Rising overheads and stagnating charges have made it more and more troublesome for bands to make a residing from touring. In the meantime, shoppers’ habits are altering as they climate a value of residing disaster.
Music followers discuss how a lot they spend on music in a mean month and the way these habits have modified.
‘Eight CDs and half a dozen gigs’
I purchase about eight CDs a month – on-line, from retailers in Newcastle, at gigs and from charity retailers. I purchase all types: jazz, blues, rock, soul, world, reggae and a few classical. That’s about £50.
I am going to half a dozen gigs a month at about £25 a ticket. I’ll go to the occasional all-day occasion, the place the tickets will likely be about £40. I went to Cheltenham jazz pageant this 12 months – £300 for tickets and lodging. Transport is about £150 as nicely.
I purchase the occasional e-book about music, often biographies, so one other £20. I don’t purchase as many T-shirts as I used to, until I just like the design or it’s a Jackson Browne tour. Then there’s a tenner a month on magazines as nicely.
I don’t spend something on streaming. I wish to have a bodily product and I like with the ability to play CDs within the automotive, within the kitchen, within the bed room or within the man cave the place the great hi-fi lives.
That appears like about £400 a month in whole. That may’t be proper! Dave Sayer, 63, retired buying and selling requirements officer, Netherwitton, Northumberland
‘My spending has decreased massively since the pandemic’
Exterior Spotify, my spending may be very low – usually a couple of vinyl data a 12 months, one music pageant and a handful of gigs. It has decreased massively for the reason that pandemic. I used to go to a hip-hop gig each two weeks, again once I might see my favorite artists for wherever between £15-30. These days, it’s a minimal of £50 as O2 venues have monopolised hip-hop excursions within the UK.
Vinyl manufacturing has been hit by provide chain points and inflation, so the data I used to have the ability to buy for £18 are often a minimum of £30 by default, no matter whether or not they’re a single or double LP. The secondhand market has turn out to be overvalued as nicely and it’s arduous to discover a whole lot.
Fortunately, unbiased hip-hop artists are nonetheless enjoying in London’s remaining unbiased venues and providing higher priced tickets. I usually discover these with a report label deal are shoved into O2 arenas and even stadiums no matter whether or not they have the fanbase to match, because the ticket costs can go all the way in which as much as £180 and provide a lot larger returns for one present reasonably than doing two nights at a smaller venue. Patrick Reynolds, 25, working in public affairs, London
‘I resisted the streaming subscription for a long time’
Other than my month-to-month £10 subscription to a streaming platform, I would purchase one vinyl album a month. I resisted the subscription for a very long time, feeling it in some way wasn’t proper to have a lot music at your disposal; it appeared to devalue the expertise and the artists’ craft.
However then I bought a free trial with a brand new cellphone and now it will be arduous to think about life with out it. To make up for it, I’m restarting my vinyl assortment that had initially been misplaced with a transfer abroad. Having the bodily product of a piece that’s actually particular to me prevents it from being diluted among the many tens of millions on-line.
Vinyl is astonishingly costly, although – in my teenagers an LP would price £7 or so – so I purchase just one or two a month at £20-£30 every. I’ll go to gigs and live shows about twice a 12 months, for a mixed £100 or so.
Sacha Ward, artistic director, Cambridge
‘Most of the money I earn goes towards gigs’
I purchase both a report or a band T-shirt as soon as a month, and often go to an area gig each few weeks – that provides as much as about £40. I not too long ago purchased Charli xcx’s Brat on vinyl in addition to a Sports activities Staff T-shirt and cassette. I’ve additionally bought to have Spotify, which makes it practically £50 month-to-month. My spending has decreased because of gigs getting much less and fewer reasonably priced, although. I need to help the indie bands to allow them to afford to maintain making their artwork.
Most not too long ago I’ve to smaller London venues like Koko, Troxy, and the Electrical Ballroom, which have been as soon as extra reasonably priced (round £10-15), however now usually are not less expensive than gigs at bigger venues like Alexandra Palace or Wembley Area. I spend the same quantity to my mates: a lot of the cash we earn from part-time work goes in direction of gigs and data. Donovan, 17, London
‘My interest in buying CDs was rekindled by the reopening of HMV’
I don’t go to live shows each month, however in the course of the Edinburgh pageant, I might spend £200 or extra on live shows alone. If I am going to a dwell rock or pop live performance, that’ll be £75-100 for one ticket. For the time being I solely go to 2 or three classical live shows a 12 months.
I additionally purchase CDs or pop DVDs, on and off. Earlier than streaming I used to purchase much more. My father used to warn me to not purchase too many. This month I’ve solely purchased one CD – How Does that Seize You by Nancy Sinatra. I ended listening to as a lot pop and rock when individuals began listening on-line. I didn’t really feel that such a listening suited me. I splash out when an artist I like promotes a brand new album.
This 12 months to this point I’ve additionally purchased one music DVD – the documentary Tina – and two different DVDs of musicals. My curiosity in shopping for them was rekindled by the reopening of the HMV store.
Lately, I purchased some merch – a Diana Ross T-shirt – after seeing her Glastonbury slot on-line and attending her Radio Metropolis Live performance nearly on Fb final 12 months. But it surely was ridiculously costly because it was delivered from the US. I is perhaps tempted to purchase extra merch, however the postage prices put me off.
For the time being I’m attempting to restrict my purchases as the price of residing is excessive and I don’t really need any extra CDs as a result of I’ve an enormous assortment. I’d like to go to extra live shows however they’re usually very costly. Marion WG Fairweather, enterprise English coach and translator, Edinburgh
‘The idea of buying music is an anathema to my kids’
I’ve in the reduction of on music spending because of parenthood and different obligations. My children are into music, although, and my eldest performs guitar, keyboard, and trumpet so a good quantity goes on tutoring and gear for him. They’re nonetheless preteens in order that they don’t spend something actually, however they get something they need by way of streaming companies. The thought of shopping for music is an anathema to them. We take them to gigs and festivals, however they like gaming.
I spend £19.99 a month on Spotify for the household. The occasional gig ticket (three for Taylor Swift this month so that is an costly month). But it surely’s in all probability averaging at £50 month-to-month, when you add smaller gigs like English Trainer and Idles later within the 12 months.
I purchase the occasional pageant ticket, too – Lindisfarne this 12 months. Vinyl is often a £40 splurge each different month. So a typical month general would common about £85. Again in 2010, I spent a 12 months my common spend on music and associated actions (clubbing, drinks, music-based online game DLC, and so on) and that was nearer to £145 a month. Rob Jewitt, 46, media and communications educational, South Tyneside
