News

UK Music is calling on Education Secretary Gillian Keegan to halt “damaging” plans to withdraw funding for post-16 music qualifications.

Government has proposed reforms that would defund the current suite of vocational Level 3 qualifications for music by 2026.

Level 3 qualifications in music are aimed at giving 16- to 19-year-olds skills and knowledge to progress to other training, study and employment options in a range of music production and performance disciplines. UK Music says the qualification has left students well-prepared for the often non-linear career progression in the creative industries. 

In a letter to Keegan, UK Music’s Interim Chief Executive Tom Kiehl says the move would leave approximately 30,000 young people a year without a viable alternative.

“Our primary concern relates to the planned defunding of the current suite of vocational Level 3 qualifications for music by 2026. There are not enough alternative options to fill the void that this creates,” Kiehl wrote.

“In the absence of a T-Level for Music, defunding for existing qualifications places a massive administrative burden on many in the music education sector, with qualifications having to be rewritten as Alternative Academic Qualifications (AAQs) and approved by Department for Education. 

“While the introduction of AAQs is not new, its requirement for 'assessment by examination' poses a great challenge for educators to implement the necessary course changes within the timeframe available. Moreover, this approach to learning risks diminishing accessibility to a subject that has traditionally empowered learners from diverse learning styles and backgrounds.”

Kiehl's letter continues: “We therefore ask for an immediate pause in the defunding of all music qualifications that are due to be effectively ‘turned off’ by 2026 and ask for a meeting with you and a representative group of impacted music education providers to find a way forward.

“As an industry, we acknowledge that our success depends on a diverse and accessible range of education and skills options at various levels. Vocational Level 3 qualifications are crucial for the music talent pipeline and are often overlooked.”

The Guildhall Trust has taken over ownership of White Rock Theatre in Hastings.

Built in 1927, the 1,000 capacity theatre is one of the largest and most historic in Sussex.

The trust says it will work towards a five-year plan to develop the theatre’s studio into an performance and community space.

A trust spokesperson told the BBC: “We will be developing a five-year plan to identify how we want to develop the venue and programme, and as a charity, there will be opportunities to fundraise to support this”.

Hastings Borough Council, which owns the site, has said the move “secured” the theatre’s future, after the lease of previous operators Trafalgar Theatres ended last November.

Independent councillor from Hastings Borough Council Andy Batsford said: “They have some exciting plans to take the theatre forward and their experience shows they can deliver the vision we have”.

Touring theatre company Theatre Alibi is set to become an arts venue after opening a permanent base.

Prior to losing its Arts Council England (ACE) National Portfolio status, which equated to £241,597 of annual funding, the company developed touring plays from a base at Exeter’s Emmanuel Hall.

It now plans to use the hall as a child-centred arts venue, named The Centre for the Imagination for Young People and Children.

The space will host its first event during the current half term and plans to host and share the work of other creative organisations.

Chief Executive Debbie Bucella told the BBC the organisation reached 13,000 children annually with its tour.

"When that funding got removed, sadly we had to stop doing that work, but we looked at what our assets were and the biggest thing that we have is this building," Bucella added.

"We decided we would reach children and still give them something spectacular and a great cultural experience but just within our own building".

An Arts Council England spokesperson added: "We're thrilled to see children and young people experience Theatre Alibi here in Exeter".

"Thanks to public funding, we are able to support their pivot to a new model at Emmanual Hall so that audiences of all ages can get creative."

Music sector body LIVE has launched a survey to understand and identify changes required to improve the experience of freelancers working in the live music industry.

The Hidden Side of Freelancing will explore pay transparency and the personal experiences of freelancers at live music events. 

It can be completed anonymously. The results will be assessed, then used in a publicly available report to be published in April 2024.

“This survey will give freelancers in our industry the information needed to get the most out of the work they do and help to deliver impact change for every freelancer and the organisations that rely on freelance talent,” said LIVE CEO Jon Collins.

Technical Production Manager Paul Jones says one of the biggest single questions raised on the Live Event Freelancers Forum is about wages and pay rates.

“This survey gives every live event freelancer a chance to give accurate and honest information, and anonymously if need be. 

“There has never been more of a need to gain accurate information on pay and conditions for the freelance community so we can gather valuable insight and help shape the future of our sector and industry well into the future.

“If you are a freelancer in the live sector, you should not ignore this survey. It should be one of the most important things you do in 2024. It's your industry, let’s make a difference.”

