Melting Vinyl dedicated to bringing creative artists to Brighton & Kent

If you love live music and live in Brighton and Kent, chances are you’ve been to a Melting Vinyl gig. As a grassroots arts organisation built on a passion for arts and culture with a shoestring budget,  like many cultural organisations, we have been hit hard by the coronavirus lock down. 

As a small independent business operating on tight margins, we are struggling to meet our outgoings during this prolonged period of live music silence and we are asking for your vital donations to help us through this juncture so we can see you on the other side and celebrate some first-rate live music together.

“Melting Vinyl have been at the heart of Brighton’s music scene, putting on an amazing range of gigs for more than 20 years” – Jon Southcoasting (Photographer, Brighton Source)  

Since the government announced that citizens should ‘avoid pubs and clubs and minimise social contact’ Melting Vinyl has worked tirelessly to reschedule and postpone all our shows for the foreseeable future and we are incredibly grateful to the artists and local venues for their unending cooperation as well as the patience and understanding of the ticket holders.

Whilst we are determined to make sure these gigs all go ahead, the lock down has had an enormous impact on the company. This gap in business is potentially devastating, particularly for our talented core freelance team  as well as the further sixty freelancers who have seen their work disappear – many of them are not in a position to take advantage of the government Self-Employed benefit scheme.  

Whilst this chapter may not last for too much longer Melting Vinyl is preparing for the reality that we will not be back in full swing for some considerable time The gap in gig income means we are faced with an alarming shortfall. 

This is our call to arms… can you chip in and help us ride the wave?

HOW CAN YOU HELP?

We are asking for donations to help us face the challenge of closure until the late summer and possibly beyond. Every penny will help! 

To donate please visit  paypal.me/longlivemeltingvinyl

Please feel free to share the link with your friends and family 

Even if you’ve never come to a Melting Vinyl show but like the sound of what we’re doing please do help to support arts, culture and live music and consider supporting us.

ABOUT MELTING VINYL

Founded in Brighton in 1998 by  Anna Moulson, Melting Vinyl began as a one-woman business, with Anna programming up to 200 shows a year in venues like the Freebutt and Prince Albert and going on to showcase local, national and international talent, many of whom were championed by the late great John Peel and, more recently, BBC 6 Music.

We are extremely proud to have worked with the likes of The Strokes, The White Stripes, Sigur Ros, Sufjan Stevens, Nick Cave,  Benjamin Clementine, Martha Wainwright, Ezra Furman, Laura Veirs, Fleet Foxes, Jon Hopkins, Beirut, Spiritualized, Calvin Harris, The Staves, Sharon Van Etten, Kimya Dawson, Wild Beasts, Johnny Flynn, Cate Le Bon, Joan as a Policewoman, GSYBE!, This is the Kit, Bat for Lashes, British Sea Power, Julia Holter, Gwenno, TVAM, LAU, Pom Poko,  The Handsome Family Anna Calvi, Laura Marling, Gruff Rhys… the list goes on.

“A Melting Vinyl promoted show has always been a seal of approval for us. From the early seminal gigs in the tiny old Freebutt to their magical Hanbury Ballroom shows, the more recent glorious St.George’s or Unitarian church events or their involvement in the brilliantly kaleidoscopic Lewes Psych Festival, Anna and her team have always had a knack for quality gig curation. They have formed an integral part of the local live music scene and this wouldn’t be the same place to live without the work they put into promoting artists of all sizes, across all genres.” – Nat and Derry (Resident Records)

Over the last twenty or more years, Melting Vinyl has gone from strength to strength, despite the challenging market and competitive world of live music, and have been delighted to become firmly knitted into the fabric of Brighton’s and Kent’s vibrant music scene. We operate within tight margins but we have thrived thanks to the passion of our evolving team, the wonderful mix of local venues, and supportive music-loving audiences.

Melting Vinyl is also very mindful of inclusiveness, the modern music scene can often seem inaccessible to certain members of the community from either side of the stage, and Anna’s name is synonymous with her work ethos, particularly in supporting up-and-coming artists and encouraging people of all ages.

