Could the UK cost of living Crisis break the UK music Industry?
As of the 1st of October 2022.
The Uk general public is expected to receive their Autumn bills for Electricity and Gas bills.
For months now, UK financial experts, government officials, and the general public have been talking about the pending cost of living crisis.
Despite all the changes made to our government and who will be leading it, This is yet another timely matter.
After Boris Johnson had stepped down as Prime Minister.
Then being replaced by a new Prime Minister. Who goes by the name of Mary Elizabeth Truss.
Events have moved rapidly
The Boris Johnson resignation speech that happened on 7th July 2022
Then after months of waiting, we were to see the result of Elizabeth Trust being appointed as the New Leader of the Conservative Party. Who is now the present-day Prime Minister of the UK as of the 5th and 6th of September 2022.
The acceptance of Liz Truss becoming the new UK Prime Minister and more - 5th and 6th September 2022
Liz Truss - The new UK Prime Minister speaking about the Death of Queen Elizabeth 2 - 9th September 2022
However, Liz Truss (as she is preferred to be called) – the New Prime Minister had taken up a very dark period of time in UK history.
Together with the national mourning of The Death of the Queen, the eye-watering inflation figures for the country, and finally The Cost of Living Crisis.
All of this has hit us all. right between the eyes particularly all at the same period of time.
Below is a quick explanation of the UK cost of living Crisis – 2022
It seems as if we have inherited a Government that is supposed to steer us out it of what was mentioned above.
However, in just over 3 x weeks, this version of the UK Government has already made a mess of what it was trying to fix.
The UK Chancellor - Kwasi Kwarteng spoke from the dispatch box within the House of Commons in London and explained what measures he was going to lay down to the UK Parliament and the UK nation as a whole.
Kwasi Kwarteng delivers sweeping cuts in latest mini-budget – 23 SEPT, 2022
Here below we witness the UK media's thoughts on Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng's mini-budget
Good Morning Britain - TV Programme thoughts about the Mini Budget 26th September 2022.
We also find out what the UK newspapers thought about the direction of the present UK government as well
Please click on the link below.
What the Uk Newspapers are saying 27 September 2022
So with all this bad news.
Does this mean that we are providing fertile ground for Britain’s next rebellious, musical counterculture?
What do I mean by that? Well, this is it.
There has always been a thought that when a country is going through a difficult period. The nation's Musicians, seem to produce their best music.
Or a better way to describe it would be when the same "nation's economic forecast/s" may be considered to have a very, gloomy-looking future ahead of it.
The belief is that the youth of the country will react by listening to rebellious new music and joining its counterculture. Or better still, actually make rebellious music themselves.
It seems Doom and gloom, are everywhere you look these days.
However, at least this "generation" might decide to create really good music, to counter this Doom and Gloom fog that hangs over the UK at the moment.
Going back in time and history.
The UK Punk Rock movement and to a lesser extent the 2-Tone/Ska movement grew within the UK during the middle to the late 1970s.
It was rebellious and as anti-establishment as it could have been – especially the Uk Punk Rock music movement.
Britain also found itself in a “Recession" within that same period. The youth culture and working-class populace of the UK seemed to be rebelling against Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's political ideology at the time.
The same seemed to have happened across the “pond” with the then-president. Ronald Reagan.
The US Punk Rock movement grew with some substance.
In fact please read this article that was written in March 2016 by Tony Rettman.
The title gives it away. It reads like this.
Why Ronald Reagan was the best thing that ever happened to Punk Rock music in the US
The Thatcher era, which ran parallel to Roland Regan's time in power has been described as the “Heyday of Political Pop music”
Pop Songs that come to my mind from that period (from the UK angle of things) from the early to late 1980s are “Stand Down” by Margaret by The Beat, “Ghost Town” by The Specials, “One in Ten” by UB40 and Morrissey’s – “Margaret on the Guillotine” – 1988.
Why did some people "LOVE" Margaret Thatcher? Whilst, others loathed her.
Please check out this article below. Then you can make your judgments. I will be honest to you. I did not hate Margaret Thatcher
Why did some people "love" Margaret Thatcher? Whilst, others loathed her.
Margaret Thatcher: the villain of political pop by Dorian Lynskey - 2013
I will be honest with you all. I did not hate Margaret Thatcher. I got to meet her at my place of work in my early 20s.
She was courteous and quite funny.
Not the "Iron Lady persona that she got from the World media. But some of her political policies and ideas I did not agree with.
Getting back to these times - There’s no arguing that right at this moment we’re in a right mess.
Relating this to the UK music industry.
Venues and recording studios are looking likely to close due to the unaffordable energy prices and bills.
RECORDING STUDIOS COULD FACE CLOSURE DUE TO ROCKETING ENERGY PRICES - 31 August 2022
We now learn that Spotify Music subscriptions are down -
Cost of living: Music subscriptions canceled to save money - June 2022
We are also learning that the independent radio boom within the UK might soon be going to the wall.
Or simply put – Out of Business.
It feels harder than ever: independent radio stations under threat from rising bills - Sept 2022
Lastly, after all that, we have a problem with Gig tickets. They are too expensive.
Live music is way too expensive right now - July 2022
Regardless of how bad the economy is, how hopeless our governments are, or how desperate the music industry becomes.
I still believe that young people out there will never stop making good music and generating new trends.
I myself have lived through the UK punk Rock music movement, Britpop/2nd UK Invasion music, Acid House music, and the UK Garage movement craze here in the Uk which saw youngsters of that period of time adopt a DIY or Independent approach to tackling the music Industry.
And with that changing the whole musical infrastructure all at the same time.
The question is this
Are we going to see a musical movement as massive as Punk Rock music, Britpop/2nd UK Invasion music, Acid House music, or even the UK Garage movement emerging as a direct response to Liz Truss, the UK prime Minister's era?
I don't think so personally. It seems that the subject of Pop music is not taken as seriously as it was by previous generations.
But what do you think?
Please give us your thoughts on this.
We would love to find out your thoughts on this question.
Or in fact, what are your thoughts on the whole thing?
We would love to hear them. Just voice your opinions via email back to me.
PLEASE HAVE A READ OF THIS ARTICLE AS WELL (CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW)
The Amazing U-Turn of the UK Government and the UK Music Report for 2022
*This article was only done for Educational and News awareness purposes. Not at any time was this article written to achieve financial gain from when this article was written, to the present time, or in the foreseeable future.
*It was created for Educational and News awareness purposes only. If a take-down notice is required please get in touch with us. So that we can do this*
Well, that's all folks for me now anyway.
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