The music industry risks becoming a more hostile place for working-class artists, Tinie Tempah and Skye Newman have said at the Ivor Novello awards.
Without work to save small music venues that act as cradles for nascent music scenes, and specific efforts to find and promote talent from diverse backgrounds, the industry is likely to miss out on the next big thing, they argued.
“If you don’t have different sort of scenes in different parts of the country, then of course your music industry is not representative,” Tempah told the Guardian on the red carpet for the Ivor Novellos, which reward excellence in British and Irish songwriting.
Newman, who grew up on council estates in south-east London and its surrounds, said the industry lacked space for working-class artists. “It’s just one of them things, it’s this world. I do understand it takes a lot of money to go into this job, and people don’t realise that. It takes a team and it costs a lot, so I do see why it’s harder for us.
“But that is not a fair thing, and there should be more things implemented to help people like us – more programmes to find talent in places where they’re struggling and need it. Because at the end of the day, we need it. We need it. This changed my life.”
Newman has spoken passionately in the past about wanting to lower a ladder to people who come from similar backgrounds to hers. In February, she told the Guardian: “There could be so much more love and education put into people who have less because there is so much knowledge in those places; there’s so much talent but they don’t get the same opportunities.”
Tempah has emerged as a champion of smaller music venues in recent months. He has worked with the Save Our Scene campaign, among others. “We’re almost losing a bit of our soft power. If you think of like this tiny little island and how much music we’ve contributed to the whole world, it’s insane,” he said.
“All of these small venues have created a way for seeds to blossom and develop and bloom. Just imagine as a talent, being able to go out on the road, do your 10,000 hours, make your mistakes, fumble your lyrics, get booed, get cheered. It’s almost like a training ground. And if I never had that as an artist, I probably wouldn’t be standing here today.”
Without the platform provided by smaller venues, Tempah said, the industry risked becoming less representative. “The cream will always rise to the top. And so I think artists of various different backgrounds will find themselves at the top of the tree performing in the biggest venues in the country.
“However … scenes typically emerge from different cultures, especially grime. Obviously, grime is for everybody, but it’s predominantly black music … Every 10 years the UK is recognised for bringing a new scene from the underground to the forefront. And I feel we’re kind of lacking on that currently. And I think as a result of what’s happening now with our venues.”
