Kate Nash says UK grassroots venues are “almost at collapse”Kate Nash has recently emerged as a champion of grassroots music culture, while also highlighting how difficult it is for artists to survive financially in 2024.
The musician revealed last month that she was using OnlyFans to raise money for her UK/EU tour in a campaign called Butts For Tour Buses, emphasising that thanks to rising costs, working in music is becoming more of a “passion project” than a viable career.

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Nash then took her “bum on the back of a fire truck” protest to the London offices of Live Nation and Spotify as well as the Houses of Parliament, where she said: “The industry is in crisis, the music industry has failed artists, and is completely unsustainable, and my arse is shining a light on that.”
In a new interview with NME, Nash has expanded on just how bad the issues in the music industry are.
“We’re almost at collapse,” she says. “It can only go on to be something we all complain about behind the scenes for so long until you start to see it crumble.”
“The reality is that touring is making losses, not profit. The grassroots is in absolute crisis. Venues are closing, festivals are being cancelled. People are thinking, ‘What’s the point in starting a band?’ and ‘How can I as an artist carry on?’
She continues: “It’s creating an impossible environment for working class people to be able to do this. I think about people going into their 30s and thinking about starting a family. How can they? It becomes an issue of gender, race, misogyny. It’s a very political issue. To exclude people and say ‘music is only for the rich and privileged’ is just really damaging and dangerous. Musicians are so loved by the world and considered so important to our lives. We need to start valuing them.”

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Nash thinks that major labels have significantly contributed to the problem, making millions while the grassroots sector is left to struggle.
“They’re earning millions… but the major labels have decided not to protect artists or value the work that they make, that people are listening to and that people are paying more than they ever have to go on see live,” she explains.
“The major labels should have protected us, and they didn’t. I’m a former major label artist, and they set the standard because they have all the catalogues, but did all their deals under NDAs. It’s all a secret, they’re making loads of money and they don’t give a shit.”
She then calls for the government to intervene – and it’s in their interest to do so when music contributes so significantly to the British economy.
“I think it will happen, and I think major labels are scared – and they should be. There’s a lot of investigation that needs to be done. It has to happen. It’s actually affecting the British economy. It’s not just about music and musicians, and that’s what politicians need to take note of.
“It was reported that one in ten songs that are streamed globally are by British artists, and only about one 30th of that money makes it back to the UK. You’re not just letting down musicians, you’re letting down the British economy. If we don’t have cutting-edge culture and music thriving in the UK, then what do we have to be proud of? You can’t just screw them (musicians) over constantly and expect it not to have an impact. It is.”
Fortunately, help appears to be on the way. The UK government recently backed calls for a £1 ticket levy to be introduced for gigs at arena level and above. Money raised will be used to help grassroots venues survive, similar to how the Premier League funds grassroots football.
A deadline has since been set for March for the music industry to take action before the government will intervene. While it’s a step in the right direction, it’s undeniable that urgent action was needed when 2023 was the worst year for UK venue closures on record. The recent budget hasn’t helped matters either, thanks to new premises taxes adding existing strain to venues.
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