Levelling the paying field

It’s a hard time to be a music fan on a budget. But across the DICE network, grassroots venues and promoters are rolling out new strategies to ensure that the cost of living crisis doesn’t prevent fans from going out and seeing the artists they love. From ticket donation schemes to no-questions-asked tiered pricing models, we delve into what’s on offer.

“The cost of living crisis has hit us really, really hard,” says Sammy Clarke, cofounder of Margate venue Whereelse? (formerly Elsewhere), which has hosted Self Esteem, Jockstrap, Black Country, New Road, and Porridge Radio since it opened in 2018. “It’s one of those things that’s affecting absolutely everybody, so it makes sense to try to respond to that, and create a system that acknowledges people’s different financial situations. I think it’s our job to be as flexible as possible with that knowledge, and try to enact good business strategy and compassion.” 

Whereelse? was the recipient of similar compassion in autumn 2022: to cover rising bills (Sammy says their energy bills have increased by 150%, and advanced ticket sales have been in decline since April), the venue launched a Crowdfunder campaign that has raised nearly £30,000 to date; and hosted an auction of works donated by artists in their community. 

Last summer, Sammy began piloting a tiered ‘Pay What You Feel’ pricing programme, which invites fans to pay the price they can afford based on their financial situation: no or low wage, good wage, or comfortable earner. Those feeling especially generous can buy an additional ‘Pay It Forward’ ticket to cover a stranger’s admission. 

“It’s a system based on goodwill and trust, and the ratio has been pretty healthy – there’s some people who’ve gone in for the higher ticket, which offsets the small loss on the low-wage ticket. Everyone knows how their contribution allows somebody else to access the arts, so there’s a feel-good factor built into it for those who have got a bit more money to spend,” says Sammy. 

London-based punk label and promoter Beth Shalom Records also allocates a number of £5 tickets for fans on low incomes to attend some of its pricier shows. Founder Joe Booley – who runs the company with his wife, innovation and sustainability coordinator Estie Booley – got his start in DIY punk spaces and wanted to maintain that foundational ethos of accessibility. 

“In certain areas of the country, you’ll see posters that say no one will be turned away from an event due to lack of funds. So, from a DIY point of view, that attitude has always been there. It’s quite a big thing that no one’s turned away based on what they earn, or what they have in their bank,” says Joe. 

For Estie, financial accessibility is at the core of any good punk scene. “Punk music was made for disenfranchised people who’ve been excluded by society, so I think it’s inconsistent to create a scene where they can’t afford to come,” she says, noting that isolating the poorest from the scene would disproportionately affect trans and disabled people, carers, and other groups that have historically faced financial hardship.

“If it was just a rich kids hang-out, fine, maybe we’d all make money and be happy. But there’s authenticity to what we do, and I’d lose interest if I didn’t feel that what we were doing was important.”

Since 2021, London programming agency LNZRT – whose partners include Wide Awake festival, MOTH Club and The Shacklewell Arms – has been working with music industry advice platform Route to offer free gig tickets to fans from marginalised groups. Through the ‘This Must Be For You Community Fund’, people can choose to purchase extra tickets at the time of booking, which are then offered to charities across the UK to distribute in their communities. Some of these include youth mentoring charity Arts Emergency; Hackney Circle, a creative community for the elderly; and the disability-led arts organisation Carousel. 

The initiative was spearheaded by LNZRT’s Head of Venue Programming and Route cofounder Georgia Hardy. The beauty of the scheme, she explains, is that it relies solely on the generosity of their community, meaning venues and artists aren’t left out of pocket. 

“We’re aware that promoters – especially independent promoters – are all operating on a shoestring, so we didn’t want to pass the costs on to them,” says Georgia. Rather, she hopes people will see their donations as investments in their scenes and culture.

“If you do invest in the community, you’ll have more bands and you’ll have more artists in that community, because the more people that engage with music and the arts, the more likely they’re going to become musicians or artists themselves,” she says. 

Other more informal strategies have been introduced, too. At Whereelse?, for example, if you can’t afford the cheapest tickets then you can barter – Sammy will accept the offer to cook a meal for visiting bands (the venue covers the cost of ingredients). And this past autumn, Georgia’s own dance-punk band, The Regressive Left, offered up their venue-allocated guestlist spots to fans for free during their UK tour. 

While live music venues are far from the only arts spaces offering such models to ease the squeeze (The Barbican has started offering Friday screenings at pay-what-you-can rates; and a new Ticket Bank scheme will soon distribute up to 1,000 free tickets a week to shows at some of London’s leading cultural institutions), Joe believes live music offers a unique escape from the daily grind.

“Experiencing live music is quite cathartic. If that was to be taken away from people, whether by choice or not, based on expenses, I feel like it could have a negative effect on their mental health,” says Joe. “Listening to an album at home is nothing in comparison to experiencing it live. Yes, you might get the same goosebumps in both settings, but you won’t get that overwhelming feeling of being within it.” 

Sammy echoes this theory. “I think it’s vital during such a dark hour that you meet up with some friends, or share a room with a group of people with whom you can probably guarantee you share some values with, and have that feeling of communion with other people – because it’s very easy to feel isolated at the moment. Sometimes, you can come out of a gig feeling like you’ve just come out of some kind of spiritual, sermon-like experience. It’s definitely more interesting, I would say, than going to the pub.”

Planning your next night out? 

Explore events with tickets under £5 on DICE.