An emerging south London musician opened up about the difficulties faced by artists to succeed in the music industry and secure live gigs.
Beth Robb, 25, from Lewisham, is one of many balancing a nine-to-five with their musical career to stay afloat in the cost of living crisis, without giving up their passion.
While contributing £313million to the UK economy, the grassroots music industry is in dire need of support, with one in four venues being forced to shut down since the pandemic.
Robb said: “It can be a bit closed doors sometimes.
“The only opportunities are promoters that just want you to perform and want to try to pull the tickets that you sell, and they don’t really care much about who you are as an artist.”
She explained that for independent artists it is very difficult to earn a living because of the high costs of production, marketing and distribution, with revenues from streaming platforms practically non-existent.
However, the grassroots music industry, which attracted more than 4.2 million audience members only in 2024, does offer musicians a vital space to play at smaller, independent venues.
Featured Image: John Matychuk, via Unsplash