In the week following her decision to join the online adult platform OnlyFans to help fund her United Kingdom and European tour, singer-songwriter Kate Nash has protested about the state of the music industry outside the headquarters of Live Nation and Spotify in London.
In an article from Far Out, Nash explained her reasoning for becoming an OnlyFans creator, stating, “The issues of the modern music eco-system are becoming all too apparent. We are seeing a select few in the industry become millionaires or even billionaires from touring, most musicians and artists are struggling to be able to afford to play shows.”
In the same article, Nash lamented how even though ticket prices have risen across the board, most musicians haven’t seen any increase in their fees despite the higher costs they have to deal with in areas such as accommodation and promotion. Nash also highlighted the lack of money she earns from streaming and told fans not to support her art by listening to it on platforms.
Then, hours before she took to the stage for a sold-out show at London’s KOKO on November 28th, Nash teamed up with Save Our Scene to project an image of her bottom on an SOS fire truck which stopped by a series of music industry headquarters in London.
Moments after the protest, Nash offered a statement regarding the protest that took place before her show:
“The cost of presenting live music has gone up by 30.3% over the past 2 years. There were 125 venues that closed last year in the UK. And the value of recorded music is extremely low. You’re paid 0.003 of a penny per stream. The industry is in crisis, the music industry has failed artists, and is completely unsustainable, and my ass is shining a light on that. And no one would be listening if my bum wasn’t involved. This is a conversation about agency. And selling pictures of my bum is giving me the agency to reinvest in my creative economy. The music industry does not give me that agency.”
While outside the Live Nation headquarters, Nash highlighted that the company made £22.749 ($28.98) billion in revenue last year. Furthermore, she also accused the music industry giant of being the “main hold-up” in the government’s plan to ensure £1 ($1.27) per ticket for arena and stadium shows is diverted back to grassroots venues.
Furthermore, while outside Spotify’s headquarters, Nash again criticized the Swedish company for paying artists 0.0003p per stream and noted that 80 percent of music on the platform is demonetized due to having less than 1,000 streams.
Photo Credit: Sharon Alagna
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