The following MBW columnist comes from Eamonn Forde (pictured), a London-based music journalist, and author of The Last Days of EMI: Selling Pigs. His new book, Leaving the building: The energetic afterlife of the music zonesNow available through Omnibus Press.
The live music business went bankrupt. And it was badly damaged from many angles.
The pandemic has exposed just how fragile it all is, with most behavior’s primary means of monetization suddenly shutting down for a long time.
It’s still not quite back to normal, with promoters talking about a patchwork approach to the European tour at the start of the year as various markets emerge from Covid restrictions at paces. difference. Drawing tours around this has become both an administrative quagmire and a high-risk financial bet.
Then there are the myriad of post-Brexit issues facing British actions while touring mainland Europe.
Facility locations that have somehow survived both the pandemic and the growing threat of being turned into apartments or dining bars are now facing a growing energy crisis. risk rendering them commercially inoperable.
All of these were major problems that no one could have foreseen but united everyone trying to fix things that could, with a good wind behind it, bring live music back to normal.
The live music business has fallen victim to too many dire circumstances. A series of intense body blows in a row, each stronger than the last.
But there are many other reasons that live music is disrupted, and these reasons, directly or indirectly, affect the live music business itself.
The race back to live streaming was fast and was deemed necessary because the actions missed the connection with the audience as they missed the revenue from the gig. When everything was dry during the pandemic, most acts did not earn much (if any) and the life, which they could once count on, was taken from them.
In times of pandemic, one thing that’s stretched faster than usual is the wheel of social media, but the more the algorithm is powered, the more it needs to be powered. If it is starved of “content” then it will be like a raving teenager, forgetting about you. You will be generated by the machine.
The same “attention economy” issue is said to be live, so the race is on to get things, literally, back on the road.
Behaviors now feel forced to bow to the audience’s algorithm: if you’re not actively touring, there’s an underlying fear that: a) you’ll be forgotten; b) some other action that will steal your audience; c) both.
However, within this range is the risk of oversaturation, so touring too much will drive fans away. After all, ubiquity breeds indifference.
There’s a sense of making up for lost time earlier this year, but the current live music overload is making things difficult. For some, the intensity of touring – and the immense pressure on them to “come back to live” for both themselves and the business in general – is proving too much.
Acts of all sizes are canceling or postponing performances when things start to prove too much for them.
Arlo Park canceled a US tour saying “I’m broken” after “training myself to the bone”.
This announcement came just a few days later Sam Fender has canceled a bunch of shows and festivals to take care of your mental health. “Me and the boys are exhausted and we need this time,” he said above Instagram.
That’s its turn just a few weeks later Justin Bieber canceled a lot of concerts It is expected to take place in March next year. “I need to prioritize my health right now,” he said.
These are just behaviors that have gone public with their concerns. Behind the painted smiles, many other actions are hoping that somehow all will be well, eyes bulging with panic.
A person who leaves an impression with live music very quickly moves from a wheel that lifts artists to a wheel that levels them. The paradox of life is that it is squeezing the lives of musicians themselves. Live = die.
Even for ready-to-go and tourable acts, the economics of the business simply don’t add up.
Collective animals recently announced that they will have to cancel their upcoming UK and Europe tour as playing these shows is “unsustainable”.
“From inflation, to currency devaluation, to rising transportation and shipping costs, and more, we simply couldn’t budget for this tour without losing money. even if everything goes as well as possible,” they said in the statement. “We’ve always been the type to persevere through tough times and get on stage unless our health prevents it. We are choosing not to risk our mental and physical health with the economic realities of that tour. “
They won’t be the last to have to make this call.
A European promoter I spoke to recently said that only blockbusters in Europe this year and next are likely to sell out, citing legacy artists like Bob Dylan and Pop superstars like Harry Styles are not under market pressure. For the rest, especially those in the middle, staring at the rips in seating plans at the venue will be the norm as ticket sales struggle to cover costs and profits. Their profits became a pipe dream.
Ticketmaster’s recent introduction of “dynamic pricing” could generate more money for people who like Bruce Springsteen on their tours, but all they’re doing is taking any extra money that might have been spent on tickets to Springsteen et al + some more activity and reroute it back to Springsteen’s total tour et al. Live music in this model could prove to be the next-level pioneer in drip economics.
Some artists are responding by finding ways to make tickets affordable for audiences, trying to keep their touring costs down and praying the equation keeps them in the black.
Hot Chip’s recent residency at Brixton Academy in London, tickets are amazingly frozen at £20 each. “[W]I know how difficult things are financially for a lot of people at the moment,” they said, “but we also know people want to go out and perform and enjoy themselves. “
Paul Heaton and Jacqui Abbott recently announced that their upcoming UK arena tour will feature tickets capped at £30 each.
Speaking on BBC Breakfast, Heaton said, “What’s really important in the coming months, and possibly years, is that we have to say to the fans, ‘We’re getting paid enough and we want to keep the lows for the fans. friend.’ I think people are very excited. I am very much against greed in the industry because I feel there is a lot. So we’re trying to fight and say, “Look, we’ll do it as low as we can,” and give a little example. “
It is a nice and noble gesture, but many acts – even if they roughly strip everything at the production level – still cannot make such pricing effective. This is a great option for some, but it’s not a viable option for many.
The cost-of-living crisis is hitting audiences hard, and the rising cost of living (both in terms of economics and mental health) is hitting behaviors harder.
How long can the metaphorical tour bus stay on the road when the wheels start to pop, the windshield cracks, and the engine burns out? Not even a tough shoulder to pull over. Instead, all it takes is one bomb crater.
In the past, most of what direct businesses had to worry about was breaking even; now everyone living must focus on preventing everything and everyone in the ecosystem from breaking.
Worldwide music business
