Music

The UK’s largest indoor arena has postponed launch events with Peter Kay, due to be held this week, after work on its power supply fell “a few days behind schedule”.

"It is critical to ensure we have a consistent total power supply to our fully electric sustainable venue, the completion of which is a few days behind," a statement from Co-Op Live Arena said.

"Rescheduling gives us the extra time we need to continue testing thoroughly."

Kay's performances at the 23,500-capacity venue have been rescheduled to 29 and 30 April.

Kay said: "I'm truly gutted, as I know how disappointing this will be for everyone with tickets - but obviously, it's a brand-new venue, and it's important that everything is finished and safe for full-capacity audiences."

Co-op Live was forced to cancel tickets for 7,000 attendees to a Rick Astley test concert last week after problems with its power supply affected fire safety and the arena’s emergency services communication system. Invite-only ticket holders were only notified of the capacity change a few hours before the scheduled start time.

The £365m venue, backed by City Football Group, Oakview Music Group and minor partners including Harry Styles, Gaiety and SJM, has already attracted controversy ahead of its opening following a licensing dispute with rival 21,000-capacity AO Arena. 

Music Venue Trust has also campaigned to have the arena donate £1 of every ticket as a “grassroots levy” to fund local independent venues.

Income generated from the use of recorded music in public places topped £283.5m last year, up 4% from 2022 - the highest level ever recorded by music licensing body PPL (Phonographic Performance Limited).

PPL said the increase was driven by an uplift in income from using recorded music in public places such as shops, bars, nightclubs, offices, and factories, which was up 11% to over £111m in 2023.

Meanwhile, international revenue collected by PPL for the use of members’ music worldwide reached £75.4m.

After operating costs and other deductions, the amount passed on to PPL members and other Collective Management Organisations grew by 5% year on year, with the cost as a percentage of revenue reducing from 13.3% to 13% in the previous year. 

Peter Leathem, CEO of PPL, said: "In these somewhat precarious times for performers, we are proud to deliver a consistent stream of income for them and recording rights holders - over £1bn distributed in the past five years alone. As the world leader in international collections, we will continue to advocate for neighbouring rights in new markets to maximise revenue opportunities for all our members.”  

A music initiative designed to "empower and celebrate" grassroots music communities has launched.

Studio Monkey Shoulder, established by Monkey Shoulder Whisky, aims to recognise and support a community organisation to turn a passion project into reality, via a £10,000 investment. 

The UK-based community, collective or music organisation which receives the investment will have the opportunity to create their own event and feature in a series of films and radio broadcasts, produced in collaboration with Worldwide FM.

The  Studio Monkey Shoulder initiative is open to community trailblazers from independent record stores, live venues and online radio stations, to DJs, artists and promoters.

The winner will be selected by DJ and broadcaster Gilles Peterson, Founder of Worldwide FM.

Two of Belfast’s biggest outdoor music events generated £30.8m for Northern Ireland's economy, a study has found.

According to an independent report, the 2023 editions of Belsonic Festival at Ormeau Park and Emerge Music Festival in Boucher Fields, also created nearly 6,000 paid employment opportunities.

Northern Ireland's Economy Minister Conor Murphy said: "Events such as Belsonic and Emerge are considerable economic drivers providing a much needed boost for our local tourism and hospitality industry.

"Employing thousands of people each year, they also engender a feel good factor and a sense of pride that shouldn’t be underestimated."

Several arts leaders representing Arts Council England (ACE) National Portfolio Organisations have faced criticism after The Guardian revealed they hold membership to the exclusive, all-male Garrick Club.

Alex Beard, the Chief Executive of the Royal Opera House, which receives ACE’s largest individual investment of over £22m per year, has been named a member, as has the Chair at English National Opera, Harry Brünjes, the Artistic Director of the Wigmore Hall, John Gilhooly, and the Chief Conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra, Antonio Pappano.

A spokesperson for Her Ensemble, an organisation that campaigns for equality in classical music, said the presence of many leading figures on the membership list “ultimately undermines a lot of the progress that the industry is making and encourages inequality.”

In a statement to The Guardian, ACE said, “Personal memberships of this kind are a matter for the individuals concerned”. 

ACE added that as a distributor of public money, “we make clear that we expect our investment to support cultural experiences and job opportunities to be available for everyone in England, irrespective of where they live, their background or how much money they have in their pocket”.

Jude Kelly, former Artistic Director of Southbank Centre and founder of the Women of the World Foundation, said senior figures in the arts should resign their membership.

“It behoves people who are leaders in the arts to not frequent it any longer. I don’t understand why anybody would think that it’s still OK to join a men-only members’ club,” she said.

The club, founded in 1831 as a meeting place for actors, previously held a formal vote on admitting women in 2015, with 50.5% supporting a rule change, failing to meet the required two-thirds majority. 

Garrick club members, including leading lawyers, the head of the civil service and King Charles, are expected to vote on the matter again in June.