Open letter to our Chancellor...
Dear Rishi,
Your comments were really upsetting for musicians and artists who are regularly looked upon in society as not having 'proper jobs', despite having degrees, many years of training and hours and hours of hard graft to hone their skills.
Emerging artists in particular will be the last to have live performance opportunities when gigs and shows are widely possible once again, at which point they will have lost key performance development time and were likely forced to do other work to make ends meet. There will be a gaping hole in our creative industries for years to come if we lose thousands of highly skilled and talented creatives, whose work has entertained and carried people through these difficult times.
Until you fully recognise the value arts professionals bring to our society and economy, we will continue to be unsupported.
-MEI
As someone who aspires to be a successful artist, I’ve always felt growing up that expressing my aspirations in professional environments (school, for example) always had a half-hearted, doubtful response from superiors. From young we’re shown the arts to be an ‘add-on’ in life rather than an essential, and not a career path we should really be choosing. At school we must focus on Maths, English and Science and if you like music do that in your spare time. Music is what drives me and makes me feel like myself, it may not be everyone’s passion but it’s mine and there are so many others who share the same feeling. So tell me, why must our dreams change when everyone else’s can remain the same?
For you, the UK Chancellor, to so publicly dismiss those in the music industry just shows what little thought this government has had for us during the pandemic and the little respect they have for struggling musicians, sound engineers, artist managers, musical event organisers etc., as if this line of work isn’t as necessary as some others.
The music industry should not be treated as lesser than. You wouldn’t tell a young aspiring athlete, accountant or teacher to give up on their dreams right no because of the effects that covid-19 is having on the world, so why is that very message being sent to musicians? Our aspirations are not lesser than, our skills are not lesser than and instead of the government encouraging us to give up, they should be helping us. They shouldn’t feel so comfortable with the idea that we must all change to suit the fact that they are struggling to deal with the virus. One day the world won’t be like this, and what are people going to have left if you ask them to let go of their passions?
So no, I won’t be looking to retrain and pick some other job that suits you better, because none of us should have to.
-ERIN KIA
I left my family in the Netherlands to study and pursue a career in music here. I am now tens of thousands of pounds in debt. I’ve invested so much time and money into growing as a musician and being able to entertain other people. This isn’t just a hobby. It’s a real job and to be told to simply retrain and find another job is absolutely ridiculous. It just shows how much the government fail to care about the arts. Don’t you realise that you are surrounded by art every single day?
-JALEESA
The comments from you last week were a complete disservice to a sector that has enriched the lives of many, and indeed the economy. Your words devalued many brilliant people I have had the privilege of meeting and working alongside - those who have dedicated their lives to pursuing passions, honing their talents and building careers in the music industry. It perfectly captures the sentiment of our current Government that promotes national unity to the extent that it serves their political ends, yet where this ceases to be of use, individuals are left entirely without support.
Most importantly for me, your comments risk increasing stratification within an industry that is already rightly critiqued for perpetuating structures of privilege. Diversifying access to the creative sector has been a long and ongoing project, far from complete. With defunding of the arts, and the proliferation of a discourse that frames jobs in music as opulent persuits rather than viable careers for creative young people, we are set on a path to the homogenisation of a sector that derives it's power and influence from diversity.
-AL GREENWOOD
I was born and raised in Italy, a beautiful country that I left at the age of 19, in search of better opportunities as a young musician. I have always loved music coming from the UK, and surprisingly for me music seemed to be valued as a noble cultural resource here in the UK. By the time I moved to London, I started looking at my future and my career prospects with enthusiasm and positivity.
London was a mother for me as a young adult and the safety in which I could swiftly move between studying music and practicing my live project in real life scenarios, which allowed me to grow and become who I am right now as an artist and person. What I found really precious about living in the UK was that my profession was acknowledged and fairly retributed at every stage. I worked my way from nothing and built up a whole career thanks to grassroots organisations and national foundations who endorsed and sponsored my project. I will not forget how much confidence and pride they have brought to my life and I will keep doing what I was born for because a world without authentic people doing what they were born for, is not a world worth living in. Music and the arts are a resource for mental health and the wellbeing of our societies, which is something that I have ironically rediscovered here, in a place that I now call home.
Retraining is not an option for me, neither is being left to my own devices in the middle of a global pandemic. I sincerely hope you will offer more credible guidelines to take care of those people like me who have been such a key element of the British culture today.
-SANS SOUCIS
I’m someone who has always dreamed of becoming an artist and having a creative career. It is extremely disheartening to hear someone in your position suggest that all creatives, whether they are in the early stages of building their career or are fully established artists, to "retrain", so nonchalantly. Having someone in a position of power completely disregard years of juggling multiple jobs in an attempt to maintain a career that is often deemed "unattainable" and "unrealistic" is so very discouraging.
One thing that is unrealistic is telling people to "retrain”. Would you want to start from scratch after years of building your current career? Would you willingly undergo the experiences of a 20-something year old who is fighting to establish themselves in a career that is new to them? May I ask that you please think with care and compassion before you make fleeting statements such as the one you made last week, as they can and will have a detrimental impact on many people’s lives.
-LA
