A couple of recent conversations have made me aware of some basic misunderstandings about how 5:4 operates. Misunderstandings are rarely isolated things, so I thought it worth briefly explaining how I go about making 5:4 happen.
The key point is simple: i am not paid to write anything on 5:4. When i’m invited to festivals, as i often am, i attend as a press delegate, and my travel and accommodation are covered, sometimes with a small amount of hospitality thrown in. Without that support, i simply wouldn’t be able to go. This is also the reason, incidentally, why i rarely write about UK festivals, as they never offer assistance with travel or accommodation.
But festivals do not pay me for writing about their events. Let me reiterate that unequivocally: i have never – not once – been paid for any writing on 5:4. The only income i receive connected with music writing comes from occasional freelance commissions when they arise, which isn’t often. The Patreon attached to 5:4, providing access to my 18-year archive of articles, brings in a little extra. But that’s it.
Put simply, i’m freelance with pretty much all the emphasis on the free (the lance is reserved for the writing).