“It can be incredibly tough to make it in the ageist music industry, especially for women. It is very important for me that my staff, the artists I programme and the audiences that come to my gigs embrace people of all ages and give women a platform.” – Anna Moulson

“Melting Vinyl is a rare breed of truly dedicated independent promoter. We love working with MV. Their vision is always clear and executed in a professional and friendly way. Having played for them as a musician and put their stuff on at The Rose Hill, I know how fair, genuine and lovely they are with their finger on the pulse for new local acts. Also always offering vital learning opportunities for volunteers just starting out. We can’t lose Melting Vinyl! PLUS it’s headed by the charismatic powerhouse that is Anna Moulson a strong female in a scene that is otherwise dominated by men!” – Kassia Zermon (The Rosehill: creative director)

A BIT MORE ABOUT US

From intimate sixty capacity shows at The Greys Pub to sold-out six-hundred capacity concerts at Kemptown’s St George’s Church, Melting Vinyl shows are all about attention to detail with quality performances, friendly staff, welcoming venues and both artists and audiences considered key to what we do.

“Melting Vinyl have been at the heart of Brighton’s music scene, putting on an amazing range of gigs for more than 20 years”  – Jon Southcoasting (Photographer, Brighton Source)

We encourage local artists to support established bands, to DJ on the night, or to give them a platform through our networks for their EP/Record launch. It’s good to be in a position where our taste is shared by Brighton and Kent audiences alike. Melting Vinyl has given the following artists, amongst others, their first shows Natasha Khan (Bat for Lashes), Emiliana Torrini, Jo Mount (Metronomy), and  British Sea Power.

Over the years we’ve been involved in a spectrum of projects

• The programming of Brighton Live (Brighton band festival), The Great Escape ( programming the late gigs), Foxtrot ( Contemporary Folk festival with Willkommen label), Viva La France! (French music festival in Brighton), White Nights (European music initiative with a French town), Bike week /Brighton and Hove Council cycling initiative (Programming, producing), developing Towner and the Winter Gardens in Eastbourne, Revelation St Mary’s, Folkestone Quarterhouse and Gulbenkian in Kent as music destinations. We continue to support St George’s church in Brighton with the infrastructure to make it a live event venue, including managing some of the larger concerts.
• We never stand still, new for the future we will be working with the unequaled Bloomsbury set retreat, Charleston House, to co-programme special live music events.

Behind the scenes we actively encourage interns, especially women, to learn about event promotion. We are proud to have seen former staff go on to thrive in agencies, venues, ticketing companies and other arts organisations. Anna also shares her wealth of experience to teach on a concert promotions degree course at BIMM, inviting her students to shadow her at Melting Vinyl shows.

“I’m just about to start my first day at my first full time music industry job outside of University, and I just wanted to say thank you so much for everything you taught me at Melting Vinyl The internship with you can be solely credited for me having this job now (Operations Executive at a ticketing company called Sound Travel!) And there are really no words for how grateful I am for the vast amount of experience gained through my time with you at MV Please never stop taking on interns! You’re really changing their lives and giving them skills they wouldn’t otherwise learn through the degree alone.” Ellie Heinrich (Intern 2018)

Thanks for your time and support, and for sharing our passion for live music.

We will be back!

Anna Moulson, Melting Vinyl #longlivemv

Please note:

We are mindful that this is a huge global crisis and many people are also suffering both financially and physically, and many far more so than ourselves. Compassion and kindness for ourselves and each other are key at the moment, and our thoughts are with all those who have been affected. 

We’ve been closely following the news from the Treasury about Government-funded support for small businesses. We welcome the suspension of business rates and the most recent announcement that the government will cover 80% of wages for staff for 3 months is also a big reassurance to those who employ people.  

For a business like ourselves, the small business rates don’t apply (our landlord pays the rates, not our company), our staff is freelance, not employed, so cannot be furloughed, the majority of our staff have only recently been employed/profit is low and therefore do not anticipate many grants from the government in June. It is good news that there is support for those hard hit by the lockdown through music-related industries/trade bodies such as Spotify, Live Nation, PRS, MVT, MU, but for us, these organizations are prioritizing musicians, venues, production crew than live music promoters like Melting Vinyl. Where you can apply, through organisations such as AIM, it is for canceled work, our work has been rescheduled and therefore not canceled. This is why crowdfunding is our main hope to stay afloat.