Banbury-based Hootenanny is championing Oxfordshire’s independent music scene

From Radiohead to Foals, Stornoway to Glass Animals, Oxfordshire has long punched above its weight musically. Now a Banbury-based platform is hoping to help the county’s next generation of independent artists find their fans – and make a living from their music.

Oxfordshire has a rather impressive musical roll call.

Radiohead, Foals, Stornoway and Glass Animals are just some of the bands with roots in the county, while a new generation of artists continues to emerge from a thriving local scene.

For Chris Peabody, founder of Banbury-based music platform Hootenanny, that makes Oxfordshire the perfect place to champion independent musicians.

“When I first launched my label 10 years ago I wanted to try and bring more of the industry outside of London,” says Chris. “That’s why we still operate the Hootenanny platform outside of the capital.”

Hootenanny has recently opened its platform to independent artists, allowing them to create their own fanclubs for free. Artists can offer supporters exclusive music, demos, tickets, merchandise and other content, while building a more direct relationship with the people who listen to their work.

One of the platform’s early artists was Oxford band Stornoway, and Chris is keen to see more local musicians join.

“We’d love to bring more local artists into the platform where they can find their fans and get paid properly.”

The idea comes at a challenging time for musicians. Hootenanny says many artists struggle to make a sustainable income from streaming and that the majority of UK tours lose money. Its model is based on giving artists a more direct route to their audiences, rather than relying solely on streaming and social media.

The platform says artists can earn significantly more per fan through its fanclub model than through conventional streaming.

Chris also points to the strength of the local infrastructure supporting musicians. Oxford’s Bullingdon and the Wheatsheaf in Banbury both provide stages for emerging acts, while Oxfordshire-based independent label Big Scary Monsters has spent two decades championing alternative and independent music.

For Chris, that combination of artists, venues and independent labels makes the county a particularly exciting place to be making music.

“Oxfordshire has launched so many incredible bands over the last 40 years,” he says. “But it’s got a thriving scene of up-and-coming artists too.”

And while London remains a major centre for the UK music industry, Chris believes there is plenty of reason to look beyond the capital.

Hootenanny’s expansion is part of a wider attempt to give independent artists more control over how they connect with their audiences, while keeping the focus firmly on the music.

For Oxfordshire, meanwhile, it is another reason to keep an ear out for what comes next.

After all, the county has already given the world some pretty big names. There could be plenty more waiting in the wings.

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