

(Credits: Joseph Pearson)
A new survey has revealed that 84 per cent of independent artists in the UK no longer believe touring to be a financially viable option.
The survey has been carried out by Ditto Music, who surveyed 1,500 independent artists from around the UK. Significantly, they discovered that 70.6 per cent of participants had never embarked upon a tour due to financial reasons. The same percentage also revealed they largely funded their musical ambitions through personal savings.
Additionally, 62.2 of independent artists who responded to the survey stated they had rejected opportunities to tour “solely due to financial reasons”.
The financial difficulties related to touring have particularly impacted those within the 25-34 age bracket as 87.5 per cent view touring as a completely unaffordable activity.
In the last few years, the costs of touring have dramatically increased for artists on all levels which has led to a sharp increase in ticket prices for fans.
In 2022, Mercury Prize-winning artist Little Simz revealed she had no choice but to cancel her planned US tour due to financial reasons despite her status. “I take my live shows seriously and would only want to give you guys nothing but the best of me,” she posted on social media.
Simz continued her explanation: “Being an independent artist, I pay for everything encompassing my live performances out of my own pocket and touring the US for a month would leave me in a huge deficit. As much as this pains me to not see you at this time, I’m just not able to put myself through that mental stress.”
Later this week, the Carry on Touring campaign is set to lobby at the UK Parliament in London regarding the state of touring in Europe for British artists in a post-Brexit world. They claim that if a solution isn’t found, then “many jobs and livelihoods will continue to be gravely affected.”
The Carry on Touring team continued: “This is not an issue that just affects the UK. The value of this cultural exchange is huge to both economies and social wellbeing.”
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