As a brand new 12 months begins, artists have revealed the most important challenges that they confronted in 2023, and the modifications they wish to see made to the musical panorama within the 12 months forward.
The NME lately supported the Featured Artist Coalition’s 2023 Finish of Yr Get together and AGM at Walthamstow’s Signature Brew in London. Following on from 2021 and 2022, NME returned to help the occasion in addition to chairing an artist-led ‘Yr in Music’ panel dialogue that includes Murray Matravers of the band previously generally known as Simple Life, Sam Duckworth of Get Cape. Put on Cape. Fly, together with rising and acclaimed singer-songwriters LVRA and Cherise.
In addition to tackling topics similar to streaming royalties reform, the software of AI in music, the 100 Per Cent Venues marketing campaign to finish punitive commissions on merchandise gross sales, and the #LetTheMusicMove marketing campaign to encourage friction-free worldwide touring, the occasion additionally noticed artists clarify how problems with race, training, politics, honest fee and venue closures wanted tackling.
The panel was launched by a speech from FAC CEO David Martin and the group’s Artist in Residence, Blur drummer Dave Rowntree.
Martin identified the success of their marketing campaign for venues to take a smaller lower of musicians’ merch income, whereas arguing that that “being an artist has by no means represented the straightforward path, however at this time’s musical panorama is particularly advanced”. This, he defined, was as a result of issues regarding “making touring financially viable, reaching cut-through on streaming providers, or just discovering the area and atmosphere to create.”
“It was already a battle for consideration, and now we’ve the prospect of AI rising the speed of content material creation,” he added. “Within the phrases of the late, nice Andrew Weatherall, ‘Whereas know-how has left us on the apex of a punk rock dream the place anybody could make artwork, in follow that’s changing into a double-edged sword – it’s changing into exhausting to see the bushes for the woods’. Nevertheless, whereas know-how presents new challenges, it has undoubtedly opened up new paths for artists to discover.”
Rowntree agreed, including: “It has been fairly a 12 months for me. With Blur I launched our ninth main label album [‘The Ballad Of Darren‘] alongside a world tour, together with two offered out nights at Wembley Stadium. On the identical time, I launched my solo profession – releasing my debut album on an indie label alongside a extra modest tour that included one sold-out evening at The Joiners in Southampton. Which did I get pleasure from extra? That’s the query.”
Admitting that “one occasion arguably overshadowed the opposite”, Rowntree added that he’d “seen either side of the enterprise up shut and private” in 2023 as a solo artist and with the Brit-pop giants – feeling struck by the transformation of the business and the challenges it created.
“Blur hadn’t really launched a studio album since 2015 [‘The Magic Whip‘]. It’s mind-boggling to see the modifications within the document business over these eight years,” he stated. “It’s an extremely complicated time to be a musician.
“Our Blur album ‘The Ballad Of Darren’ on week one within the UK offered simply over 44,000 items – together with 22,000 vinyl albums, 13,000 CDs, 3,000 cassettes and a pair of,000 sales-equivalent streams. In actual fact, the album had tens of hundreds of thousands of streams on Spotify alone however the cassette gross sales had a much bigger influence on our chart place. How does that make sense?”
Rowntree continued: “Add to that, we’re seeing the fragmentation of tradition, an absolute tsunami of latest music, the rising energy of content material platforms, and the stifling algorithms of social media. That is an extremely troublesome second for brand spanking new artists to even get seen, not to mention try to make a residing.
“So I feel the FAC is extra necessary than ever, because it’s a fancy and unsure world and we want an organisation that helps artists perceive and navigate it. We’d like an organisation that may choose its battles. We have to make the label-centric mannequin work extra equitably for artists and forestall venues from taking an outrageous share of our merchandise income.”
Final 12 months noticed noticed Simple Life play their closing present underneath that identify, having conceded defeat in a authorized battle over the moniker towards easyGroup (the model proprietor of easyJet airways) and that “sadly, evidently justice is just obtainable to those that can afford it” with out “the funds to entry a good trial within the Excessive Courtroom.”
Regardless of this, frontman Murray Matravers stated that 2023 was “ 12 months normally”.
“We had our first ever worthwhile pageant season after six years of doing it, so we labored that out”, he informed the panel on the FAC AGM. “We’re nonetheless right here. We don’t have a band identify or a band, however we’re nonetheless doing it.”
Since their final London present, the band have been having fun with a break with Matravers focussing on “writing, recording and reconnecting with the stuff that I like doing”.
“I’m in place and I’m wanting ahead to subsequent 12 months,” he stated. “We’re not going to play any festivals and I doubt we’re going to do a lot touring. That sounds damaging, but it surely’s a welcome break from the chaos of relentless touring.”
The band have typically been outspoken over the prohibitive and rising prices of touring for artists – having cancelled their North American tour final 12 months together with European dates.
