Musicians Dream Big but Pay Big: Could an Artists' Fund Strike the Right Chord?

Being a musician is not just about playing instruments or singing on stage. For many artists like Sonja Sleator from Belfast, it is a job that comes with many costs. Sonja plays the electric guitar and writes her own songs. She says that being a musician is expensive because she has to pay for lessons, buy instruments, travel to different places for shows, and even pay for recording her first songs. All of these things cost money, and most of the time, Sonja has to pay for them herself. She wishes that the government in Northern Ireland would help artists by giving them a basic income, just like the Republic of Ireland does. In Ireland, there is a program that gives artists a regular income so they can focus on their art. Sonja believes that if musicians had this support, they could create more music and have more time to do what they love. She also thinks it would help music venues because more musicians could afford to play there, which would bring in more people and help the venues stay open.

Today, being a musician means doing a lot more than just making music. Musicians have to be their own managers, promote their music on social media, book their own shows, and release their songs on platforms like Spotify. Sonja says, 'Being a musician is a really expensive way of work. You have to pay for recording, you've got to pay for petrol to get to the gigs, you have to pay for practice space. ' Even though the government in Northern Ireland knows that artists are important and make life better for everyone, there is no money in the budget right now to help them.

Lisa Dawson is another musician who feels the pressure of money. She is a singer and pianist who lives in Islandmagee. Lisa is lucky because she works as a teacher for most of the year, so she gets a regular paycheck. But during the summer, she does not have any money coming in. She says that a basic income would help her get through those months when she is not working. Lisa tries to save money for the summer, but it is not easy. There are some grants for artists in Northern Ireland, but Lisa says they are hard to find and even harder to get. Most of the time, she pays for her own music projects and hopes she can make the money back by selling tickets or getting a show from the council if they have funding.

Susie Blue is a singer-songwriter from Belfast who is very passionate about her music. She believes that art is not just something extra, but something people need. Susie says that if musicians had a basic income, they could spend more time making music instead of worrying about their other jobs. She says that every musician she knows has another job, whether it is in the arts or something else like working in a cafe or an office. There are some grants in Northern Ireland, but not everyone can get them. Susie says it is hard to plan for the future because you never know if you will have enough money to keep making music.

In Dublin, Alison O'Donnell is a singer-songwriter who was one of the first people to get the Basic Income for the Arts in Ireland. Alison is 73 years old and has spent the last 29 years making music, so she cannot get a pension. The basic income has helped her a lot. With the money, she has been able to pay for promotion, production work, and even hire other musicians to play with her. She has also been able to help other musicians and do things at home that she could not do before. Alison says that the basic income has made a huge difference in her life and her music. She feels more supported and is able to give more of her time to her art and to helping others.