Kids in the Scene: The Importance of Age-Inclusive Venues in Cultivating a scene
Cities like Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, and Philadelphia are home to major labels and historical venues. The thriving music culture in these cities attracts budding artists who flock there for recognition and the birth of their careers. However, as a young artist in Southern California, I can’t help but notice the lack of age inclusivity. I believe the scene itself is being held back, excluding younger artists from promoting, performing, and attending shows. This results in a stagnancy in ideas and opportunities which makes it harder for a prosperous scene to develop.
I believe younger musicians provide new ideas, sounds, and fresh blood into the scene, one that perpetuates creativity and growth. The lack of all-ages independent venues and the prevalence of age-restricted shows stunts this growth and makes it harder for a safe, inclusive scene to be cultivated for young artists and music lovers. This is where upcoming musicians can thrive, breeding creativity, community, and cultivating an environment where music and art can continue to flourish. Young musicians are the future of our scene, waiting to make their name and presence.
“Art and creativity are precious, and should be nurtured, encouraged, and supported in as many ways as possible.”
In order to create an age inclusive scene, safety must be a priority. There is no place for abusers in any scene, and unfortunately younger people can be more vulnerable to abuse. People under 14 should absolutely be exposed to live music and other forms of creativity, but accompanied by adults or in controlled environments where they can be kept safe. My focus however, is people between the ages of 15 and 20. Besides physical and mental abuse, there can also be predatory promoters and those who want to use musicians for their own personal gain lurking around local events. Creating a safe space should be everyone’s responsibility regardless of the crowd’s age, and we all play a role in protecting our respective communities. This means calling out toxic promoters and musicians, keeping the principles of safety when entering shows, and uplifting the creativity of young people.
Almost as important as who plays a show is where they’re playing. Backyard concerts, hardcore sewer shows, and parking lot jam sessions make up the experience of most younger musicians. While there is merit to putting on these smaller scale events independently, the availability of legitimate independent venues to host up-and-coming bands is crucial to fostering a music scene that supports the growth of its artists. Additionally, playing in a legitimate space with staff and security ideally protects both fans and performers — there are people that are paid to make sure no one gets hurt and that the show runs as it’s supposed to. Our responsibilities as showgoers with the sole purpose of expanding the music scene, we can start by advocating for venues to host younger artists.
Corporate ownership of music venues and age restrictions are at least partially intended to protect younger patrons from abuse. However, this doesn’t always happen in practice as out of town subsidiaries buying out spaces is a growing phenomena. This puts local bookers out of business and leads to fewer opportunities for local bands to play — especially with the prevalence of package tours. This phenomena is widespread, and even in the Bay Area “local promoters say it also leads to higher ticket prices, more homogenous booking, and fewer opportunities for local acts” (Sam Lefebvre, Will Corporations Ruin Live Music in the Bay Area?). This monopolization of music spaces excludes the younger population in the music scene from legitimately being part of it and pushes them to put on their own events with the same bands, which makes it harder to get discovered and share ideas with people that you don’t already play with all the time.
Independent venues like The Smell in LA and the now-closed down Irenic in San Diego are great examples of safe, sober all-ages venues that are cherished in southern California. These spaces allow legitimate show opportunities for up-and-coming artists, as well as a safe place to network with artists and exchange ideas. However, these venues often face pressure from major companies to sell or operate through big corporate ticket selling sites. For example, “In late 2019 the Justice Department found that, for years, Live Nation had abused its monopoly by steering its artists and tours away from venues that refused to use Ticketmaster.” (Knox, Ron. Big Music Needs to Be Broken Up to Save the Industry).
Antitrust laws and policy change in government can help prevent billion-dollar companies from creating giant conglomerates that put independent venues and promoters out of business. For example, during the pandemic in 2020 Congress passed the Save Our Stages Act that assigned grants to NIVA (National Independent Venue Association) qualifying venues, promoters, and organizations. Also, independent venues could focus on booking local support for touring bands or having nights dedicated to showcasing local talent. Showgoers and music lovers can support local bands and musicians by attending their shows and buying merchandise to help sustain the artists and their creativity.
Age-restricted venues also make it harder for a community to create a bustling music scene. Some people really enjoy going to a bar and seeing local bands play while being surrounded by other 21+ adults, and that’s completely acceptable and understandable. Age restrictions protect patrons, as well as create an atmosphere that’s more suitable for adults. However, when a scene only exists in these spaces, the musicians that will be playing these bars in a few years experience hurdles that prevent them from improving and connecting with one another until they are of age.
Art and creativity are precious, and should be nurtured, encouraged, and supported in as many ways as possible. Along with being more inclusive of historically silenced and disadvantaged groups, a great way to help a scene (music or otherwise) is to pass the mic to the younger artists within a community. We can amplify these voices and facilitate the exchange of ideas through creating safe spaces for these younger artists to grow. At least part of the solution is making safe, legitimate, independent, all-ages venues available to host local bands and events.
Lefevbre, Sam. Will Corporations Ruin Live Music In The Bay Area? East Bay Express, 14 March 2018.
(https://eastbayexpress.com/will-corporations-ruin-live-music-in-the-bay-area-2-1/)
Knox, Ron. Big Music Needs to Be Broken Up To Save the Music Industry. WIRED, 16 March 2021.
https://www.wired.com/story/opinion-big-music-needs-to-be-broken-up-to-save-the-industry/