The Big Topic: How will independent music venues cope with increased inflation?
Every scene has an independent venue that acts as the meeting place for bands and like-minded music lovers. Without these sacred locations, Britain would be culturally bankrupt. Most people in charge of running these venues are not solely interested in profit and do it out of the goodness of their hearts, but that may no longer be enough to keep the industry alive.
On top of the recent crisis in regards to rising and uncontrollable energy bills, which will cause costs to skyrocket and proprietors to lose sleep over their future, they now have to fight against inflation too. If it rises to 6%, as predicted, there will be a catalogue of venue owners who simply won’t be able to afford their mortgage payments, and therefore, their business will have no choice but to go under.
Hopefully, closures will be few and far between, but it would be naive to assume the music industry will come out unscathed from current circumstances. Before news of the inflation hike, the Music Venue Trust surveyed its 941 venue members, revealing that a third of the UK’s music venues could be forced to shut their doors for good.
Thankfully, the government intervened and introduced a price gap, meaning the average pub saves over £3,000 a month. However, business owners will still pay double on electricity compared to 12 months ago.
Once they got over that life-threatening hurdle, another issue occurred. Not only will this latest threat impact venues but also the regulars too, who will find their disposable income squeezed. Therefore, taking a risk to pay to see a band and buy drinks will be out of reach for many.
The Adelphi Club in Hull has been running since 1984 and has welcomed its doors to the likes of Oasis, The Stone Roses, Green Day, Pavement, Pulp, Idles, Franz Ferdinand and Radiohead. Paul Sapel, who runs the venue, is not immediately concerned about their future but understands it could all change in the blink of an eye. Fortunately, the building is owned by Paul Jackson, and Sapel is in a fixed-term agreement, but they are still facing great difficulties.
Sapel tells Far Out: “We’ve been a bit smart with it, we saw it coming, and have kept adjusting. Often, we are doing free entry rather than ticketed or pay-on-the-door offers, whereas, normally, we would never do that. We’re not in the habit of putting on free shows, but essentially, we want people in the doors, watching the gigs, and buying beer because that’s where we make our money.”
He notes how there’s been a significant drop-off in pre-sale tickets compared with the past. Shockingly, an average concert featuring a band who has received airplay on BBC 6 Music will likely only now sell half as many as it did during normal times. To entice the public, Adelphi have been doing two-for-one offers, and bands are taking a hit on their expected fees to get more people at shows.
Looking ahead to the future, Sapel worries it could get worse before it improves for the better: “People are going to start saving up for Christmas soon, and they’ve all got one eye on energy bills and staying warm. Most grassroots venues are on the bones of their arse all the time anyway, I’m on less wages now than I was 20 years ago, I put in more hours than I get paid for, but it’s a labour of love, and across venues, you’ve got highly skilled people who can react to events because that’s what we’ve always done.”
There is a reason to worry about the future of independent venues like The Adelphi. However, my conversation with Sapel fills me with confidence the majority will somehow navigate a way to survive this crisis despite being against the odds. The extraordinary proprietors of these essential community hubs are powered by love, not greed, and they are willing to make immense personal sacrifices to ensure their venue stays open.
