Tech enabling creativity

06 Oct 2021

One of the most powerful things to emerge during the pandemic is the importance of the arts to our wellbeing. Gilane Tawadros says the visual arts – and artists in particular - can play a critical role in post-pandemic recovery.

Aberdeen commits to digital music teaching

04 Oct 2021

Aberdeen City Council has approved plans to provide online instrumental lessons for pupils.

It first introduced digital music lessons during the pandemic, when Aberdeen City Music Service began uploading instructor videos for pupils to access between classes.

The provider says students have made "good progress" during digital lessons, prompting council officers to consult with pupils, parents and instructors to determine the scope of the offer.

The initiative will support an expected increase in the number of pupils taking lessons as Scotland becomes the first UK nation to mandate free instrumental music tuition.

"Our council has been pioneering in its use of digital technology - and there is a great opportunity to harness its power in delivering content to support those who engage with the music service," Councillor M Taqueer Malik commented.

Only 720 UK artists make a living from music streaming

30 Sep 2021

A long-awaited report into music creators' earnings estimates they receive a fifth of a penny per stream, but avoids wading into the debate about whether that's fair.

£18m Sunderland venue set to open

29 Sep 2021

Sunderland’s newest music and performance venue The Fire Station has released details of its opening programme.

Operated by Sunderland Culture, the £18m venue will open its auditorium on December 10, with events scheduled through June.

It expects to host up to 300 music and theatre events each year.

Music, Arts and Culture (MAC) Chair Paul Callaghan said the auditorium will not only feature established musicians, "it will also be the springboard to stardom for our own aspiring talent".

Sunderland Culture Chief Executive Rebecca Ball said the venue will be "a fantastic addition to the city’s cultural life" and thanked the MAC Trust for leading the building project.
 

'Splitter vans' permitted for EU touring artists, DfT says

29 Sep 2021

British musicians touring the EU can now travel in the same vehicle as their equipment.

The Department of Transport has confirmed that so-called 'splitter vans' do not fall under the post-Brexit Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA), meaning individual EU states make their own rules.

The Musicians' Union (MU) and Incorporated Society of Musicians (ISM), which have been lobbying for this arrangement, are delighted.

The TCA said people and equipment could not be transported in the same vehicle - "a disaster for touring musicians, particularly at grassroots level", the MU says.

National Organiser for Live Performance Dave Webster, said this is a relief and "a major step forward".

“A ban on splitter vans would have made European touring almost impossible for small to medium scale bands, especially given the costs of carnets, visas, work permits and Covid testing they are already bearing."

ISM Chief Executive Deborah Annetts said a visa waiver agreement is needed to remove the red tape.

"It’s great that on this occasion the industries’ campaigning work has paid off, but there is much more the Government should be doing."

PRS reports gender and ethnicity pay gaps

28 Sep 2021

PRS for Music has narrowed its gender pay gap but white employees earn up to 26% more than those of colour.

The collecting society has published reports on its gender and ethnicity pay gaps as it announces two new full-time posts to "provide further expertise in equality and diversity".

Its average gender pay gap has decreased from 13.5% last year to 10.6% this year. 

However, there is an average wage gap of 20% and a median gap of 26% in favour of white employees over their colleagues of colour.

This is "predominantly driven by the proportion of Black, Asian or ethnic minority background employees in lower banded roles," PRS reports

It says it has trained all hiring managers on inclusive recruiting and increase its use of recuritment agencies that specialise in diverse candidates.

"Internally, the organisation is increasing its focus on nurturing diverse talent using talent reviews and career development plans, including coaching and management development."

Council axes popular blues festival

27 Sep 2021

The Great British Rhythm and Blues Festival has been cancelled by Colne Town Council due to rising costs.

Council chair, Liberal Democrat Mary Thomas, said the council "no longer has the resources" to run the festival after taking over its administration in 2017.

"It has become clear over the three years that Colne Town Council has run the festival that it has become unsustainable in its current form.

"Ticket sales for the main stages have been falling year on year. In addition, the buyers... have overwhelmingly been from an older demographic and we have been unable to attract a younger audience in enough numbers."

The town council expects to stage a new summer music festival from next year.

Awarded UK Blues Festival of the Year 2019, the event is estimated to have attracted 25,000 people to the Lancashire town that year. It has been an annual event for the past 30 years.

A petition calling for the decision to be overturned has received more than 5,000 signatures online.

£330k boost for music export scheme

23 Sep 2021

A grants programme to help UK music companies market their products and projects overseas has been given a £330,000 boost.

The Music Export Growth Scheme gives grants of £5,000 to £50,000.

The extra finance was announced this week as part of a package of measures in the Department for International Trade's (DIT) new 'Made in Britain, Sold to the World' campaign.

Museums will also benefit from new research around reaching international markets.

Minister for Exports Mike Freer said the UK's creative industries are "a force to be reckoned with" - music alone exported £519.7m last year.

DIT expects Asia to be the next big market for British cultural exports: "The region [is] set to be home to the 66% of the global middle classes by 2030, hungry for high quality British goods and services."

Abandoned church to become arts and music venue

22 Sep 2021

Ipswich Council has granted planning permission for St Clement's Church to be repurposed into an arts centre and music venue.

Planning officers said the scheme would "add significantly to the vitality and viability of the town centre".

Councillor Carole Jones added: "Everybody would wish to see this beautiful building brought back into some use for the benefit of the community."

Work is expected to begin on the Grade-II listed building, which has been vacant for more than 40 years, before the end of the year.

Planning permission was first granted in 2016 but did not move forward due to insufficient funds.

Ipswich Churches Trust confirmed funding for the first phase of work has been secured and hopes the announcement will lead to further donations.

