According to consequence.net, Garbage singer Shirley Manson recently spoke up about the strain that musicians are dealing with due to the state of live music. In a statement she made on Instagram she said that, “large percentage” of fellow musicians “are likely living hand to mouth” as a result.
The post continued to read, “Live music is under enormous strain, The average musician can no longer survive let alone thrive under the current conditions. We are seeing so many precious talents buckle under the economic injustice of a system that does not pay the creative for their artistic output. Everyone is vying for a handful of venues in order to make a small amount of money to tide them over until the next show, most sailing without a dollar of insurance. A large percentage of musicians that you know and love are likely living hand to mouth. So many of the artists that we revere and hold dear throughout history would have been utterly destroyed by this system entirely, Musicians cannot survive without being paid fairly for their music. And if the live scene fails, the whole ship goes down entirely. All you will be left with is the main stream. No alternative perspectives. Nothing loud. Nothing dangerous. Nothing weird. Little that lasts more than one album cycle.”
Manson concluded the statement in making a call to action, “to support legislation that is attempting to reverse this situation once and for all.” Her statement comes after Animal Collective canceled their UK and European tour citing a “mountain of touring obstacles” including inflation, currency devaluation, and “bloated” shipping and transportation costs. Anthrax, Little Simz, and Santigold also have canceled their tours this year due to economic issues.
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