I'm selling pictures of my body online to fund my touring

Streamers and ticketing sites have left musicians like me facing tough choices

- Kate Nash

It’s the closest thing to magic I can imagine. An invisible thread of connection, between me and the audience, and it’s one of the most important things in my life. I’m talking about gigs, of course — and I’ve been playing them for 19 years. But they’re in crisis and we need to talk about it.

The live music that empowers me and the grassroots of the culture I love so much are under threat. Last year, I saw countless posts from bands and artists cancelling tours or even breaking up because they simply cannot afford to do it anymore.

It’s not news to say that the music business has been built on unethical practices. The deals given to artists have been exploiting them for decades. Both artist and fan have been excluded from the conversation. The terms and conditions of how we experience the thing that we love most have been hidden from us. And the truth is, those terms and conditions are unfair. I recently felt the force of this financial squeeze that is affecting the whole industry.

It no longer makes financial sense to record, release and tour a record in the same year. I saw artists posting that even if they were to drive the van themselves, they still could not make touring work.

I did it myself by playing festivals all summer, saving up a nest egg and putting all of that money into touring. Even that didn’t end up being enough. I started an OnlyFans account in November and am now selling pictures of my arse online to subsidise touring losses.

Admittedly my show costs are considered reasonably high because there are a few things I won’t compromise on.