mvm.

Now, I want to take us away from the obvious problem for the industry right now, and discuss the ones that will were present before 2020 and will more likely be present after too.

I’ve heard that the music industry is a wonderful thing to work in. Once you get your connections right, the music industry provides ample opportunity, creativity and inspiration for its musicians and employees to earn while on the job. Or so I’ve been told.

Male-Dominated Industry

For years, it is not an uncommon fact that the industry has been considered as entirely male-orientated. From its festival line-ups, to the hiring tradition of stage crew and the persona of a woman doing a “man’s job”, the industry is rife with struggles from women in the industry and there are ample stories out there to suggest that.

There are closely run projects such as Artists Against Harassment and Vibe Excel, that inspire and provide the tools needed for the next generation of women in the music industry, not only support among platforms but to also help speak out, against the act of discrimination women have to go through.

Music and its Closed Door Ethos

Amongst industry professionals, they have been debunking this myth as nothing but … well, a myth. But, that may not be strictly true. The music industry has always had a feel of its not what you know, it’s who you know, – with those professionals themselves stressing the importance of contacts and connections amongst different varying sectors. Now, I may not the most viable of opinions as I’m looking at it from an outsiders’ perspective but, this may certainly be the case and sadly, poses this Closed Door ethos as true.

Artists’ Problem: Importance of Live Shows & Making Money (it is isn’t easy)

Ever since the Internet came about, the way we listen and purchase our music has changed. Downloads and streaming has outweighed the need for CDs – Spotify and Apple Music has become the new norm for relaxed and avid music consumers. This comes with problems, too of course.

How artists earn money has changed. With the royalty pay per listen at an all-time low as 0.01 to the penny or something ludicrous, artists are having to rely on live shows to make a living. With upcoming artists? This is an even bigger problem. The availability for upcoming artists to receive outreach for consistently common gigs is not common and so the money they receive for both live shows and physical copies is lacklustre.

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Fixing these problems?

Now, these problems are widely spoken about and pose problems for musicians and employers within the industry. But, there is a strength and unity within the industry from one another on overcoming these together. Once we work with one another, to overcome these problems, the industry may become even greater still.

Collectively standing against discrimination and we quash it.

Open up ourselves more to ‘outsiders’ who don’t have that strong a connection amongst others. Giving yourself to others to lend a helping hand to that struggling worker or musician.

Offering higher opportunity for artists on streaming services, and availability for live gigs.

You can start with some of the links below: