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‘The UK music industry is worth a lot of money – £5.2 billion a year – but more than that, live music makes you feel beautiful. There’s nothing better than being in a room full of likeminded people dancing to the same sound. People come from all around the world to London nights and events: that’s really rare and we have to protect it.
‘One of the saviours at the moment is Bandcamp. Every first Friday of the month, they waive their fees, which means artists get 100 percent of the money from selling tracks or merch. It’s a way to support artists whether they’re really established or up-and-coming. It’s been a huge help for a lot of people. It’s meant they can pay their rent, buy food or even just release another EP. Going to safe, Covid-secure events [when it’s allowed] is another way to support artists you love.
‘One of the beautiful things that’s happened during Covid is people coming together to support their favourite spaces, like The Cause or Five Miles. If you can, contribute to crowdfunders raising money for venues you don’t want to lose. I think a lot of people took clubbing for granted before and now we need communities to come together to make sure music venues don’t end up in the hands of greedy property developers.
‘Covid has shown we need to make clubbing more inclusive in the future. Amazing London nights like Pxssy Palace and BBZ have been calling for more inclusivity for years, putting on nights that cater for people with disabilities and getting all sorts of uproar from saying Black Lives Matter. It’s important to support nights like this in the future. I think we’re going to have to rely on the goodness of local communities and collectives to get the music sector back on its feet.’
Go to @iamsherelle on Twitter for a list of Black producers, artists and Black-owned labels to support on Bandcamp.
These gifts for London culture junkies are also a great way to support venues and artists right now.