WHEN THE MUSIC STOPS

Brighton’s music scene attracts audiences from all over the country. Now the city’s small venues and promoters are fighting to survive

- Duncan Hall

During one weekend in May across Brighton 40 venues have queues pouring out of their doors as 400 new artists and 3,000 music industry delegates descend on the city. But this year, instead of hosting The Great Escape Festival, promoters and venues were launching crowdfunding campaigns.

Last month Brighton promoter Anna Moulson’s crowdfunding campaign raised £8,151 of a £15,000 target towards keeping her business Melting Vinyl afloat – it usually employs seven core freelancers and a pool of 60 other helpers. Since the late 1990s she has brought international and national touring acts to the city, ranging from Fleet Foxes, The Strokes, and The White Stripes, to Sinead O’Connor, Bat For Lashes, and Laura Marling in venues including Kemp Town’s beautiful St George’s Church. In recent years Melting Vinyl has programmed the annual Lewes Psychedelic Festival, organized parties in art galleries, and put on shows in Kent. In response to the lockdown, she has given up the lease on her city center office and started working from home. “After the 2008 recession about 50 per cent of our audience stopped coming out,” she says over a Zoom call. “It was only in the past few years that it felt like we had recovered from that.” In response, she had focused the Melting Vinyl brand on nurturing a specific audience. “I carved a niche for myself,” she says. “I went from being a commercial promoter who did a lot of hot artists – who go onto bigger promoters – to put on fewer shows and focus on quality. We have a strong relationship with our audience, so when interesting artists come through we can take a chance.”