Music

The BBC has confirmed it will cut back its BBC Introducing programme, which profiles up-and-coming grassroots musicians.

The plans will see the loss of 12 BBC Introducing shows, with 20 of the BBC’s 39 local radio stations retaining their own editions.

In January, a coalition of music groups wrote to the BBC expressing “grave concern” the plans to streamline BBC Introducing shows would have an adverse effect on grassroots music in the UK.

In a statement released earlier this week, the broadcaster said the remaining BBC Introducing shows will be broadcast twice as often, to “give up-and-coming musicians a bigger platform and audiences than ever before”.

Each station will also “retain music expertise on site to support the production of the programmes and bring in new talent”, the statement adds.

The Guardian reports the cuts form a wider plan for the BBC’s regional stations to share more shows, in order to modernise local services and save money.

The Featured Artists Coalition (FAC) and Music Managers Forum (MMF) are asking music industry professionals to submit evidence in response to proposed increases to touring visa costs in the United States.

Earlier this month, the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced its intention to raise the price of touring visas for foreign artists by more than 250%.

Under the proposals, processing costs for short-term P visas would increase from $460 to $1,615 and processing for longer-term O visas would increase from $460 to $1,655.

Musicians and sector leaders have said the increases, which the DHS says is due to high demand and insufficient staff in its citizenship and immigration department, would make touring in the United States impossible for many.

In response, FAC and MMF have reignited their #LetTheMusicMove campaign and have published a survey asking artists, producers, songwriters and managers to provide feedback on how the proposals would affect UK-based musicians.

The two bodies say they will use the data to inform its collective response, adding they will then urge the UK government to lobby the DHS.

The DHS is accepting feedback from US citizens on its proposals until 6 March, before it considers any adjustments to the proposals.

A campaign to ensure artists get 100% of merchandise income at gigs has received the backing of the Musicians’ Union.

Featured Artists Coalition’s 100% Venues initiative is encouraging venues not to take any commission fees from the sale of band t-shirts and other merchandise.

This revenue has become increasingly important for artists, as the costs of touring continue to rise.

The 100% Venues initiative is developing a directory of venues that pledge not to take any commission on sales.

Musicians’ Union National Organiser Kelly Wood said the growing number of venues that have signed up to the initiative “sends a very strong and positive message to artists”.

She added: “We hope that this leads to more pressure for other venues to improve their terms and get behind the campaign.”   

FAC CEO David Martin said that many performers “are facing an almost impossible task to keep the show on the road”.

“That is why the issue of merchandise commission has become so pronounced and why we will continue to fight for a fairer settlement for artists.” 

Over 500,000 music performance grades assessed by the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM) have been completed remotely since the board launched online examinations two and a half years ago.

The online music assessment, which was introduced during the pandemic to meet demand from music learners unable to take traditional face-to-face exams, is assessed entirely digitally via video recordings.

Since its launch, ABRSM examiners have assessed more than 8m minutes of videoed submissions performed on 42 different instruments, with Grade 5 piano being the most popular online exam.

Students from 82 countries have completed this method of music examination.

ABRSM’s Deputy Chief Executive Penny Milsom said while face-to-face exam bookings continue to “build strongly” following the pandemic, appetite for online music assessment remains.

“It is fantastic that teachers and learners are taking advantage of the choice now available between digital and face-to-face, and practical and performance grades,” she said.

“Many candidates benefit from recording their exam in familiar surroundings. We also know that these exams work well for adult learners who are either returning to exams or learning for the first time.”

A theatre has been forced to issue an appeal for audiences to behave after drunken and anti-social behaviour during performances.

Glasgow’s King’s Theatre posted the plea on its Facebook page during the recent run of the musical The Bodyguard.

The production is based on the 1992 film featuring Whitney Houston which spawned the singer’s number one hit, I Will Always Love You.

Reports of audience members talking loudly during performances and trying to ‘outsing’ the cast prompted the Facebook message.

The post said: “We're really excited about welcoming you to The Bodyguard, where we want everyone to enjoy the show.

"With that in mind, we politely ask that you show consideration to your fellow audience members, who have come to enjoy performances on stage.

"We all have a part to play in making sure the theatre is a fantastic experience for everyone and you can help by ensuring the professionals on stage are the only people entertaining us with their performances, and by being kind to our dedicated staff who are here to make sure everybody is safe.

"Anti-social behaviour towards our staff or other customers will not be tolerated.”

The theatre’s message was shared twice and attracted over 1000 comments, many expressing their annoyance at the behaviour of audience members.

One said: “Stay at home with your Buckie Bottle and listen to Whitney if you can't behave and just enjoy it like normal people."

Plans to amend copyright law to allow artificial intelligence developers to exploit protected works without the permission of creators and rightsholders have been ditched by government.

During a debate in the House of Commons today Intellectual Property Minister George Freeman said he and DCMS Minister Julia Lopez felt that the proposals were not correct and that they would “not be proceeding" with them.

The changes of policy follows opposition to the proposals from the music industry.

“We are looking to stop them and to return to office to have a rather deeper conversation with the All Party Parliamentary Group who I met yesterday, with experts in both Houses and with the industry,” Freeman said.

Commenting on the announcement, Jamie Njoku-Goodwin, Chief Executive of UK Music, said: “UK Music warmly welcomes the minister’s decision to scrap plans for a catastrophic blanket copyright exception.

“The whole music industry has been united in its opposition to these proposals, which would have paved the way for music laundering and opened up our brilliant creators and rights holders to gross exploitation.

“We are delighted to see the back of a policy that risked irreparable damage to the global success story that is the UK music industry."