I don’t think the viewers of Lorraine on Wednesday morning knew what to do with themselves when they had Kate Nash on their television discussing her “Butts for Buses” Only Fans campaign.
“Lorraine [I] have to say I think if you started an Only Fans account you would be a millionaire… mate you are so hot!” A photo of Kate Nash’s bum, censored by the Lorraine logo, appears on screen with Kate trying to bribe Lorraine into joining her on the Only Fans side hustle that Nash has recently turned to for extra money.
Lorraine replies by trying to steer the conversation elsewhere and going “oooh nooo seriously?!”
To which Kate adds later in the conversation “Just look at your hands they’re gorgeous just rub it around in some butter” with Lorraine simply ending the conversation with “Well it’s a thought”.
Great television for a Wednesday morning but why are Lorraine and Kate Nash discussing bums and joining Only Fans I hear you ask? Well it’s for a great cause. Kate Nash recently started an Only Fans page when she began her UK tour earlier this month, she wrote on her instagram post alongside a photo of her bum “BUTTS 4 TOUR BUSES - Touring makes losses not profits help me stay on tour, pay great wages & put on a high quality show by buying a piece of my arse or merch! Don’t worry about streaming my music I’m good for the 0.003 of a penny thanks bruv”.
Nash is highlighting the ongoing crisis for musicians who are finding touring costs rising and leaving them with very little, if any, profit which is detrimental to our arts community and to the grassroots venues.
She goes on to say during the TV interview:
“A lot of musicians and artists are under financial strain right now, the music industry has failed artists. I think grassroots culture is in crisis, 125 venues closed last year. There’s been a 30.3% increase in the cost of presenting live music in the past two years… For me, I lose money because there’s a few things I won’t compromise on and that’s decent wages, actually having a band and a crew, travelling safely.”
It’s alarming to hear as a music fan when a well recognised musician like Kate Nash is struggling to tour. So what does it mean for new, upcoming artists if they are unable to afford touring? If the musicians stop it leaves grassroots venues without concerts to host, leading to even more closures then we are already experiencing.
Nash is not the first music artist to have ventured into earning money from Only Fans. In July, Lilly Allen revealed she had created an Only Fans account for her feet after discovering online forums had many fans discussing how beautiful her feet were. In October she responded back to someone who criticised her promotion of the Only Fans account on X with them writing:
“Imagine being one of the biggest pop stars/musicians in Europe and then being reduced to this” to which Allen responded “Imagine being an artist and having nearly 8 million monthly listeners on Spotify but earning more money from having 1,000 people subscribe to pictures of your feet. Don’t hate the player, hate the game.”
With streaming platforms and record companies taking heavy percentages of profits from artists it’s leaving artists cancelling shows or in the case of Nash and Allen creating an Only Fans account.
Nash mentioned in her television interview the way bigger artists and the music industry can help to support grassroot venues is by giving £1 of every arena or stadium gig ticket back to the Music Venue Trust who helps support music venues across the UK. Coldplay have already signed up to the cause with them donating 10% of their proceeds from their upcoming six Wembley and two Craven Park shows in August 2025.
Following on from Coldplay, Sam Fender and Katy Perry have both pledged to donate £1 from every ticket of their upcoming tours in the new year to the Music Venue Trust which is a positive start to raising awareness but I’m not sure if it’s enough. I’ve seen a few upcoming artists cancel shows due to financial reasons and I’m sure the problem won’t be fixed anytime soon. As a music fan I suggest if you can go and support your music venues by going to watch new artists or buying merch directly from the musicians. Until then we need powerhouses like Nash to keep promoting her bum to help bring money not only into her pocket but also into the crack of our venues to keep them running and keep the arts alive.
Kate Nash: "My Bum Is For Sale"