Watchdog called to probe music labels' market dominance

22 Sep 2021

The Government has responded to a critical inquiry on streaming with a 12-month schedule of research and working groups to challenge industry practices.

When best intentions backfire?

16 Sep 2021

In trying to diversify its company, English Touring Opera shot itself - and 14 freelancers - in the foot.

Sony merger to be investigated

16 Sep 2021

A proposed merger involving music label Sony will be probed further after concerns about the deal were raised.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has referred Sony Music’s acquisition of AWAL and Kobalt Neighbouring Rights for an in-depth investigation.

The watchdog raised concerns over the merger last week, suggesting that Sony’s increased market share could worsen deals for artists.

The escalation suggests Sony did not respond to CMA’s initial findings within the five days granted.

An independent inquiry panel will now consider whether the merger has caused “a substantial lessening of competition within any market,” the CMA says.

New music publishing service for composers

14 Sep 2021

Music management companies HarrisonParrott and Polyarts have launched a new music publishing service, Birdsong.

Birdsong will work with composers to “nurture development and encourage creativity whilst protecting and exploiting copyright”.

Classical music specialists HarrisonParrott will offer a tailored publishing service for Birdsong’s roster and Polyarts will assist those working across different music genres.

Co-Founder and Executive Chairman Jasper Parrott said Birdsong’s launch was “the realisation of an ambition [HarrisonParrot] has had for many years”.

“It is exciting that this symbolically important step should chime with the urgent need to support creativity in the post-Covid music world.”
 

70% of shielding musicians facing financial hardship

13 Sep 2021

The music industry is urging better financial support for shielding musicians after research found 70% are facing financial hardship.

Nearly 60% said they hadn’t received any financial support during the pandemic and almost 40% say they must continue shielding beyond the end of Covid restrictions.

Musicians' Union General Secretary Horace Trubridge said shielding musicians are being “left behind with no support”.

Alongside The Ivors Academy, the union is asking the Government to extend furlough and self-employment support for shielding musicians until they can safely return to work.

“The Government must provide clearer, accessible guidance, and ensure that this group of workers can access financial support to stay safe and not be forced to choose between going to work and their health,” Trubridge added.
 

Watchdog raises concerns over Sony merger

08 Sep 2021

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is investigating Sony Music Entertainment’s acquisition of two Kobalt Music Group subsidaries, AWAL and Neighbouring Rights.

The watchdog believes the £312m deal, completed in May, could limit competition after an initial investigation.

The CMA found evidence AWAL was "well-placed" to compete with Sony in the future, recognising the music distributor as "one of few suppliers outside the major labels that succeeded in gaining a meaningful foothold in the market".

CMA's Senior Director Colin Raftery said the merger could worsen deals for many music artists in the UK, leading to less innovation across the industry.

Sony has said it is "perplexed" by the findings. The industry giant has until September 14 to address the CMA's concerns, before the deal is referred for an in-depth Phase 2 investigation.

Festival visit sparks call for Irish capacity events

07 Sep 2021

Irish deputy prime minister Leo Varadkar has been criticised for attending a music festival in London whilst his government maintains restrictions on live events.

Ireland’s largest music festival Electric Picnic - cancelled this year due to capacity restrictions - was scheduled for the same weekend Varadkar was spotted at Mighty Hoopla.

The Event Industry Alliance (EIA) said it was “glad” to see Varadkar trust the UK’s safety measures and demanded a full reopening of Irish venues.

“It has been repeatedly stated and acknowledged by the Taoiseach (Prime Minister Micheál Martin) and the Tánaiste (Varadkar) that the commercial event sector requires 100% capacity to be viable,” the EIA added.

Ireland authorised indoor events to resume at 60% capacity and outdoor events at 75% on Monday (September 6). A return to full capacity events has been earmarked for October 22.

Half of disabled music workers don’t disclose conditions

03 Sep 2021

Music industry workers are putting their health and safety at risk over fear of negative reactions and damaging their career prospects.

Afghan music institute falls silent

02 Sep 2021

The Afhganistan National Institue of Music is believed to have closed.

Established in 2010, the school is home to Zohra, the country's sole female orchestra. It performed at the British Museum in 2019.

Little has been heard from the institute since the Taliban's takeover. Its Founder, Dr Ahmad Sarmast, said the militant group has been searching for the keys.

Sarmast expressed hope the building would be able to reopen:

"Music is fading away from the air of Afghanistan so we need to keep an eye on what is happening and then act unitedly with the rest of the world," he told the BBC.

Academy Music Group acquires Edinburgh venue

01 Sep 2021

Academy Music Group (AMG) has acquired the Edinburgh Corn Exchange.

The 3,000 capacity venue, set to become the 20th owned and operated by AMG across the UK, will be renamed 02 Academy Edinburgh from today (September 1).

AMG Chief Operating Officer Graham Walters says the venue fits with the company's ethos of investing in heritage buildings.

"It has a number of diverse secondary spaces, flexible formats and configurations that we’ll be looking at over the coming months to complement programming and events in the main auditorium."

Gareth Griffiths, Head of Sponsorship for 02, said the acquisition "demonstrates O2 and Academy Music Group’s commitment to enhancing the live industry in Scotland".

Instrument dealers banned from trading

31 Aug 2021

Two owners of a London flute shop have been banned from trading for the rest of the decade.

Fred Patrick Onn and Andrew Thomson admitted to allowing Top Wind to sell over 20 musical instruments owned by third parties after the retailer went bust in July 2019.

An Insolvency Service investigation found proceeds worth more than £33,000 were not passed onto the owners.

Top Wind entered into liquidation in March 2020 after its accountant was jailed for malpractice.

The Insolveny Service's ruling determined Onn and Thomson cannot become involved with the promotion, formation or management of a company for nine years.

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