“We have been imagined to do about 2,000 capability venues in Europe and like a 500-600 within the US, however we needed to cancel each of these excursions as a result of we couldn’t make it work financially,” Matravers defined. “We’ve obtained two albums out, we’ve toured America 3 times already and we’ve performed Europe earlier than, however we needed to cancel them each on the final minute as a result of we have been going to be dropping tens of 1000’s of kilos.
“It was actually troublesome for some time, as a result of we dwell in a world the place a – dare I say it – reasonably profitable band can’t play France and make it work financially. It’s a fairly fucked-up state of affairs for artists. I’ve been there as an rising artist staying in shit accommodations and all that and assumed it will get higher. I don’t imply to piss on anybody’s campfire but it surely actually doesn’t; it will get increasingly disappointing!”
Echoing the FAC’s advocacy for venues not taking a lower of musicians’ merchandise gross sales at gigs, Matravers referred to as for extra motion to be taken on cash touchdown within the pockets of artists in any other case “dwell music simply isn’t going to be a possible factor”.
“I’m really speaking with the band and administration about our subsequent tour, and we’re having to consider it in a complete new means as a result of touring simply isn’t financially sustainable in any respect,” he stated.
Spotify proceed to come underneath fireplace from for its mannequin of paying artists. The corporate lately introduced a streaming threshold of 1,000 performs earlier than songs are in a position to generate royalties. In response to Spotify knowledge, there are round 100million songs on the service, but solely round 37.5million meet the brand new necessities to generate income. In November, the corporate introduced that it will not present its providers in Uruguay because of the nation’s copyright legal guidelines that will require “equitable remuneration” for artists.
When requested about what different modifications he’d wish to see within the music business within the 12 months forward, Matravers hailed Spotify as a “great point” for locating music however stated that “the royalty fee is horrible”.
“I assumed as a naive younger man that if we obtained to the place we at the moment are then I’d be actually, actually wealthy,” he stated. “That’s simply not the case sadly. I simply wish to see artists getting paid for promoting information. Wouldn’t that be good? That will be place to begin.”
Cherise was a previous recipient of the FAC’s Step Up Fund, and went on to launch her acclaimed debut album ‘Calling’ in 2023 – a interval she referred to as “a 12 months of progress” but additionally “filled with challenges”.
“A whole lot of the album was impressed by my Jamaican heritage and this 12 months is the seventy fifth anniversary of the Windrush Era’s migration to the UK,” she informed the panel. “It felt very well timed, and it’s been a particular 12 months to be a Jamaican woman.”
The singer-songwriter stated that her race had confirmed a problem when making an attempt to navigate her means by the enterprise realm of the music business – with attitudes needing to be addressed.
She defined: “It takes some time even in conferences to be like, ‘Hey Steve the supervisor, you take care of this!’ Or, ‘So I discover in clause 11 that you simply’ve put…’ Generally I communicate to the folks I work with earlier than I’m going right into a room to say, ‘Are you able to say this, this, this and this’ as a result of if I say it, an authoritative stance from a Black lady may be seen by some – based mostly on their bias – as aggression. My assertiveness isn’t at all times taken in the identical means that I see different folks’s, so I’ve a 50-year-old white male supervisor to say the identical issues that I’d.”
Whereas admitting that she was extraordinarily fortunate to be raised musically in a really beneficiant group” of jazz musicians and with assist from the Black-run organisation Tomorrow’s Warriors that work to “empower individuals who may not have in any other case been in a position to acquire entry to a profession in music”, Cherise stated that independence needed to go hand-in-hand with an informed data of the economics of the music business.
“I’m a little bit of a music enterprise nerd, which is nice for the individuals who symbolize me and irritating as a result of I wish to know what’s in each contract,” she stated. “The most important problem for me is that I haven’t allowed myself to be the artist that switches off to the enterprise in any respect and may simply give attention to writing songs.”
She continued: “As a result of I’m an rising artist, I’m the one which’s dealing with the cash – so what I say goes! Additionally, understanding that all the folks that symbolize me have many various artists to cashflow their life, so the choices that they’re making for me result in the subsequent six months lease. That’s so private for me. That’s the most important problem, however I really feel a lot extra empowered.”
Finally, Cherise stated that training was what made her most “optimistic” about her personal profession – however that the ins-and-outs of the enterprise aspect wanted to be taught in a way more widespread means.
“Being with Tomorrow’s Warriors from the age of 16 taught me that there are two truths: deal with the music and the music will deal with itself,” she stated. “Make the perfect music doable, particularly being across the jazz police. There are folks inside that group who knew that you want to deal with the enterprise to guard the artwork.”
Cherise ended: “One factor that I’d like to see change is these establishments taking over 18-22-year-olds and have them pay £9,000 a 12 months and depart with out understanding what the distinction between PPL and PRS is or something about publishing or copyright. I’ve seen friends of mine signal issues with out understanding the fundamentals.
“Everybody wants to search out out concerning the rights they inherit once they put out music, and all establishments must have folks well-versed in that in order that artists can advocate for it and earn money from the leap.”
