Award-winning gospel musician Diana Hamilton has revealed why many gospel artistes avoid staging concerts at London’s iconic O2 Arena, citing high costs, restrictive venue rules, and limited post-event benefits.
Speaking in an interview with Kwame Dadzie on Hitz FM on Monday February 2, Diana explained that while the O2 often comes up in planning discussions, several factors make it challenging for gospel events.
“These are things we think about and put on the table for discussion,” she said. One major challenge, she explained, is the venue’s strict content policies, which prevent artistes from freely using footage from their shows.
“The only thing with O2 is that when we do these events, we get content out of that. I get videos and stuff. How many O2 events have you seen content from that put out?” Diana asked.
“The laws of those venues do not allow for you to own the film of that place,” she added, stressing that post-event content is essential for spreading the gospel beyond the live audience.
She also revealed that gospel artistes are often charged significantly more than secular musicians.
“Whatever you will charge as a secular artiste to do O2, gospel artistes, they will charge you more than double of that,” she disclosed.
Explaining the reason for the higher fees, Diana said: “Because you don’t sell alcohol. Oh, the odds are against us. Everything is against us.”
Despite the challenges, Diana emphasised the importance of post-event content, which allows gospel concerts to reach and bless a wider audience.
“When we do the post-event content, it’s what is blessing a whole lot of people out there,” she said, highlighting why many gospel artistes are cautious about booking the O2 Arena.
