael Johnson said. The business found themselves in a unique position of having to deal with the impact of COVID on vintage and second-hand music.
"In doing that, I was always buying books and records from markets, boot fairs, record shops, wherever I could find them." Book and Record Bar sell vintage books and records; they also raise revenue through DJ nights, and up to a third of their revenue was derived from parties before the pandemic.
"Thanks to Brexit and the changes came in the first of July, means that our sales to Europe have plummeted," Michael Johnson said. "We hire out for private events to cover the losses of what was supporting us in online sales."
606 Club, London
Steve Rubie has owned the 606 club in Chelsea since 1976. The venue prides itself on being one of the biggest employers of jazz musicians in the UK. During the pandemic, 606 was closed for a period of 12 - 14 months, leading the venue to turn to their own live streaming revenue: a move which has opened doors internationally.
“We're thinking more of a worldwide focus. Streams specifically to focus on that platform around the world, and I think that's probably something that people will be looking for,” Steve Rubie said.
“People are starting to realise there's strength in numbers, in sharing experiences. That's part of how it's going to work.”
Steve Rubie and 606 now stream live music from their venue two or three times a week.
Under The Bridge, London
When everything came to a halt for Alan Tenenbaum at Under The Bridge, he kept the conversation about live music going. The venue chose to live-stream music from their homes.
We've had a load of Jazz in #jazz pic.twitter.com/E4wgcLBNyJ
— Book and Record Bar (@BooknRecordBar) July 20, 2020
“We were doing a live stream called Raving and Misbehaving, like a family themed rave. We also collaborate with the local music school in Fulham, they're called BIMM. We streamed a series called ‘From BIMM to the Bridge’ , sessions with students performing covers for live material," Alan Tenenbaum said.
“You could see the sheer joy that the artists were experiencing on stage; the exuberance from the crowd singing along and dancing. It was a really good, positive vibe"
#aboutlastnight 👏👏👏 https://t.co/I0P97oV3CJ
— Under the Bridge (@UTBlondon) July 29, 2021
Optimism for the future of live music?
For Under The Bridge and other grassroots music venues, there is a silver lining to venues opening. “There's a lot of excitement,” Alan Tenenbaum said. “Some people refer to this period or what's to come as our our version of the roaring 20s. But I think on the other side, there's still some shaky ground, particularly for artists.”
Photo Credit: Tiffany, Concrete Jungyals
Photo Credit: Tiffany, Concrete Jungyals
Photo Credit: Sasha, Concrete Jungyals
Photo Credit: Sasha, Concrete Jungyals
Photo Credit: Concrete Jungyals
Photo Credit: Concrete Jungyals
BAME groups were represented within all music industry professions at a record 30.6% in 2020, most of whom were aged between 16 - 24
However, BAME and other ethnic minority groups are also the least represented at senior industry levels. At the grassroots, artists and music professionals from minority groups thus continue to strive for solutions.
Concrete Jungyals are a BAME all-female music business entrepreneur group from Bristol, established by twin sisters Tiffany and Sasha Sefuke in 2017. The trio (alongside with third member Emmy) work independently and together as artists, promoters and music business entrepreneurs. They work to tackle prejudice and discrimination against women, ethnic minorities and non-binary members of the music industry, helping them to develop their careers.
“We wanted a safe space where we can all like music and creative skills without prejudice, able to share and network with each other"
Concrete Jungyals' incentives to create free, safe spaces for grassroots music flourished, with empowerment that came with supporting others in their position. “I was supporting women and people of colour. People who may not have had the opportunity to have a platform or feel comfortable enough to go out and do it themselves,” Tiffany Sisuke said.
“I guess I've always had a keen interest in music and my parents were a great influence on me growing up. I would spend time listening to MTV bass and chat with my dad and dance to R&B and Soul.”
Sasha added: “In it's nice that we get to know the people who are running the business and they feel like they can support us because when they actually know who they are supporting." The group host a radio chat show and feature work on foundation.fm. While the future of the music industry may be uncertain, the strength and determination of grassroots artists to adapt shines through.
London-based Jazz and R&B artist Verushka is due to release her second album in September.
In her opinion, things have definitely improved for the industry, despite music professionals having to keep on their toes amid new and continual changes.
“I tried to keep writing music and sharing content over the the winter but it felt quite forced. Things feel much better now: there’s a nice atmosphere among musicians and the scene; people are grateful to be able to play together again and keep doing what they love.”
Verushka has a message to aspiring young artists navigating their careers to practice their craft and performing live. "I think it’s really important to work with and surround yourself with supportive people who believe in what you’re doing and be part of your journey, because being an artist can be really lonely and challenging. Try to enjoy each step you take and celebrate even the smallest of achievements."
Skelecta
Electronic producer; Garage, Grime & Bass DJ, London
Skelecta, 26, got into music from a young age, inheriting his Dad's 'big love of music'. His interest in playing musical instruments evolved into MC'ing on the estate he grew up in and at youth clubs, where he could experiment with decks and begin to DJ.
"Covid did put a big spanner in the works for things. I had UK shows, festivals and oversea tours cancelled, which killed a lot of my drive and creativity. I found it hard to stay active on socials, make jokes and engage with my audience too because I wasn't in the right place. My head has to be right what I'm doing feels authentic; if it doesn't feel authentic I never want to put it out there."
For any young artists wanting to forge careers in the industry, Skelecta has advice: "Just go for it! In this new age of social media and fast reach there is no better time to start. There's a lot more clarity on the future of clubs right now and everyone who's been locked away want to hear new music."
Grassroots venues and artists have always sustained the life blood of the industry, the state of its recovery is recognisable by its strength in networks. In the aftermath of COVID, the shoots are beginning to show through the cracks. What's left to grow will shape genre, how music is made and consumed and how it is listened to in the future.
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