MusicRadar

They might look hard up, but Arctic Monkeys have done pretty well from their music

View in gallery

But why are artists being wrung for all they're worth? Has the current culture of 'doing it yourself' been detrimental to the artist? After all, why should a venue promoter put hard work into promoting an event when the artist does it anyway? Record labels, major or indie, want their artists to be fully self-sufficient even before any record deal, because they're losing money and can't afford to splash out on small artists and take risks as they once did.

It is a sad truth that artists have to scramble for ways to glean every last penny they can from their music, but if they want to commit themselves to their art full-time rather than get normal job then it's the only choice they have. It's ironic, in this day of the minimum wage and improving rights for workers, that music makers are finding things harder and feeling the pinch. Let's hope then that something is done about it. Artists and bands work exceptionally hard, and deserve, at least, to be able to make a living.