WINTER | THE ANATOMY OF…
Jamie Scahill, organiser of Highest
Point Festival and co-promoter of
Funkademia - Manchester longest
running club night:
"Being a promoter isn't easy. It's
stressful, can be isolating, and the
added financial pressures do put a
strain on family life and relationships.
It's worth it because there is no
better feeling than creating events
that people enjoy, but from years
of experience and from juggling
many (many!) projects at once, I have
been forced to take a step back and
delegate responsibilities when I am
feeling particularly overwhelmed."
DJ and promoter at Soundwaves and
Electric Wave Festival, Ed Mackie:
“ I think promoting has been both
a gift and a curse over the years.
Having spent over 15 years running
events has been a roller-coaster, at
first was just a bit of fun.
Then, once I started putting large
amounts of money on the line I really
felt the pressures of the whole will
anyone come? And worried about
other uncontrollable factors like the
weather making an event fail.
Promoting is like calculated
gambling, and with that comes
the similar buzz we all chase when
delivering a great event that everyone
enjoys. Then, there are the lows when
no one turns up.
When a gig has been hard to sell
and a lot of work, I certainly ended up
with restless nights, stress and poor
eating habits, as I worked day and
night to try and turn it around.”
80%
Over 80% of people working in the music
industry are suffering with consistent
levels of stress, anxiety and depression.
65% of promoters said they
frequently felt an ‘intense and
unmanageable' level of pressure. Almost half (47%) said their work in
music often led to a constant feeling
of anxiety and sadness.
37% said they ‘frequently’ have
financial problems, which
contributes to feelings of stress,
anxiety and depression. Nearly one in three promoters
(30%) say they frequently feel
like they are spoken to in an
unacceptable way
4 IN 10
Nearly four in 10
(38%) said working
in promotions
had affected their
relationships with
their partner or
spouse.
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