Andrew Lloyd Webber spoke to host and Assist Musicians ambassador Chris Difford – a founding member of band Squeeze. The dialogue happened on the most recent episode in a brand new sequence of the podcast I By no means Thought It Would Occur.
The legendary composer revealed a candid view that his musical Jesus Christ Famous person may not reduce via in at present’s business, because of listener habits on streaming providers. He says: “I’m unsure individuals would take heed to an album the identical manner individuals did then… A lot now’s completed via streaming. It makes it very tough for younger impartial songwriters to get off the bottom with a good crack on the whip.”
Sharing particulars on Stephen Ward, his manufacturing which closed in lower than 4 months, he laments, “That was a really unlucky second for me as a result of I had about 4 years of my life the place I used to be ailing due to a again operation which went unsuitable. I ought to have gotten everyone to say drop it for the second and stated I’m not effectively sufficient to offer my finest to it.
Discussing the present state of the theatre panorama, he discloses, “It’s getting very tough now to make manufacturing ends meet until you’re an enormous, enormous hit. The lifeblood of musical theatre is getting quite squeezed out”.
He factors to regional theatres as the answer to this, claiming that, “The easiest way to get one’s work out now’s to do it via one of many regional theatres. Typically they’ve obtained subsidies and might afford to do issues that industrial producers in all probability can’t now. Later within the episode he declared, “proper now I in all probability couldn’t get the funding for a number of the concepts that I’ve had”.
Trying ahead to his subsequent profession transfer and the way forward for the business, Andrew Lloyd Webber stated, “I’m starting to assume the subsequent factor I do could go a unique manner. I feel there’s a enormous future in immersive theatre” and predicts “there’s going to be a time when it’s not completed in all the traditional areas in the identical manner”. as a result of unconventional areas don’t have the “outdated union restrictions, enormous prices that the theatre house owners take”.
The revealing podcast sequence from Assist Musicians is introduced by the charity’s ambassador, Chris Difford, and has beforehand featured many massive names, from legendary artists like Sting, Robbie Williams, Nile Rodgers and Kelly Jones, via to modern superstars like Blossoms, Olivia Dean and Yungblud.
Assist Musicians presents a variety of help for everybody within the business. Musicians and people working within the music business can name Music Minds Matter’s helpline without spending a dime to talk to an accredited counsellor who can supply emotional help, recommendation and data. Extra info could be discovered at musicmindsmatter.org.uk
