A famous venue shuts down, leaving music fans heartbroken and highlighting the economic challenges small businesses face today.
Staff at one of Cardiff’s leading music venues have lost their job following a closure that owners blamed on rising rent and lack of government support.
The Moon Cardiff, a music venue located at the center of the city, has officially shut its doors on November 22nd after years of hosting diverse musicians. The closure has left many of Cardiff’s music fans feeling upset, and it also highlights the difficulties faced by small businesses today, especially with rising costs and limited government help.
Known for its live performances and non-profit business model, The Moon struggled to cope with increasing operational expenses, particularly rent. “At the moment, the relief for small businesses, like The Moon, was reduced from 70% to 40%, and that difference has meant that any income we make above our costs has been wiped out by the tax increase,” said Ed Townend, the former technical manager, and the bar’s rent has gone up in recent years, making day-to-day operations more difficult.
Rising rent and the cost-of-living crisis have taken a toll on The Moon’s operations, making it harder to host events and cover expenses, according to Ed Townend, and the financial pressures also reduced weekend foot traffic as people cut back on nights out. He said, “We tried our best to make Friday and Saturday nights as appealing as possible, but it didn’t always work out, and that was heavily impacted by the situation.”
Government support is crucial for small businesses, but The Moon Cardiff didn’t receive enough financial support to stay afloat. Although the Welsh government and Cardiff City Council provided important funding during the pandemic, it was only a temporary measure. “We received massive grants and help from the government during the pandemic, I don’t think we would have survived without them,” said Ed Townend. But in the current state of the economic downturn, pubs are still closing due to high taxes and rents
The closure of The Moon Cardiff also means that many musicians have lost an important platform. “If you lose a venue, you’re losing an income revenue for a musician, like it’s just another one less place for them to be able to play and to their money,” said Ed Towned.
Finding new jobs will likely be a challenge for the former staff of The Moon, depending on individual circumstances and the opportunities available in the market. While there are often temporary positions available during the Christmas season, job prospects tend to dwindle in the new year. “It’s very competitive because obviously, it’s a sort of an attractive career and lots of people want to be involved in working in the music industry, and I think people like us who the event stuff, I think the job market for that sort of work is very limited,” said Ed Towned.
Some Cardiff venues have stepped in to provide temporary jobs to former Moon staff, while others have turned to crowdfunding for financial help. “We got in touch with all of our staff members and let them know what happened, and there would be steps taken to help everyone and obviously everyone is entitled to a redundancy, everyone will be paid for what they have worked,” said Ed Towned.
The manager expressed his deep appreciation to the customers who have supported the Moon Cardiff over the past years. “I just want to thank everyone who believes in music and has supported us. While things weren’t always perfect, we didn’t want to just follow the crowd. We aimed to bring in the most diverse range of artists, musicians, and events, and people really appreciated that. We built a strong, loyal community, and I’m truly grateful for everyone who has supported the venue over the years,” said Ed Towned.