Midge Ure
“When I first heard about Footdown I thought it was a bizarre concept and my initial thought was “why are they asking me, the renegade musician?” I suppose my gut reaction was that I was the wrong person to join these entrepreneurs.
“It just hadn’t occurred to me until Andrew Mercer pointed it out that Band Aid and Live Aid was the ultimate venture in being an entrepreneur – we had seen a problem and come up with a solution.
“At first when I joined the group I always felt that I was gleaning more from other members than I was giving. I also thought they should have given me a little appendix, as everyone was talking in business abbreviations and technical speak. But I did catch on quite quickly.
“I had always thought that I was solely my business, if you understand me. But I realised that I couldn’t do what I do without my team, they are just as important as me.
“My team are made up of different people for different things. When I’m on tour I need to book venues, build the equipment, sort out the PA, someone has to arrive with my kit, someone has to collect the money, and there are all sorts of tasks on the periphery like food and drink in the dressing room. All separate things in themselves but each so important to the smooth running of a successful tour behind the scenes. My position has changed, I truly think of my teaming working with me now – not for me. It’s not all about me.
“One of the biggest things which has come out of being a Footdown member is Tunited – the new online platform for independent musicians to help them create, promote and legally share music. It creates a level playing field in a very unfair industry.
“Tunited was born out of Footdown. The unfairness of the industry is a big hobby horse of mine and I expressed this in more than one Footdown meeting. Other members then challenged me to do something about it and, with help and support, my team and I have done that.
“The service does not look at a person’s age, size, gender – none of that matters. If musicians think they are going to be discovered while creating and playing their music in their bedrooms, it isn’t going to happen with today’s music industry. Tunited seeks to redress the balance – it’s all about the music and it’s on that alone that a musician will be judged.
Although in its infancy, I’m deeply proud of this service and see it growing and growing globally in the coming months and years.”