Music

PRS Foundation has announced the re-opening of its Resonate initiative, inviting UK orchestras to programme and perform the best British orchestral works of the last 25 years.

The initiative is a partnership between PRS Foundation, the Association of British Orchestras and broadcast partner BBC Radio 3.

Grants of up to £10,000 are on offer to orchestras that want to rehearse, programme, tour or promote a piece of music from the Resonate database, which includes works commissioned by UK orchestras in the past 25 years.

“Having repeat performances of new orchestral works is an important part of creating and establishing the classics of the future,” said Joe Frankland, CEO of PRS Foundation. 

“Orchestras can apply to programme, perform and promote fantastic contemporary orchestral pieces - many of which have not received the exposure they deserve.”

Mark Pemberton, Chief Executive at the Association of British Orchestras, said that the Resonate initiative has “helped forge a step-change in our members’ commitment to performing previously commissioned works. It has also helped the many composers whose works have been heard once again by the public”.

Support will be given to “orchestras who can demonstrate a commitment to presenting high quality contemporary UK repertoire which they will promote with the Resonate brand as part of a season, tour and longer-term audience development programme”.

The deadline to submit an application is October 3. 

UK Music has launched the latest edition of its UK Music Workforce Diversity Survey.

First launched in 2016, the biannual survey aims to give the industry, government and other stakeholders an insight into what improvements are needed regarding diversity and inclusion.

The survey focuses on those who work behind the scenes in the industry and is requesting responses from music businesses including studios, management agencies, music publishers, major and independent record labels, music licensing companies and the live music sector.

Results will form part of a diversity report, due to be published later this year.

The Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama, BBC National Orchestra of Wales and the National Open Youth Orchestra (NOYO) have announced the launch of the Cardiff NOYO Centre, a pioneering inclusive ensemble to allow talented young disabled and non-disabled musicians to rehearse and perform together.

The partnership offers the first progression route for talented young disabled musicians in the region. It aims to reduce musical exclusion and develop skills while increasing sector support.

NOYO is the world's first disabled-led national youth ensemble open to both young disabled and non-disabled musicians. The project aims to lay the foundations for a more diverse orchestral sector.

“Musical talent and potential are everywhere, but opportunities for young disabled people to progress in music are not,” said Barry Farrimond-Chuong MBE, CEO of Open Up Music, the charity behind NOYO. 

“We are extremely excited to be working with Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama and BBC National Orchestra of Wales to expand the National Open Youth Orchestra and open up music to more young disabled musicians.”

Instruments played by NOYO musicians include the LinnStrument, Seaboard RISE and Clarion, an accessible instrument that can be played with any movement of the body, including the eyes. 

The centre will begin taking applications for auditions from disabled and non-disabled musicians aged 11 to 25 in March next year, with rehearsals due to begin in September 2023. Participation will be free and will include monthly rehearsals and one-to-one tuition.

“There aren’t other youth orchestras who are as passionate about showing disabled people can play on the same stages as non-disabled people,” said NOYO harpist Holli Pandit.

“Lots of the music we play, you wouldn't really get that in a stereotypical classical music concert – you wouldn’t have the instruments! We believe that it's best if disabled and non-disabled musicians can integrate together, and then we can come up with fresh new ideas and be more creative.” 
 

The Music Producers Guild (MPG) is asking music industry professionals to complete a survey on misogyny in music.

The survey results will form part of MPG’s submission of evidence to the Women and Equalities Select Committee, a group of cross-party MPs who are running an enquiry on misogyny in the industry.

The groups say it needs as many people as possible to fill the survey in. Responses are anonymous, although participants are asked to clarify whether or not they identify as a woman.

The survey is open until Friday (15 July).

A new £4.1m creative hub for young musicians and dancers has opened as part of efforts to support diverse talent.

The Talent House, based in Stratford, will house both East London Dance and national youth music organisation UD, providing young music and dance professionals free and affordable access to world class facilities as a launchpad to reach new audiences.

It is hoped the venue, paid for with initial funding from Arts Council England and the Greater London Authority, will attract more than 12,000 people every year with an "inspirational" public programme, co-curated with young people, artists and local residents.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, who opened the hub, said: “London’s music and dance scene is thriving, but these companies need a home to nurture and support talent, so I’m proud to have invested in this state of the art facility, which will not only be a springboard for creatives and performers in Newham and across the city, but help to cement London as the creative capital of the world. 

"Investment like this is essential for our city’s recovery and a key part of building a better London for everyone.”

DCMS, the Department for Education and the Department of Health and Social Care have jointly announced new music and sport initiatives to support children’s development. 

More than £100m will be used to increase opportunities across the country for children to study music and learn instruments.

Capital funding worth £25m will be given to schools to purchase an estimated 200,000 new musical instruments, including adapted instruments for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities.

Schools will also be asked to offer at least one hour of music teaching a week in the curriculum for key stages 1-3 as part of the launch of a new National Plan for Music Education, with £79 million made available every year until 2025 for the Music Hubs programme.

The plan also includes providing teachers and young people with guidance on how to progress a career in music.

“Music can transform lives – so it is vital that music education does not become the preserve of a privileged few and is available to everyone, regardless of their background,” said Chief Executive of UK Music Jamie Njoku-Goodwin.

“Continued investment in music education is vital if we want to unlock the huge creative potential of young people and level up opportunities across the country.”

Additional initiatives in the National Plan for Music Education include steps to further develop instrument and music teaching, a pilot to improve music progression in disadvantaged areas and the roll-out of an inclusion strategy in every music hub area.

Electronic artist Four Tet, whose real name is Kieran Hebden, has reached a settlement with his former label Domino Records after signing over the royalties paid when his music is downloaded or streamed.

Hedben was offered a 13.5% royalty rate for streams and downloads, the same rate applied to sales of music, rather than the 50% rate applied to licensing music. 

His deal with the record company was signed before the advent of digital downloads and music streaming services.

The musician argued that digital downloads and streaming of his music should be paid at the higher rate applied to licensing deals for movies and television, in which the record company doesn’t incur the costs associated with producing physical cassettes, vinyl or CDs.

Hebden’s legal challenge was decided out of court but could set a legal precedent for contract disputes in the music business.

In a statement on Twitter, he said that Domino Records “have recognised my original claim, that I should be paid a 50% royalty on streaming and downloads, and that they should be treated as a license rather than the same as a CD or vinyl sale”.

“Hopefully I’ve opened up a constructive dialogue and maybe prompted others to push for a fairer deal on historical contracts, written at a time when the music industry operated entirely differently,” he added.

He shared images of the settlement showing that he is due to receive £56,921.08 in respect of historical income backdated to July 2017, in addition to 5% annual interest.

A paper outlining a vision for the future of music libraries has been published by an alliance of music organisations.

The Music Libraries Trust, Making Music and the UK and Ireland branch of the International Association of Music Librarians hope Music libraries in the UK: a vision for the future can help protect access to and sustainability of music resources.

The public library network has been traditionally the largest and most cost-effective provider of sheet music, but they have been impacted by local authority budget cuts over the last 20 years.

The paper states that every music group should have access to printed music and recommends creating a national steering group, consisting of funders, operators and users, to explore how to integrate services and resources at a national level, and safeguard material when a local service closes.

Making Music CEO Barbara Eifler says work with local authorities and service provides has shown its is possible to “ensure a future for music libraries while relieving under-resourced local authorities of all or most of the financial burden”.

“We look forward to this vision opening up a conversation which will benefit all parties in the longer term and underpin the thriving community music scene for which the UK is rightly known.”