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Interview: Ben Price | LOUD Bristol Issue Four

Posted on: 25 Apr 2022

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This article was first published in the fourth issue of LOUD Bristol, 365Bristol's dedicated music magazine. Read LOUD Bristol Issue Four and browse our first three editions here.

 

Interview: Ben Price

 

“It’s about integration”: Ben Price charts the years and experiences leading up to the foundation of his artist management company, and how he plans to use it to help artists with a disability

 

Ben Prince can remember the moment his life changed in a flash at Southampton Guildhall vividly. “I remember going on to the stage and wondering why it was so, so dark. I was walking into stands and banging my shins on drum risers,” he recalls. “I knew something was different, but I couldn’t put my finger on what it was.” 

 

In 2014, whilst working as a tour manager, Ben was diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa, a rare hereditary disorder that affects the eyes - particularly night and peripheral vision. Regardless, he attempted to continue working as if nothing had changed, risking his own health and safety - often leaving venues with black eyes and bruised shins over the fear of losing his livelihood if he disclosed his condition. 

 

Now, after going public with his story in 2020 and setting up Harbourside Artist Management - his Bristol-based management company - Ben is using his experience to push for greater inclusion and integration in the music industry and to give people with a disability the feeling that they can become part of the mainstream trade. “Disability is part of the narrative, but it doesn’t define you. I want that to be the message,” he says over Zoom. 

 

“There seems to be a ceiling with disability arts where it’s viewed as its own thing, and it’s got its own events. I want to break that invisible gap between the mainstream music industry and popular culture. It’s not just about representation always, It’s about integration for me.”

 

“Disability is part of the narrative, but it doesn’t define you. I want that to be the message”

- Ben Price

 

Born and raised in Sheffield, Ben ventured into the world of radio after graduating with a degree in journalism. “I’ve always loved music, so I’d do shows about that and shows about unsigned talent. From there I was scouted to become an A+R manager. At that point, I worked with an artist that went on to get signed to Colombia and go quite global.” 

 

Seeing his talent, this artist offered Ben a role as their tour manager - a job he remained in for seven years. Early into his stint, he received his diagnosis, which steadily deteriorated as time passed. Ben would often leave gigs with shiners on his legs after smashing them on drum risers, suffer black eyes after walking into dark columns and would knock over expensive equipment. 

 

“It’s all stuff that makes people think I’m clumsy. I’ve even had people accuse me of drinking. That’s worse in a way, when people accuse you of being unprofessional,” he says. “One of the symptoms of that is that your night vision starts to go. You start to notice a lot of difference in dark situations. And obviously being in dark situations literally every night in dingy backstages, setting things up in the dark before an artist comes out – I really started to notice it.” 

 

It was a difficult period for Ben, one where he began to consider that the job he loved might not be tenable. “These were big conversations for me to have. I thought that if I told people that they would say it’s not feasible. Budgets for touring are so tight, you’re literally counting every penny,” he says, recalling the negative impact this had on his mental health.

One of Ben's artist's, Lucy May, performs live (Image: Rosie Gaunt)

 

“I was fearing for my livelihood. I was living in London at the time and paying ridiculous rent, so I had to do a certain amount of shows a month to cover that. I didn’t have bags of reserves; I was still earning to live.” He made the decision not to disclose his condition, instead opting to continue whilst making excuses as to why he wasn’t able to do certain things, but privately acknowledged that he needed to formulate a plan B. This eventually led him to set up Harbourside Artist Management in 2020 – the same year he disclosed his condition. 

 

“When I started to think about setting the management company up and what I wanted it to be ... if I want to represent artists with a disability then I have to confront my own situation and digest it.” Since then, Ben has written extensively about his experiences for newspapers and websites, openly sharing what he was once afraid to disclose. 

 

“It’s been a relief talking about it and processing it and being embraced for it and not discriminated against like you’re worried about,” he says. “It should be a completely normal conversation. Everybody needs to talk more and talk about what people need for accommodations and what will make their lives more comfortable.” 

 

The management company doesn’t cater exclusively to artists with a disability, Ben is keen to point out, reiterating that his mission is to integrate, not just represent. But in 2022 he launched the Disability Empowerment Programme; an initiative designed to provide opportunities for 18–25-year-olds who identify as having a disability.

 

“It should be a completely normal conversation. Everybody needs to talk more and talk about what people need for accommodations and what will make their lives more comfortable.”

- Ben Price

 

Financed by Youth Music, the initiative sees an artist or band collaborate with a manager to produce a fully funded EP with a marketing campaign and a music video. “It feels like an important thing to do. Someone’s got to stand up and do it,” he says, adding that since launching the programme, a major label has shown interest in it. 

 

“The fact that people like that are seeing this is great. I hope that rubs off and they think about how they can be more diverse and inclusive and about how they can encourage more artists with a disability on to their label.”

 

Head to Issuu to read LOUD Bristol Issue Four in full, featuring a selection of interviews with some of the city's best-loved artists, venues, labels and more.

 

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Read more:

 

• LOUD Bristol Issue Four | Back to Business at The Island

• LOUD Bristol Issue Four | Better Days: Partying with a Purpose

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