Rising alt-pop singer LVRA is one other recipient of the FAC’s Step Up Fund. Talking on the AGM panel, she defined how she began 2023 in full-time employment in consulting and ended it by quitting her job and “focussing on making an attempt to make music sustainable” – one thing she defined was not with out its hurdles.
“I’ve very conventional Asian dad and mom, in order that was the route laid out for me,” stated the artist, born in Scotland to Chinese language dad and mom. “Making music has been a very smart way of with the ability to discover my potential to search out myself. I grew up in Edinburgh the place there wasn’t an enormous quantity of range of music and tradition, so coming to London opened my eyes and gave me the boldness to only go for it.
“Now I’ve give up my job, and I went straight again out on tour and haven’t appeared again since.”
Requested about challenges, LVRA stated that “cash is just about at all times Quantity One” however was “fortunate” to have the ability to tour solo as “a one-man band”.
“I went on tour in Asia and needed to cut back every part to a backpack and keep in various levels of lodging,” she stated. “That’s a part of the journey as an rising artist. It will be nicer if help slots weren’t paying £50, however I’ve needed to try to react to that. Perhaps as a result of I haven’t been round too lengthy and I’m solely 24, I sort of noticed that coming and needed to put together for it.
“Artists are simply having to adapt. It’s robust, positively.”
LVRA agreed with Cherise that final the training of upcoming artists was necessary as she “didn’t research music and have by no means had anybody to inform me how one can go about it” and thinks others ought to communicate out about their difficulties to make fellow musicians really feel much less alone.
“My supervisor picked up my music once I was college and gave me the braveness to launch my first track, and it’s loopy how one particular person could make such an enormous distinction on this business,” she stated. “There needs to be extra of that from the very prime of the funnel. It doesn’t assist that we’ve obtained a fucking Tory authorities proper now.
“Personally for me, persons are changing into more and more trustworthy but additionally on a public realm on social media. There are a whole lot of extremely sensible folks on this business who’ve solutions, however we have to let followers know that we’re struggling and for giant artists to talk out and let followers know that they’re struggling on the very prime. I’d like to see extra honesty on social media.”
She added: “I need this entire fucking glass ceiling to fall down. No hate to anybody who makes use of TikTok, however AI, TikTok and all these algorithm-based applied sciences aren’t pushing issues into the areas why I obtained into music. I didn’t get into music to go viral, I obtained into music as a result of I wished to say one thing.”
Sam Duckworth of Get Cape. Put on Cape. Fly. stepped in on the panel for Wolf Alice guitarist Joff Oddie, who was unable to attend. Having launched his debut album ‘The Chronicles of a Bohemian Teenager’ in 2006, in addition to working as a producer and activist, Duckworth stated that the present local weather going through musicians is among the most “troublesome” he’s ever seen.
“As with every part in the intervening time, the margins are getting squeezed,” he stated. “Individuals are anticipated to do extra for much less, and the mechanics of life are a lot tougher to navigate as a result of it’s a must to be accountable for every part with out being taught how one can do something. It’s fairly unusual.”
He continued: “There hasn’t been any sort of on-boarding about what the technological future appears like, it’s only a crash course. My survival mechanism comes from a agency perception that mobilisation of individuals towards this stuff and this bullshit will ultimately win out.”
Duckworth stated that “the extent of energetic solidarity that there’s within the business” was encouraging, however a extra fan and artist-led strategy was wanted to safe a viable future for music within the UK.
After the Music Venue Belief lately revealed how 2023 was the “worst 12 months for venue closures“, Duckworth stated he agreed that there needs to be a necessary £1 levy on all enviornment and stadium gigs to assist help the grassroots as “an act of solidarity. He pointed to work he’d been doing himself together with his native non-league soccer membership, placing followers in management, and stated that he was working with MVT for the music business to comply with go well with.
“The viewers voice is at all times assumed,” he stated. “The music business is £6.7billion per 12 months to the UK economic system and we at all times assume that we all know what the viewers needs. Truly, our energetic lobbying place can be strengthened if we had a unified understanding of what the patron thresholds are.”
“Some folks assume it’s bullshit that there’s a £14 service cost on one ticket and £2 on one other, however they don’t have any means of voicing that opinion. As an business, if we might get collectively and actively symbolize the patron voice in the way in which that soccer did, our lobbying positions shall be stronger relating to the issues we would like altering individually,” he added.
“Our solidarity and our data base is superb, but when we will now put the artist and the fan collectively, then possibly we will take a look at the federal government and say, ‘Deal with us like one other £6.7billion a 12 months sector of the economic system and never identical to a bunch of layabouts.”
With a normal election looming in 2024, Duckworth stated he wished all UK political events to “listen” and put ahead a plan to “take our business severely, to implement viewers analysis and bonafide youth golf equipment and college training.”
He added: “With out loving the issues that you simply love, then what’s the purpose? It’s straightforward to get floor down by the mechanics of what you’re doing. I simply attempt to do not forget that I’m a musician not as a result of it’s job, however as a result of it does one thing for my soul and someway I scrape round to make a residing. That’s the stability. So long as I’m on that aspect then I’m completely satisfied.”
