Fundraiser to support the local music industry launched by Wild Paths Festival founders

Organisers of the local Wild Paths festival have launched a fundraising campaign to help raise awareness around the effects COVID-19 has had on the music industry.

Along with thousands of other businesses across the country, the music industry has been one of the areas that has taken the biggest hit.

Norfolk, along with the rest of the UK, has seen the majority of music festivals, gigs and events cancelled and postponed until next year - including brand new festival Wild Paths which took place across Norwich for the first time in 2019.

The brains behind this local festival are doing their bit to help raise awareness of this issue and try to raise some much needed funding to support both Wild Paths Festival and the venues that it takes part in.

They have releases a video featuring a number of local business owners, artists and festival supporters all encouraging people to get involved and help raise some money/save the venues.

“Wild Paths Festival and the spread of local venues we work with are an important part of our musical community,” explains Wild Paths founder, Ben Street.

“However in the last few months we’ve seen key venues close (such as Open) and others struggling to support their staff, whilst balancing leases, rents and business rates.”

“There’s no clear answer coming from the government on how venues and promoters can realistically proceed to function (anything less than the freedom to operate at 75% capacity for most is financially unfeasible) and so a number of event/campaign organisers and venue directors are turning to grassroot funding and hashtag campaigns (#letthemusicplay) to highlight the issue, raise awareness and also find vital funding.”

“Wild Paths, like so many other festivals, has been left in a financially fragile state after having to cancel it’s 2020 event and losing some of its key commercial funding partners.”

“This campaign - ‘save the festival and our local venues’ and the associated media exposure will hopefully help to drive home how severe this situation is and rally the support of the community.”

“Other crowdfunder success stories include Arctangent festival which managed to raise over £100K to not only help keep the festival going in 2021, but to allow it to deliver a jaw-dropping line-up to their devoted community of supporters.”

“We’re looking to raise a fraction of this amount (£15K) and will be donating a quarter of all the proceeds to the venues that sustain us and help to give Norwich its unique character.”

“There’ll also be a host of festival rewards available at different levels of support from VIP tickets for life, to special food and drink packages, partner gifts and even the opportunity to have a festival stage named after you.”

- To find out more or donate to the fundraising campaign, visit Wild Paths’ Crowdfunder page

- For more local music check out our dedicated page every Thursday in the Eastern Daily Press and Norwich Evening News, our podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and all other streaming platforms and follow Enjoy Music More on Facebook and Twitter