This latest report from Youth Music makes for an interesting, if slightly depressing read... Social class is found above all else to influence a young person's chances of forging a career in the music industry. Those from lower income backgrounds are significantly less likely to be earning money through music than those from higher income backgrounds - even if they have both studied music at school, college or university.
Not a huge surprise - lack of industry contacts, affordability of instruments and private lessons (when music facilities in schools are so severely lacking) and the fact that 86% of internships in music and the arts are unpaid (sorry, but is this even legal?), all contribute to working class kids having a much harder time of breaking through.
Here's hoping that whatever happens on 4th July, there is more investment in the arts and more focus on levelling the playing field for everyone who dreams about a career in music. We can't keep expecting amazing charities like Youth Music to shoulder all the responsibility.
The creative industries in the UK have a problem with working-class representation. How can we build a music industry that better reflects our society?
We explored the topic in a new feature: https://lnkd.in/ezQZSn-W