Are we forgetting how to appreciate music properly?

“So much of today’s music business is backward looking. And you can understand why record companies do that. If you’ve got an established artist who’s already sold loads of albums, there’s no need to invest in that artist. You can just sit back and watch the money come in.

“But what are the next generation of kids going to listen to? And the one after that? For a business to be successful, there has to be investment. I have to invest in myself. So does anybody reading this interview who wants to make music. And it used to be the record companies’ job to invest in the artists that they thought had merit. The first album might not sell well, but the second and third might be massive.

“These days, a lot of artists never even get to release a second album. If you’re not getting the required amount of YouTube views and you’re not big on TikTok, it’s game over. To me, that’s the complete opposite of artistry and creativity because you’re only giving an artist a very slim chance to make their mark. If you don’t do things this way, you’re fucked.

“Pre-pandemic, about 80% of my revenue came from merchandise and live work. I was still having to work 45 hours a week in the record shop… to live, to buy food. It’s probably changed now because I have got a bit more well known and I’ve been able to sign a publishing deal, but there are so many artists out there who are struggling.

“I’m not saying there isn’t any decent music being made because there is, but it sometimes feels like the world’s forgetting how to appreciate art and music. Everything we hear comes through certain channels and that automatically limits what we hear. Where is that going to leave us? Where would it have left all those great, independentminded artists of the past?

“Try this experiment. Take away all your music. All your records and CDs, all the stuff you listen to on download and streaming. Take all the independent film and TV channels. Take away all the pictures on your walls.

“All you can listen to, all you can watch and all you can hang on the walls has to come via the mainstream. How long do you think you’d last?”