UK musicians concerned that they will have to leave the music industry due to rising costs

15.11.2022 - 13:49 / completemusicupdate.com

Almost half of UK musicians are currently highly concerned that they will be forced to leave the music industry as the cost of living crisis continues to impact on them, according to a new survey conducted by Help Musicians.The music charity reports that 49% of the 500 professional musicians surveyed said that they were ‘very’ or ‘extremely’ concerned that they would have to leave their music careers behind. A further 35% were ‘slightly’ or ‘somewhat’ concerned.

This is a dramatic increase from a similar study a year ago, which found that 22% of musicians in the UK were considering leaving the industry.Already suffering lower incomes as a result of Brexit and the pandemic, Help Musicians says that music-makers are now being impacted further by the growing cost of living crisis.Brexit has reduced opportunities to perform in the EU, including through increased costs, as well as a shortage of personnel and equipment. Following the pandemic, the huge number of rescheduled shows has reduced the number of available slots for new shows.

Meanwhile, rising costs have also made things like travelling to gigs and heating rehearsal spaces harder.Well more than half of those surveyed – 60% – said that they are worse off financially now than compared to the same time a year ago, while 78% said that they are currently earning less from music than they were in March 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic hit.Out of the 500 musicians asked, 98% had some level of concern about their ability to earn enough money to cover their costs over the next six months – 90% worried about affording food, and 84% were concerned about being able to make mortgage or rent payments. As costs continue to rise, 80% are concerned about falling into debt.