Quarter of live music events cancelled

24 Jan 2022

More than a quarter (26%) of live music shows scheduled for the first three months of 2022 have been cancelled.

New research from industry lobby group LIVE says a “perfect storm” of Covid and Brexit have damaged public confidence.

Fear of further restrictions was cited as one of the main reasons for cancellations.

Concerns remain over Brexit, with 90% believing it will negatively affect the industry once markets fully reopen.

44% of upcoming shows featuring international artists have been cancelled. 

LIVE CEO Greg Parmley welcomed restrictions on live music venues coming to an end, but said the industry still faces serious challenges.

“It will take a long time for us to recover from the worst period in history of the industry and the Government need to fully understand the challenges we face.”
 

Understanding audiences

black and white image of a crowd
19 Jan 2022

Regardless of debates about what audience development means, the main aim should be for more people to experience the arts, says Ash Mann

UK misses out on €100m Creative Europe boost

18 Jan 2022

A bumper budget has been passed for 2022 - but the UK won't see hardly a penny.

ACE to mandate social class reporting on audiences

13 Jan 2022

The Culture Secretary has asked the Arts Council to collect the data and consider NPOs' "track record" when they apply for funding. 

A ‘revolutionary’ disability arts movement 

A female wheelchair-using dancer rests on her back, another female dancer balances on her head using the wheelchair for support
11 Jan 2022

Ten years on from London 2012, disability arts programmes continue to impact artists and audiences around the globe. Tim Wheeler reports on the British Council's work in disability arts.

Distanced performances 'crucial' over winter

23 Nov 2021

Venues face a choice between offering lower capacity events or losing up to a third of their audiences, surveys suggest.

Armagh seeks local views on City of Culture bid

16 Nov 2021

Residents of Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough are being asked to contribute their opinion on the local City of Culture 2025 bid.

An online survey asks locals what culture means to them, which cultural activities they engage in and their thoughts on three possible bid themes: traditions for the future, provoking thought, and healing.

Information from the survey will help develop the final bid to DCMS in February.

As Northern Ireland’s only representative on the City of Culture 2025 longlist, Armagh 2025 says it aims to make the shortlist of three cities. 

“Bidding for the title is already providing a positive focus for change, sparking a renewed sense of pride, and securing new initiatives and investment potential for the region,” Lord Mayor of Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Glenn Barr said.

Manchester International Festival achieves record audience numbers

10 Nov 2021

An extended programme helped Manchester International Festival (MIF) deliver record audience numbers this year despite social distancing requirements.

It's estimated more than 1.4 million people saw part of the 18-day event. A further 1.2 million across 187 countries engaged with MIF's digital programme.

The festival featured 68 events, including the first at Manchester’s new arts space The Factory, scheduled to open in 2023.

Events took place across each of Manchester’s wards and were supported by 450 volunteers.

“The enthusiasm and gratitude from audiences in Manchester [has] demonstrated the importance of creativity to our city,” said MIF Chief Executive John McGraith.

Rushmoor to develop cultural strategy

09 Nov 2021

A 10-year cultural strategy for Rushmoor will increase opportunities for arts engagement and attract up to £1m investment.

A recent consultation asked residents for their views on culture in the borough, including how best to link creative and heritage activities to tourism and public spaces.

Rushmoor Borough Councillor Marina Munro, Member for Planning and Economy, said Aldershot and Farnborough have significant natural assets and "famous" military and aviation heritage.

"However, there is a small, under-developed and under-connected arts scene with huge potential to grow. The new cultural strategy will enable us to secure funding and capitalise on these opportunities over the next 10 years."

She said research shows cultural engagement and participation in the borough is "significantly lower" than the national average, making it one of the UK's lowest areas of arts engagement.

Rushmoor is among Arts Council England's priority places for investment, which is expected to receive an additional £1m. 

Glyndebourne to launch on-demand streaming service

02 Nov 2021

Opera house Glyndebourne is set to launch an on-demand streaming service, Glyndebourne Encore, next month.

The service will offer access to Glyndebourne’s back-catalogue and future filmed productions, alongside additional insights and interviews about a chosen opera each month.

Artistic Director Stephen Langridge says Glyndebourne Encore is a response to audience demand realised after its digital festival, hosted last year due to Covid-19 restrictions.

The company says it will continue offering regular, limited-period, free streams alongside the service.

Glyndebourne Encore will launch with 15 filmed titles available from 1 December. An annual subscription will cost £79.99, or £59.99 for Glyndebourne members.

Rishi isn’t coming to the rescue 

phone screen with twitter logo
26 Oct 2021

This week’s budget shows that there’s no easy path to high wages and low ticket prices in theatre. So what’s next? asks Robin Cantrill-Fenwick.

Citizen's assembly invites input on arts in placemaking

13 Oct 2021

A citizen's assembly on the role of arts and culture - the first of its kind anywhere in the world - has begun.

A new website launched on Thursday (October 14) for residents of Coventry to share their views on how arts and culture can shape the city's future.

The ideas given online will be debated by 50 paid participants, who have been randomly selected from a representative sample of the population.

That group's recommendations will help form Coventry's long term cultural planning and a series of creative projects in 2022.

“This poll is a way of getting a sense of how the wider city feels about the issues the assembly is debating, and of feeding other views, perspectives and ideas in for the assembly participants to deliberate," said Janet Vaughan, Co-Artistic Director of project lead Talking Birds.

The website remains open for comments until November 5.

City of Culture 2025 a 'springboard' regardless of longlist

11 Oct 2021

The challenge now for some of the latecomers will be completing years' worth of planning in weeks.

Theatres split over return of digital pantos

actor performing on stage
30 Sep 2021

Research suggests audiences enjoyed watching Christmas performances online last year, but few may return as theatres focus on drawing crowds for in-person shows.

Citizen's assembly to shape culture in Coventry

27 Sep 2021

Art for the People, believed to be the first citizen's assembly for arts and culture, will decide on projects for the City of Culture programme.

Few of ACE's priority places are among the lowest funded

23 Sep 2021

Fifty-four priority areas for investment have high rates of deprivation and low cultural engagement, but some of the lowest funded regions have missed out.

Digital didn't change arts engagement, study finds

09 Sep 2021

The digital pivot might have altered online attendance slighty but for most of the UK, "the new normal of pandemic life was very much like the old normal".

How useful are pre-pandemic datasets?

an audience waiting for a show to start
08 Sep 2021

Lockdowns, venue closures, cancelled and postponed events – the era of Coronavirus has created an 18-month crevasse in our databases. Libby Papakyriacou has been assessing the role of historic data in the sector’s recovery.

Enhancing artist and audience experience

AH AW (OR) OO EE UR (UR) The Long Vowels, 2020
07 Sep 2021

Issues of access have beleaguered artists and audiences alike. Jamie Wyld explores how access streams can be used in innovative ways to enhance both artist and audience experience.

Partnership to rebuild a 'sense of workplace community'

07 Sep 2021

National Theatre has announced a new partnership to explore "the benefits of collaboration and creativity in working life".

The organisation will run a year-long programme of free creative workshops at three of British Land's residential-come-retail campuses: Paddington Central, Regent's Place and Broadgate, also the site of a new workspace for creative freelancers.

More than 40,000 people will have access to events to develop their movement, posture, speech and language and a series of thought leadership panel discussions on representation, inclusion and marrying corporate and cultural spaces post-pandemic.

British Land Head of Campuses David Lockyear said: "Partnerships such as this highlight that the return to the office is about more than just work; it represents our belief that London’s diverse and thriving culture should be part of that experience."

 

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