Meet Mayfield Records - the Portsmouth label fighting to keep music alive during the pandemic

But that’s not the way things are done in the burgeoning Mayfield empire.

Based out of Mayfield Studios in Drayton, Portsmouth, Dominic Elton also runs a record label of the same name and is ringmaster of the studio’s house band – a collective comprising dozens of musicians.

A keen booster of the local scene, Dom has worked hard to keep a steady stream of new music coming out through the label during the pandemic.

And he has ambitious plans, which will be rolled out as soon as conditions allow.

Mayfield has won an Arts Council England grant to put on a series of 25 online livestream events. Originally planned as one a fortnight for 2021, the plan is currently on hold.

‘As soon as they say it's fine we'll look to start rolling out the shows,’ says Dom.

‘I've invested quite a lot in the whole set up – we've got four high-end cameras which we can switch from on to another, and all of the audio will go through the desk.’

With no other way to perform in front of their fans, livestreams have become a staple for music acts during lockdown.

‘Rather than just do it as a regular livestream, I want to present them more as a show, so there will be a full band performance, plus an acoustic set from someone else, then we'll have interviews with the artists, and there will be pre-recorded VTs and music videos.

‘I want to create a live music show experience.’

And it won’t just highlight the acts on the Mayfield label.

‘With each show featuring two artists, you're looking at about 50 artists. We've probably got about 20-plus on the label, so we'll invite others to come in. And the funding allows them to be paid as well, which is very important.