The survey will close on 23 February.

An art gallery in Great Yarmouth that opened three years ago has been put on the market after failing to cover running costs once its grant funding ran out.

The Great Yarmouth Preservation Trust (GYPT), which owns the Yare Gallery, said that rising costs of wages, utility bills, maintenance and insurance led to the gallery's closure last year after its grant funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and the government's Culture Recovery Fund ran out.

The trust received £176,800 across two Culture Recovery for Heritage funding rounds.

Bernard Williamson, Chair of GYPT, told Eastern Daily Press: "The trust received no support or subsidy from the local authority or other bodies.

"The regeneration benefits of such an asset are a huge drain on our resources and led trustees to put the building on the market.

"It is hoped that the gallery will, therefore, continue with a new owner."

The Yare Gallery opened in 2021 in a Grade II building that was purchased and restored in the early 2000s to create the Norfolk Nelson Museum, which closed in 2019. The property has gone up for sale for just under £300,000, and the funds will be used to support other local preservation trust projects.

Police are investigating alleged electoral fraud at the Actors Benevolent Fund (ABF) following suspicions of voter irregularity at its board elections.

After completing an internal investigation, ABF said that it had disregarded 156 online votes cast during its January board elections when it emerged they had originated from only two digital mailboxes.

“This accounts for over 50% of online votes coming from just two IP addresses. It appears a crime may have been committed, and so this matter has been reported to the police and the Charity Commission,” it said in a statement.

ABF said it had “substantial reason” to doubt the votes’ veracity after some members confirmed they had not cast or approved the online votes made in their name. However, some critics questioned the robustness of the charity’s investigation, carried out by its own lawyers.

The charity, which has around £40m in assets and operates hardship funds to support actors and stagehands in England and Wales, has been embroiled in a leadership row since 2022 after a group of 10 trustees led by former ABF President for 32 years Dame Penelope Keith was ousted from the board.

A spokesperson for the Charity Commission, which has faced criticisms for permitting the 2022 board takeover, said: “The ABF has been subject to a long and damaging dispute, which has not served the interests of the charity or its beneficiaries.

"The commission had required that the charity hold free and fair trustee elections by the end of January, and we hope that, following the outcome announced today, the charity can now move forward in unity in delivering on its important charitable purpose.”

A spokesperson for former ABF trustees, members, and donors said: “We trust that the newly elected ABF council will seek to unify the membership and heal past divisions. We are sure that with the support of the hugely experienced and independent co-opted trustees, the council will ensure that the charity is in safe hands.”

After invalidating the suspected fraudulent votes, ABF said that 12 candidates endorsed by its nominations committee, including Simon Callow, Lesley Joseph, Rob Rinder, and President Eshwar Alladi, had been elected to the board.

Meanwhile, Miriam Margolyes and Robert Bathurst were among the six who failed to become board members due to the recount.

The ABF said: “These candidates will form our new board, and our priority now is to focus on the core purpose of the charity, which is to support the acting and stage management community in need.”

Ministers have had to restart the process of recruiting a new chair for the V&A Museum, according to a report from Sky News.

It claims that Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has had to restart the search for a successor to Sir Nicholas Coleridge after the original frontrunner, Samir Shah, accepted the opportunity to Chair the BBC.

The original recruitment opened last April, with interviews scheduled for early July. Shah was named the government's choice for the new BBC Chairman in December.

Coleridge, who has been appointed Chair of Historic Royal Palaces, has been replaced on an interim basis by Nigel Webb.

A code of practice to provide clarity over methods of calculating and reporting revenues from music streaming has been published.

Music Week reports that the voluntary code, published by the Intellectual Property Office (IPO), has been developed and agreed by 12 music industry bodies representing music creators, record labels, publishers, digital service providers, distributors and collecting societies. 

Those to have signed up include Association of Independent Music, the British Phonographic Industry, the Independent Society of Musicians, the Musicians’ Union and PRS For Music.

The IPO will have oversight of the code and its implementation and will convene meetings of signatory organisations every six months to consider how the code is working, with a formal review in 2026.

"The Code is intended to act as a stimulus for companies and organisations to provide ever better communications with each other and with music makers," the IPO said. 

"It seeks to create a race to the top by driving up standards and encouraging parties to be transparent.  

"For the avoidance of doubt, any failure to abide by this Code shall not constitute a breach of any legislation or any relevant contracts, including licensing, recording, publishing and distribution agreements, which are regulated by their own terms."