A famous venue shuts down, highlighting the economic challenges small businesses face today.
Staff at one of Cardiff’s leading music venues have lost their jobs following a closure that owners blamed on rising rent and lack of government support.
The Moon Cardiff, a central hub for live music in the city, officially closed on November 22nd. Known for hosting diverse music events, its closure has drawn attention to the struggles faced by small businesses.
The Moon’s non-profit business model was hit hard by the increasing rent and reduced small business relief. “Relief for small businesses was reduced from 70% to 40%, wiping out any income we made above costs,” said Ed Townend, the former technical manager of The Moon. Rising rent made the venue’s day-to-day operations unsustainable.
The venue closed once back in 2017 due to living crisis and rising daily expenses, but it was able to reopen. However, this time the closure is final, also due to unaffordable living costs.
As operating costs kept rising, the reduction in government support made it even harder for The Moon to cope. In addition to higher rent, the increase in basic service costs, like utilities and staff wages, further stretched the venue’s budget.
“Small businesses like The Moon can’t survive during an economic downturn without ongoing government support, but now we are forced to face these challenges on our own,” said Townend.
Government support during the pandemic had been crucial in keeping the venue open. “Massive grants from the government kept us afloat during pandemic,” said Townend. However, these measures were temporary, and The Moon couldn’t survive the current economic downturn.
After the pandemic, the economic downturn made people go out less in the evenings. “We tried our best to make Friday and Saturday nights as appealing as possible, but it didn’t always work out,” said Townend. People had to cut back on going out and spending to cope with the living crisis.
The closure has been a blow to local musicians, who’ve lost an important platform to perform and earn. “When a venue shuts down, musicians lose a key income source,” said Townend, highlighting the ripple effects on the local music community.
Former staff now face an uncertain job market, especially in the competitive music and events industry. While there are some short-term holiday jobs available, long-term opportunities are still hard to find.
Some Cardiff venues have stepped in to offer temporary jobs to affected employees, and the staff have been promised they’ll receive redundancy payments. While this provides some support, the employment challenges in the industry are still very tough.
Despite these challenges, The Moon expressed deep gratitude to the community. “We were dedicated to bringing in diverse events, and the community appreciated that. I’m truly thankful to everyone who supported us,” said Townend.