Wednesday briefing: ​Can we afford to be optimistic about grassroots music venues?

In today’s newsletter: ​M​usic spaces are welcoming bigger crowds again, ​b​ut the industry remain​s fragile as rising costs and shrinking local circuits threaten the next generation of talent

Good morning. The music industry has long been one of the UK’s successful export stories, whether it was the British invasion of the US spearheaded by the Beatles and the Stones in the 1960s or the contemporary success of the likes of Adele and Ed Sheeran.

In recent years, however, there has been a steady drumbeat of doom in the background. Artists have concerns about artificial intelligence slop replacing them, they face dwindling earning power due to paltry streaming royalty rates, and crucially, there has been a contraction in the number of venues where musicians can hone their craft and build a fanbase.

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Source: www.theguardian.com

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