Grassroots music inquiry - FAC comment
26 March 2024 - Press releaseToday, the Culture Media & Sport Committee held three evidence sessions to explore the ongoing crisis in the grassroots music sector, after 125 venues reportedly abandoned live music in 2023.
In the third of these sessions, David Martin, CEO, Featured Artists Coalition, appeared alongside English Teacher's Lily Fontaine and MMF Vice-Chair, Kwame Kwaten - where all drew attention to the severe economic pressures currently faced by touring artists, and particularly the rising costs incurred when playing live.
David commented:
"Today, we are grateful to the MPs who took the time to hear the artists' perspective on the grassroots music ecosystem. There is already widespread agreement that the economic model at this level of live music is currently unsustainable. However, it was particularly important that members of the Culture Select Committee heard about the pressures currently faced by artists. Ultimately, it is their performances that the live industry is built on, and the artist-fan relationship which the live ecosystem monetises. Only by placing control in the hands of artists can we hope to drive the sector forward."
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