From the arrival of streaming, to Brexit, to the cost of living crisis, to having the rug pulled from under their feet by a global pandemic, it’s a fact that most independent musicians are finding it increasingly difficult to earn a living. Of course, it’s always tough at the commencement of any artistic journey, but there’s one thing that remains a constant — the need for those of us who believe music is a living, vital art form to support emerging artists.
Live music has always been an important source of mass entertainment and clearly the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Madonna and The Rolling Stones will continue to sell tickets at outrageous prices for the rest of their lives, even if the quality of their performance nosedives. I don’t worry about them, they will survive, but how many promising emerging artists have become disillusioned due to lack of opportunities or quit because they can’t afford to carry on?
The nostalgia industry is powerful, and continued investment in ‘heritage’ bands/solo artists means young people are being squeezed out when they should be lifted-up. Those of us at the grassroots are doing our best to encourage and motivate young musicians, but we depend on the wider community to come out and support our efforts. This, in turn helps to create a vibrant and diverse music landscape and provides a platform for a new generation of musicians to showcase their work.
I guess that’s a roundabout way of saying we have two outstanding up-and-coming musicians coming to Claypath Deli in Durham City at 7pm on Saturday 21st of October FRITILLARIES + MAIUS MOLLIS. Tickets are £10/£8 concessions and are available from wegottickets.com/DownByTheRiver
DownByTheRiver 