#LetTheMusicPlay

There’s a new hashtag doing the rounds that is of huge importance to all musicians and those who love music. #LetTheMusicPlay follows a letter to the government sent by some 1500 musicians calling for urgent support. A tweet by the popular beat combo outfit the Editors explain the problem here:

• 90% of grassroots music venues are under threat of closure without urgent financial support
• 50% of the industry’s workforce is facing unemployment
• The music industry in 2019 contributed £4.5bn to the economy
• It supports 210,000 jobs across the UK

It’s especially good that the giants of music have also signed the letter because given their own wealth, this doesn’t really affect them. I’ve already seen some of the usual dreary negativity in cyberspace from the usual suspects who complain that “if these billionaires care so much then why don’t they support those less fortunate” and dismiss it immediately. The likes of Paul McCartney did not become fabulously rich by dint of his birth. It happened because of ‘Hey Jude’, ‘Yesterday’, ‘Penny Lane’ and a gazillion other great tunes which will be played and sung forever. He knows what it’s like to start at the bottom because that’s just what he did.

I love watching live music, usually at the small halls in Bristol like the Louisiana and the Fleece, and when it’s finally reopened the venue formerly known as the Colston Hall. The bands I see are making a living by playing live shows or they are young bands trying to make their way in the music business. It is very hard work. Given that so many people prefer to get their music for free through streaming sites, the vast majority of musicians cannot possibly manage on the pittance they receive for their recorded work.

So, you can see the existential threat to our wide and diverse music scene and how government must act to help save it.

And yes, it’s everything. It’s the artists themselves, road crews, venues; the whole shebang. Young, old, black, white; the whole range of music genres. If venues close permanently, where will the young Paul McCartneys learn their trade? Will the future of music be karaoke from Simon Cowell’s TV vehicles?  And how will older artists earn a crust?

Of the things we still can be proud of in Britain, music is right up there. World class artists who generate vast sums for the exchequer. We cannot allow Britain’s musicians wither on the vine. That is why the government must act now.  To play your part, please buy some music and don’t just stream it. Streaming is legal theft. #LetTheMusicPlay