{"id":70881,"date":"2022-12-27T16:17:16","date_gmt":"2022-12-27T16:17:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/?p=70881"},"modified":"2022-12-27T16:17:18","modified_gmt":"2022-12-27T16:17:18","slug":"people-cant-afford-a-night-out-the-impact-of-the-cost-of-living-crisis-on-cardiffs-music-scene","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2022\/12\/27\/people-cant-afford-a-night-out-the-impact-of-the-cost-of-living-crisis-on-cardiffs-music-scene\/","title":{"rendered":"‘People can’t afford a night out’ – The impact of the cost-of-living crisis on Cardiff’s music scene"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

At least one venue says it might not book bands in January due to soaring running costs and cash-strapped customers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Walking down Womanby street on a Friday or Saturday night, you\u2019d be forgiven for forgetting about the cost of living crisis. The drone of bleak news reads on double digit inflation, record energy bills, and never-ending strikes begin to fade, all drowned out by the music spilling from the street\u2019s ever-open doors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But for those running the bars and playing the music, the same escape cannot be found. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Generally agreed to have started in late 2021, the cost-of-living crisis began when inflation rose above the Bank of England\u2019s 2% target and into the stratosphere, reaching the highest rate of 11.1% (in October this year), according to the Consumer Price Index.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But what does this mean for Cardiff\u2019s historic music scene, having found itself back on its feet after the nightmare of COVID uncertainty?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The issues<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

David Ball works as the music industry sector manager for Creative Wales, a government agency tasked with promoting the growth of Welsh creative industries. He works closely with venues, artists, labels and producers, meeting regularly with an advisory board of industry specialists to discuss the issues within the sector. According to Mr Ball and venue managers, the biggest problems facing venues at the moment are threefold, and they\u2019re the ones you might expect:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. Higher running costs. According to the Music Venues Trust, venues are facing an average hike in running costs of 317%. This is an average increase of \u00a35,179.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Lower footfall. <\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Less disposable income means that once people are in through the doors, they are often spending less.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
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    The uncertainty is the hardest part. No-one knows how long it’ll go on or how bad it’ll get.<\/p>\nDavid Ball, Creative Wales<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cThe biggest thing at the moment across the board is the rising costs of utilities,” Mr Ball said. \u201cIt\u2019s an absolute nightmare for venues.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cYou\u2019re running a huge amount of power when you\u2019ve got events on because they\u2019re big buildings, and they\u2019re old buildings. They weren\u2019t built with insulation in mind.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cWe\u2019ve sent messages upwards to ministers, so we\u2019ll see what we can do, but the uncertainty is the hardest part of it. No-one knows how long it\u2019ll go on or how bad it\u2019ll get.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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