Cherry Bar owner James Young has sparked a debate about the impact of dating app Tinder on the live music scene with a Facebook post recounting a recent conversation with another promoter in Melbourne.
The pair were chatting about how difficult 2015 has been for the business with Young suggesting that the current downturn could be attributed in part to the “diabolical Australian Dollar” and the closure of the Palace. Young says that those factors have led to fewer international tours and smaller crowds at Cherry especially during the week. But his un-named counterpart proposed a different theory laying the blame – at least in part – on Tinder.
“Tinder has destroyed the live music and pub scene,” the anonymous promoter told Young. “It’s bleak out there for club owners. These are dark and challenging times. We need to get young people off their phones and back into our bars to actually socialise or we’re all going to go out of business.” According to the anonymous promoter, the pattern follows the example of Grinder’s impact on the gay scene with the app replacing clubs as a place to pick up. “Now we are seeing the same thing with Tinder … [it’s] killing off clubs and pubs all over Melbourne and Australia. And when they take their dates out for the first time, they try to impress them with some chic dining experience, rather than a rowdy live music experience. I’m telling you, Tinder has a lot to answer for.”
Via Faster Louder
