Guernsey music venues face uncertain future as rising costs continue to bite

Venue owners in Guernsey say that they are facing an uncertain future as costs climb and audience numbers continue to sit below pre-pandemic levels.

St James concert venue- Guernsey's leading music setting - continues to sell tickets throughout the week but also relies on a number of charitable grants to keep its doors open.

Jon Bisson explained: "I think we are in a very tenuous position, it is a worry... we've maintained our level of spending the same way it was in 2017 mostly from reducing staff and have switched to electric"

He added that they had also shut down their cafe and are closed 3 days a week which has "kept costs down" but said "there's not much more we can cut".

However, Jon said that he was also aware of the budgetary strains faced by the States.

"I think the States have a lot of pressure," he said. "We are a 'nice to have' rather than a must-have. I think the demands on education and the harbour must come first, of course, they must."

He added: "It doesn't cost much to run St James so if they can have a look around the back of the sofa it would really help".The 19th-century venue has seen a drop of 40% in ticket sales compared to pre-pandemic levels and faces yearly running costs of around £300,000.

Musicians and organisers are calling for more government investment in the arts to help the industry survive.

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