Reporting from Boston, US. Independent music here is in quite rough shape with the cost of rent here ballooning massively over the past couple decades. Dingy rehearsal spaces and basement venues are being redeveloped into various other commercial ventures and high end apartments. The once legendary scene that gave birth to Aerosmith, The Cars, Boston (the band), and Pixies is still grinding in the underground but its not like it was.
Depressing to read - heartbreaking to watch a piece of music history being converted into swanky apartments. You’d think city mayors and local government would want to preserve historic cultural locations, but in the end money wins I guess.
Honestly I think our mayor and governor have all the best intentions. They’ll try to do various initiatives for creatives on the margins where they can. But the legal framework in most US cities was massively slanted toward moneyed interests and old people beginning around the 1960s, particularly around real estate. So those in charge today only have so much power.
That’s a fair point, the system itself is geared towards money over cultural support. I hope what the UK is planning to do with this venue levy might help, and perhaps that could serve as a useful model for other countries
Keen to hear from any of who you have noticed your independent live scenes collapsing - especially if you’re not UK based
Reporting from Boston, US. Independent music here is in quite rough shape with the cost of rent here ballooning massively over the past couple decades. Dingy rehearsal spaces and basement venues are being redeveloped into various other commercial ventures and high end apartments. The once legendary scene that gave birth to Aerosmith, The Cars, Boston (the band), and Pixies is still grinding in the underground but its not like it was.
Depressing to read - heartbreaking to watch a piece of music history being converted into swanky apartments. You’d think city mayors and local government would want to preserve historic cultural locations, but in the end money wins I guess.
Honestly I think our mayor and governor have all the best intentions. They’ll try to do various initiatives for creatives on the margins where they can. But the legal framework in most US cities was massively slanted toward moneyed interests and old people beginning around the 1960s, particularly around real estate. So those in charge today only have so much power.
That’s a fair point, the system itself is geared towards money over cultural support. I hope what the UK is planning to do with this venue levy might help, and perhaps that could serve as a useful model for other countries